Please follow me on Twitter @Michele_teaches. I'll post pictures and updates throughout each week!
Tuesday, March 17, 2020--Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Monday, March 16, 2020
Welcome to our week of online learning! Today is a free day for you!! Have a great time! I have been thinking a lot about what we can do this week to help us enjoy our learning. So, if you are ready to start doing some school things, I've posted some fun things you can do today on SeeSaw. This is only if you want to, and you do not need to submit any of your work to me.
Here's what to expect for the upcoming week: Each day by 8:30 am I will submit learning activities for the day to students and parents in the Announcements section of SeeSaw, and I will send an email with the same information to parents. You have the whole day to do the work.
As I previously suggested, a schedule will help you structure your day into academic times, quiet time, movement times, etc. Our school district has asked that the work I give you take about 60 minutes each day. Please use that guideline as you plan your daily schedule. We have also suspended home practice this week, so if you took that packet home on Friday, you need not complete it. Each day I'll be giving you "must do" activities that are your priority, and some choices that you "can do" if they sound enjoyable to you. When you complete the work each day you will submit it on SeeSaw and sometimes you'll submit writing via Google docs.
I'm excited to try this new learning experience and hope that we can all be kind and patient as we learn how to do online learning. Remember the little sign in our classroom, "Mistakes prove you're trying." We are all likely to make a few mistakes this week, and we're just going to learn from them and be smarter about things the next time. Let's give ourselves permission to mess up and learn from our mistakes. I'll be back with more as we go along.
Welcome to our week of online learning! Today is a free day for you!! Have a great time! I have been thinking a lot about what we can do this week to help us enjoy our learning. So, if you are ready to start doing some school things, I've posted some fun things you can do today on SeeSaw. This is only if you want to, and you do not need to submit any of your work to me.
Here's what to expect for the upcoming week: Each day by 8:30 am I will submit learning activities for the day to students and parents in the Announcements section of SeeSaw, and I will send an email with the same information to parents. You have the whole day to do the work.
As I previously suggested, a schedule will help you structure your day into academic times, quiet time, movement times, etc. Our school district has asked that the work I give you take about 60 minutes each day. Please use that guideline as you plan your daily schedule. We have also suspended home practice this week, so if you took that packet home on Friday, you need not complete it. Each day I'll be giving you "must do" activities that are your priority, and some choices that you "can do" if they sound enjoyable to you. When you complete the work each day you will submit it on SeeSaw and sometimes you'll submit writing via Google docs.
I'm excited to try this new learning experience and hope that we can all be kind and patient as we learn how to do online learning. Remember the little sign in our classroom, "Mistakes prove you're trying." We are all likely to make a few mistakes this week, and we're just going to learn from them and be smarter about things the next time. Let's give ourselves permission to mess up and learn from our mistakes. I'll be back with more as we go along.
Monday, February 10, 2020
Welcome to parent-teacher conference and Valentine's Day week!
This week's schedule: Please remember that we have a full day of school on Wednesday with our first day of conferences that evening. We have a half day of school on Thursday with our second day of conferences that afternoon and evening. There is no school on Friday.
Conferences: We'll discuss your child's academic growth since we had the chance to talk back in November at our first conferences. We'll also take a look at how your child is feeling about second grade. If you have some specific questions, we'll make sure you get answers to them.
Valentine's DayCelebration: Our Valentine's Day party planned and organized by our Room 122 parents will take place on Thursday from 11:15 to 12:00. Prior to the party we will distribute our Valentines to each other. You are welcome to send in Valentines any time this week. Please use the list that was sent home previously to make sure you have a Valentine for every student in our classroom. If your child is going to miss our Valentine's Day party, he/she is welcome to send in their Valentines early and we will distribute them to the class.
FMSC UPDATE: We currently have 15 adult chaperones signed up for Feed My Starving Children. Thanks so much to those of you who are able to come! We could still use a few more adults to meet the 1:1 student/adult ratio for second graders, so invite your family and friends. It's a super-fun time! The following is the list of volunteers from our classroom. Please let me know if anything changes, or if there is anyone else who would like to come with us. It really is the best day of the school year!
- Katharine Griffith
- John Griffith
- Sherry Gallarneau
- Lauren Silverman
- Collette Cohen
- Paolo Vallotti
- Kerry Frazier
- Amber Miller
- Tracy Snyder
- Megan Vandergeest
- Lisa Newman
- Eric Newman
- Younga Lim
- Rachel Taylor
- Stacie Sulentic
Friday January 24, 2020
We're going to Feed My Starving Children on Friday, March 6! This is often the most memorable experience of second grade for students in my class. Thanks to those of you who've already committed their time to chaperone this fun field trip. We need at least 10 more adults in order to go. Please email me by January 31 to let me know who can come from your family. Thanks so much! We (literally) can't do it without you.
We're going to Feed My Starving Children on Friday, March 6! This is often the most memorable experience of second grade for students in my class. Thanks to those of you who've already committed their time to chaperone this fun field trip. We need at least 10 more adults in order to go. Please email me by January 31 to let me know who can come from your family. Thanks so much! We (literally) can't do it without you.
Friday, January 24, 2019
It's been a busy week even with MLK Jr. Day off. January and February are assessment months for us, and we've been assessing the past couple of weeks. We've already completed our Math MAP testing, our Fountas and Pinnell reading assessments, our Narrative Writing and Words Their Way word-study evaluations, and we'll begin our updated math facts assessments next week. Whew! The kids have been doing such a great job on the assessments and trying their hardest, so we've thrown in some fun activities to offset the stress of all their test taking. I look forward to discussing your student's growth in second grade at conferences. I'm so proud of the kids for the great learning they're doing!
A review of our learning this month:
Reading
As a class we are reading The BFG. We continue to think about our reading using the Reading Response: Something I noticed in my reading that might be important is . . . . It might be important because . . . . Because of my noticing I predict OR I wonder . . . . This series of reflections helps readers focus on identifying what is important in their reading and use it to think about how it will impact the story. You can use this framework as the basis for asking your child about his/her reading at home. Please don't read The BFG at home or watch the movie while we are reading the book in class. It's way more fun to discover the story together.
We continue to read independently every day. This is often the kids' favorite part of our day. We are still fans of Captain Underpants and Dog Man, but most kids also have a nice combination of nonfiction, chapter books, and fiction picture books in their book bins. We also really enjoy the chance to choose books for our kindergarten buddies each week and read with them.
Book groups have been focused on nonfiction since break. We have so many great nonfiction reading topics right now that help us understand our world--Martin Luther King Jr and Lunar New Year most recently.
Writing
In writing we wrote one final small moments narrative piece and now are on to opinion writing. We will focus on writing book reviews along with expressing our opinions on other topics as we add to our knowledge of a good opinion writing piece.
Math
In math we are focused on mental math. Students are fluidly adding 10 and 100 to three digit numbers. Every day we work on math fact fluency. The kids were very excited about DreamBox before break, but I've seen a definite drop off in their time spent on DreamBox at home since we've come back. Be sure to suggest DreamBox as an option when they are playing on devices at home.
Science/Social Studies
We wrapped up our Science unit on Matter last week and are moving into our next six-week rotation in Social Studies. We will be studying the history of Northbrook and comparing it to the modern day community. We have a field trip to the Northbrook Historical Museum coming up on February 21 to immerse the kids in the history of the community.
It's been a busy week even with MLK Jr. Day off. January and February are assessment months for us, and we've been assessing the past couple of weeks. We've already completed our Math MAP testing, our Fountas and Pinnell reading assessments, our Narrative Writing and Words Their Way word-study evaluations, and we'll begin our updated math facts assessments next week. Whew! The kids have been doing such a great job on the assessments and trying their hardest, so we've thrown in some fun activities to offset the stress of all their test taking. I look forward to discussing your student's growth in second grade at conferences. I'm so proud of the kids for the great learning they're doing!
A review of our learning this month:
Reading
As a class we are reading The BFG. We continue to think about our reading using the Reading Response: Something I noticed in my reading that might be important is . . . . It might be important because . . . . Because of my noticing I predict OR I wonder . . . . This series of reflections helps readers focus on identifying what is important in their reading and use it to think about how it will impact the story. You can use this framework as the basis for asking your child about his/her reading at home. Please don't read The BFG at home or watch the movie while we are reading the book in class. It's way more fun to discover the story together.
We continue to read independently every day. This is often the kids' favorite part of our day. We are still fans of Captain Underpants and Dog Man, but most kids also have a nice combination of nonfiction, chapter books, and fiction picture books in their book bins. We also really enjoy the chance to choose books for our kindergarten buddies each week and read with them.
Book groups have been focused on nonfiction since break. We have so many great nonfiction reading topics right now that help us understand our world--Martin Luther King Jr and Lunar New Year most recently.
Writing
In writing we wrote one final small moments narrative piece and now are on to opinion writing. We will focus on writing book reviews along with expressing our opinions on other topics as we add to our knowledge of a good opinion writing piece.
Math
In math we are focused on mental math. Students are fluidly adding 10 and 100 to three digit numbers. Every day we work on math fact fluency. The kids were very excited about DreamBox before break, but I've seen a definite drop off in their time spent on DreamBox at home since we've come back. Be sure to suggest DreamBox as an option when they are playing on devices at home.
Science/Social Studies
We wrapped up our Science unit on Matter last week and are moving into our next six-week rotation in Social Studies. We will be studying the history of Northbrook and comparing it to the modern day community. We have a field trip to the Northbrook Historical Museum coming up on February 21 to immerse the kids in the history of the community.
Friday, November 1, 2019
We made it through the blizzard of Halloween! For awhile it seemed as if we were in our own version of the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. We had a great time on Halloween despite the snow. Our whole day had a Halloween theme from our math games in the morning to our after-lunch Halloween Hopscotch Coding team activity. Our Halloween parade was fun even though it had to be indoors--the kids LOVE to see their families no matter where the parade takes place. Thanks for coming to see us! The Halloween party thrown by our parents was a BLAST! The kids had so much fun playing Halloween BINGO, making spooky key chains, and turning their flashlights on and off with the scary story! Thanks so much to Karen Alpert, Suha Fattah , Fredrica Forneris and Katharine Griffith for planning, organizing, and having fun at the party with us! Everyone had a great time!
Please check out our Halloween pictures in the PHOTOS section of this website. (You can find it by clicking on "more" at the top of this page.)
Friday, October 25, 2019
One thing author Mac Barnett told us when he was at Westmoor was that the process of creating his first book was long and involved. The photo above is his picture representation of the process--yes, those are sea serpents on the bottom of the page. The kids are experiencing this long process first-hand as we create small moments memoirs books to give to our buddy class, Mrs. Baque's kindergarteners.
We are delving deeply into all aspects of writing a good story from different ways to get inspiration for writing, to choosing the best writing topic, and then how to put our ideas down on paper in a way that makes them come to life. We've been examining mentor texts to see what details we can put in our own writing so we can show--not tell--our story. So far we've learned to include some "storytelling moves" such as dialog, onomatopoeia, feelings, setting, and strong nouns. We are taking our time to plan the beginning, middle, and end of our story, and then we will add our lead and our conclusion.
This is a long process, and these kids like to write, so we are also writing some "quick writes" throughout the week that can be accomplished in one writing session. The kids are using their new techniques in these writing pieces as well. You'll see our Weekend News quick-write come home each week. Look for our "storytelling moves" as you read them.
One thing author Mac Barnett told us when he was at Westmoor was that the process of creating his first book was long and involved. The photo above is his picture representation of the process--yes, those are sea serpents on the bottom of the page. The kids are experiencing this long process first-hand as we create small moments memoirs books to give to our buddy class, Mrs. Baque's kindergarteners.
We are delving deeply into all aspects of writing a good story from different ways to get inspiration for writing, to choosing the best writing topic, and then how to put our ideas down on paper in a way that makes them come to life. We've been examining mentor texts to see what details we can put in our own writing so we can show--not tell--our story. So far we've learned to include some "storytelling moves" such as dialog, onomatopoeia, feelings, setting, and strong nouns. We are taking our time to plan the beginning, middle, and end of our story, and then we will add our lead and our conclusion.
This is a long process, and these kids like to write, so we are also writing some "quick writes" throughout the week that can be accomplished in one writing session. The kids are using their new techniques in these writing pieces as well. You'll see our Weekend News quick-write come home each week. Look for our "storytelling moves" as you read them.
Friday, October 18, 2019
Thanks to all our families who came to conferences this week. It can be challenging to add conferences to your already-busy schedules, and I appreciate the chance to check in with all of you.
Thanks to all our families who came to conferences this week. It can be challenging to add conferences to your already-busy schedules, and I appreciate the chance to check in with all of you.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Today we launched our Digital Citizenship lessons with Mrs. LaCerra in the library. This is a great program through Common Sense Media, and our lessons will help students live responsible, respectful, and intelligent digital lives. As we work through the lessons, please use the information that comes home as an opportunity to discuss the use of devices and the internet in your family. I've challenged the kids to find ideas and information to share with you that you may not have thought about.
From our lesson today, some conversation starters could be . . .
1. What family rules do you have about using apps or going online? Why are they important to follow?
2. What sites are okay for your child to use? How is that communicated to them?
3. How much time can your child spend on devices each day? What are your family's time limits? Do adults go by the same rules?
If you've not thought about making these guidelines more formal, now may be a great time to make a list of safe sites, and have a family conversation to agree on some device-use rules. Post these where everyone can see them--and help each other live by the guidelines you've agreed to.
Today we launched our Digital Citizenship lessons with Mrs. LaCerra in the library. This is a great program through Common Sense Media, and our lessons will help students live responsible, respectful, and intelligent digital lives. As we work through the lessons, please use the information that comes home as an opportunity to discuss the use of devices and the internet in your family. I've challenged the kids to find ideas and information to share with you that you may not have thought about.
From our lesson today, some conversation starters could be . . .
1. What family rules do you have about using apps or going online? Why are they important to follow?
2. What sites are okay for your child to use? How is that communicated to them?
3. How much time can your child spend on devices each day? What are your family's time limits? Do adults go by the same rules?
If you've not thought about making these guidelines more formal, now may be a great time to make a list of safe sites, and have a family conversation to agree on some device-use rules. Post these where everyone can see them--and help each other live by the guidelines you've agreed to.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Mac Barnett was in the house today! We met Mac Barnett and listened to him read Sam and Dave Dig a Hole from our very own classroom library copy! He led us in the Prankster's Oath and taught us the prankster's secret handshake. Watch out, we're official pranksters now! He also explained to us how his first book, Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, was created. (See hilarious photo below!)
During Independent Reading we have been absorbing Mac B's picture books including Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, Just Because, Triangle, Square, Circle, The Wolf The Duck and The Mouse, and, one of our favorites, President Taft is Stuck in the Bath, among others. We even brought Mac B books to share with our reading buddies--Mrs. Baque's kindergarteners. As a class we're reading--and loving--one of Mac B's chapter books, The Terrible Two.
We each made an award poster featuring our favorite Mac Barnett book to decorate the library for Mac's visit. The reasons we gave for liking the books can be summed up this way: They're funny!
We are so thankful to Mrs. LaCerra and Mrs. Burnson for envisioning, planning and organizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet one of our very favorite authors!
Mac Barnett was in the house today! We met Mac Barnett and listened to him read Sam and Dave Dig a Hole from our very own classroom library copy! He led us in the Prankster's Oath and taught us the prankster's secret handshake. Watch out, we're official pranksters now! He also explained to us how his first book, Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, was created. (See hilarious photo below!)
During Independent Reading we have been absorbing Mac B's picture books including Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, Just Because, Triangle, Square, Circle, The Wolf The Duck and The Mouse, and, one of our favorites, President Taft is Stuck in the Bath, among others. We even brought Mac B books to share with our reading buddies--Mrs. Baque's kindergarteners. As a class we're reading--and loving--one of Mac B's chapter books, The Terrible Two.
We each made an award poster featuring our favorite Mac Barnett book to decorate the library for Mac's visit. The reasons we gave for liking the books can be summed up this way: They're funny!
We are so thankful to Mrs. LaCerra and Mrs. Burnson for envisioning, planning and organizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet one of our very favorite authors!
Friday, October 4, 2019
Second grade writing curriculum begins with small moments. When the kids write small moments, they zoom in their focus on a relatively short period of time and tell the "meatiest" part of an interesting story that actually happened to them. For example, many kids like to tell about the first time they did something: Ride a roller coaster, ride a bike, lose a tooth, you get the idea. A small moment story about riding a roller coaster may start with standing in line waiting for the roller coaster, then getting in the car and strapping in, then going up, up, up and zooming down and around, and finally getting off the roller coaster and vowing to 1) go again immediately, or 2) never to do that again!
Second graders typically start the year by telling this type of story from the moment they woke up the morning they went to the theme park to the time they went to bed that night. One thing we're focusing instruction and practice time on is zooming in on the best part of the story and leaving out all those other parts that aren't important.
We've been reading and analyzing mentor texts to help us in other areas we're working on such as generating good writing ideas, using transition words, writing a lead and and ending, putting periods and capitals in the right places--and not in the wrong places--and adding elaboration that will bring our stories to life such as dialog, action verbs, specific nouns, onomatopoeia, and adjectives.
These kids love to write, and I'm excited to see what we create this year!
Second grade writing curriculum begins with small moments. When the kids write small moments, they zoom in their focus on a relatively short period of time and tell the "meatiest" part of an interesting story that actually happened to them. For example, many kids like to tell about the first time they did something: Ride a roller coaster, ride a bike, lose a tooth, you get the idea. A small moment story about riding a roller coaster may start with standing in line waiting for the roller coaster, then getting in the car and strapping in, then going up, up, up and zooming down and around, and finally getting off the roller coaster and vowing to 1) go again immediately, or 2) never to do that again!
Second graders typically start the year by telling this type of story from the moment they woke up the morning they went to the theme park to the time they went to bed that night. One thing we're focusing instruction and practice time on is zooming in on the best part of the story and leaving out all those other parts that aren't important.
We've been reading and analyzing mentor texts to help us in other areas we're working on such as generating good writing ideas, using transition words, writing a lead and and ending, putting periods and capitals in the right places--and not in the wrong places--and adding elaboration that will bring our stories to life such as dialog, action verbs, specific nouns, onomatopoeia, and adjectives.
These kids love to write, and I'm excited to see what we create this year!
Friday, September 27, 2019
Calm Classroom. You may have heard your children talk about this strange thing Mrs. Anderson has them doing that requires quiet bodies and voices and deep breathing. They're referring to Calm Classroom. Calm Classroom is a program that second grade is piloting at Westmoor. It is an opportunity for the kids to use breathing, guided movement, and meditation as a calming and refreshing brain break.
How are we doing with Calm Classroom, you may be wondering. Well, introducing something brand new that feels a little weird to the kids has needed an adjustment time, but we're more and more successful with it each day as it feels more normalized. We will definitely keep practicing Calm Classroom. It takes only three or four minutes from beginning to end, and the difference in the level of focus in our classroom is noticeable.
Calm Classroom is just one way that I work to make Room 122 a happy, productive, and respectful place the kids are excited to spend time every day.
Calm Classroom. You may have heard your children talk about this strange thing Mrs. Anderson has them doing that requires quiet bodies and voices and deep breathing. They're referring to Calm Classroom. Calm Classroom is a program that second grade is piloting at Westmoor. It is an opportunity for the kids to use breathing, guided movement, and meditation as a calming and refreshing brain break.
How are we doing with Calm Classroom, you may be wondering. Well, introducing something brand new that feels a little weird to the kids has needed an adjustment time, but we're more and more successful with it each day as it feels more normalized. We will definitely keep practicing Calm Classroom. It takes only three or four minutes from beginning to end, and the difference in the level of focus in our classroom is noticeable.
Calm Classroom is just one way that I work to make Room 122 a happy, productive, and respectful place the kids are excited to spend time every day.
Friday, September 20, 2019
We completed work on Math in Focus Chapter 1 today by taking the post test. As you were able to see in our home practice, chapter 1 was all about understanding place value. We will build from that foundation in chapter two as we begin to add three-digit numbers. We are emphasizing flexibility in our thinking this year, and want the students to be able to show several different ways to solve math problems. With that in mind, we'll be teaching three-digit addition using several strategies to help the kids understand what they're doing when exchanging those 10 ones for 10 or exchanging 10 tens for 100. This kind of fluidity in thinking helps the kids understand the basis for the algorithms that we've always taught. You can expect to see our post-tests come home on Monday after the kids have had a chance to look at them.
Also on the math front, we are so thankful to our district Math Interventionists for their hard work assessing all our second grade students on math facts. We've identified some areas to focus on, and we continue practicing our math facts every day. When math facts show up in your daily life, ask your child to solve. Addition and subtraction with answers up to 20 are fair game!
We completed work on Math in Focus Chapter 1 today by taking the post test. As you were able to see in our home practice, chapter 1 was all about understanding place value. We will build from that foundation in chapter two as we begin to add three-digit numbers. We are emphasizing flexibility in our thinking this year, and want the students to be able to show several different ways to solve math problems. With that in mind, we'll be teaching three-digit addition using several strategies to help the kids understand what they're doing when exchanging those 10 ones for 10 or exchanging 10 tens for 100. This kind of fluidity in thinking helps the kids understand the basis for the algorithms that we've always taught. You can expect to see our post-tests come home on Monday after the kids have had a chance to look at them.
Also on the math front, we are so thankful to our district Math Interventionists for their hard work assessing all our second grade students on math facts. We've identified some areas to focus on, and we continue practicing our math facts every day. When math facts show up in your daily life, ask your child to solve. Addition and subtraction with answers up to 20 are fair game!
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Yesterday we finished our first classroom novel, My Father's Dragon. After each chapter we discussed what we noticed in our reading that might be important. We wrote those ideas in our Reading Response Journals (RRJs). Today we wrote a book review of My Father's Dragon. As a class we brainstormed ideas, jotted them down, and then created sentences and paragraphs from our jots. We came up with a really good book review! Please take a look at it below! We will be following a similar process as we read books throughout the school year. Next book up . . . Terrible Two by Mac Barnett, who will be visiting Westmoor on Friday, October 11!
Yesterday we finished our first classroom novel, My Father's Dragon. After each chapter we discussed what we noticed in our reading that might be important. We wrote those ideas in our Reading Response Journals (RRJs). Today we wrote a book review of My Father's Dragon. As a class we brainstormed ideas, jotted them down, and then created sentences and paragraphs from our jots. We came up with a really good book review! Please take a look at it below! We will be following a similar process as we read books throughout the school year. Next book up . . . Terrible Two by Mac Barnett, who will be visiting Westmoor on Friday, October 11!
My Father’s Dragon
By Ruth Stiles Gannett
Reviewed by Mrs. Anderson’s class
Have you ever wanted to fly? Do you like reading about adventures? Do you think it’s important to help a baby dragon that is being treated unkindly? You do? Then you’ll love reading My Father’s Dragon!
This story is about Elmer Elevator who dreams of flying. He goes to Wild Island to save a baby dragon. He hopes to fly on the dragon to bring it to safety. On the way, he gets into a lot of danger. For example, a gorilla said to Elmer, “I’ll twist your arms the way I twist that dragon’s wings.” Uh oh, that sounds dangerous. But that is not the only danger Elmer finds himself in. Elmer also found himself surrounded by seven tigers that wanted to eat him. But he remained calm. Read to find out if Elmer escapes and saves the baby dragon.
We thought this was a great book and fun to read. It was full of adventure, and a lot of scary and exciting things happened. Elmer is fun to read about because we really like him. He is calm, and he solves hard problems easily. Elmer is a nice person who wants to help a baby dragon who is treated unkindly. Elmer solves problems using kindness and intelligence. Elmer does not freak out, even in situations where most people would.
You will love reading My Father’s Dragon if you like books about adventure and books with cool jungle settings. If you like books where the characters find clues and solve hard problems, and sometimes get into a little bit of trouble while doing important things, you will love this book. We invite you to enjoy My Father’s Dragon.
By Ruth Stiles Gannett
Reviewed by Mrs. Anderson’s class
Have you ever wanted to fly? Do you like reading about adventures? Do you think it’s important to help a baby dragon that is being treated unkindly? You do? Then you’ll love reading My Father’s Dragon!
This story is about Elmer Elevator who dreams of flying. He goes to Wild Island to save a baby dragon. He hopes to fly on the dragon to bring it to safety. On the way, he gets into a lot of danger. For example, a gorilla said to Elmer, “I’ll twist your arms the way I twist that dragon’s wings.” Uh oh, that sounds dangerous. But that is not the only danger Elmer finds himself in. Elmer also found himself surrounded by seven tigers that wanted to eat him. But he remained calm. Read to find out if Elmer escapes and saves the baby dragon.
We thought this was a great book and fun to read. It was full of adventure, and a lot of scary and exciting things happened. Elmer is fun to read about because we really like him. He is calm, and he solves hard problems easily. Elmer is a nice person who wants to help a baby dragon who is treated unkindly. Elmer solves problems using kindness and intelligence. Elmer does not freak out, even in situations where most people would.
You will love reading My Father’s Dragon if you like books about adventure and books with cool jungle settings. If you like books where the characters find clues and solve hard problems, and sometimes get into a little bit of trouble while doing important things, you will love this book. We invite you to enjoy My Father’s Dragon.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
This information about reading is just so compelling that I wanted to share it with you. It's incredibly important to get that reading time in every day!
This information about reading is just so compelling that I wanted to share it with you. It's incredibly important to get that reading time in every day!
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Thanks for spending time in our second grade classroom last Tuesday for Curriculum Night. After the whirlwind of Meet the Teacher and the first day of school, Curriculum Night is a fun way to see everyone in a calmer setting. Your kids loved the notes you wrote!
Yesterday our first home practice was due. Most students turned those in, and I hope to see the stragglers this morning. Please turn them in on Mondays even if the math is not complete. Everyone did a great job the first week, and I appreciate the parent feedback on times and frustration levels. Hopefully we can adapt and make home practice a fun experience. With that in mind, I sent home a math fact game you can play with your child this week. If you don't have time, it can be played alone, but it's way more fun with a friend. I also sent a couple pages of just "resource material" about standard form, word form, and expanded form that you do not need to do anything with. It's just for reference.
Last week we got all of our reading assessments completed. We have good readers in our room! We also completed our Words Their Way assessments--which is our word study (aka, spelling) program, and we are starting spelling lessons this week. We will continue to complete our 200 Sight Words assessments this week and our math MAP test next Tuesday, September 17. Then we'll only have a writing assessment left to do! WHEW! Once these assessments are complete we can get into our groove.
Thanks for spending time in our second grade classroom last Tuesday for Curriculum Night. After the whirlwind of Meet the Teacher and the first day of school, Curriculum Night is a fun way to see everyone in a calmer setting. Your kids loved the notes you wrote!
Yesterday our first home practice was due. Most students turned those in, and I hope to see the stragglers this morning. Please turn them in on Mondays even if the math is not complete. Everyone did a great job the first week, and I appreciate the parent feedback on times and frustration levels. Hopefully we can adapt and make home practice a fun experience. With that in mind, I sent home a math fact game you can play with your child this week. If you don't have time, it can be played alone, but it's way more fun with a friend. I also sent a couple pages of just "resource material" about standard form, word form, and expanded form that you do not need to do anything with. It's just for reference.
Last week we got all of our reading assessments completed. We have good readers in our room! We also completed our Words Their Way assessments--which is our word study (aka, spelling) program, and we are starting spelling lessons this week. We will continue to complete our 200 Sight Words assessments this week and our math MAP test next Tuesday, September 17. Then we'll only have a writing assessment left to do! WHEW! Once these assessments are complete we can get into our groove.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Below you can find the Important Second Grade Information sheet that will be distributed on Tuesday at Curriculum Night. Happy reading!
Absences
Below you can find the Important Second Grade Information sheet that will be distributed on Tuesday at Curriculum Night. Happy reading!
Absences
- Email me and/or the office if your child will not be in school.
- Can arrive at 8:10. Bell rings at 8:25. School starts at 8:30.
- Dismissal is at 3:30. Changes to normal dismissal should be communicated via backpack mail or email. Call the office with changes occurring after 3:00 pm.
- We use positive reinforcement of expected behaviors.
- Our clip chart is popular! You’ll know your child had an “Outstanding Day” when the certificates come home.
- SeeSaw
- Classroom website
- Remind
- Enter this number: 81010
- Text this message: @c9kggcd
- Take-home folders come home every day. Please send them back cleaned out.
- Notes from home can be sent via take-home folder.
- No more than 20 minutes a night.
- Combination of reading (70 minutes a week) and math (stop at 30 minutes a week)
- Reading can—and should—include time spent reading with or listening to parents and other family members.
- Turn in on Mondays. Receive the following week’s homework on Mondays.
- Please send a change of clothes in a Ziploc bag labeled with your child’s name to keep in his/her locker.
- Nice to have: a hoodie or sweater and a pair of gym shoes that can stay in the locker.
- Report cards are sent home electronically after each trimester.
- Two parent-teacher conferences are held each year. I am happy to meet with you if you have questions or concerns at other times as well.
- Once a month. Recommend placing online orders.
- No requirement to order, but we appreciate your order as it helps us get new books for our classroom library.
- Everyday we have a snack at 10:15. If time and activities allow, we’ll have an additional snack about 2:15.
- Please bring a water bottle that won’t leak if tipped over.
- Due to allergies, no fish is allowed in our classroom.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Congratulations! You found our website! We're now found on the staff directory page--just in case you're not sure how you got here!
This past week we began reading and analyzing our first classroom novel, My Father's Dragon. After each chapter we discuss and write about what we noticed might be important in what we read. It's a new experience for the kids, but they're catching on and will be experts in a short time. We'll use a similar format all year to think about our reading.
The next couple of weeks will be assessment weeks for us. Next week we'll be assessing spelling, sight words, and reading. On September 17 we'll take the Math MAP test. The information from the MAP test will be communicated to you.
Enjoy the rest of this wonderful end-of-summer holiday weekend!
Congratulations! You found our website! We're now found on the staff directory page--just in case you're not sure how you got here!
This past week we began reading and analyzing our first classroom novel, My Father's Dragon. After each chapter we discuss and write about what we noticed might be important in what we read. It's a new experience for the kids, but they're catching on and will be experts in a short time. We'll use a similar format all year to think about our reading.
The next couple of weeks will be assessment weeks for us. Next week we'll be assessing spelling, sight words, and reading. On September 17 we'll take the Math MAP test. The information from the MAP test will be communicated to you.
Enjoy the rest of this wonderful end-of-summer holiday weekend!
Monday, August 26, 2019
This week we will be able to get into our typical second grade routine a little more than we were able to the first three days of school. Now that we've reviewed all the school-wide expectations, we can focus on how things run in our classroom. We're still pretty deep in establishing expectations and setting up procedures for our classroom to run smoothly throughout the year, so we won't be really rolling for awhile yet.
The kids asked about when they will be getting homework. The answer is next Wednesday. We'll discuss home practice at Curriculum Night and it will begin the following day. Be sure to put Curriculum Night in your calendar--Tuesday, September 3 with one presentation at 6:00 and the same one at 6:50 (so you can attend sessions for all your children.)
You may be wondering what on earth we have been doing with SeeSaw. SeeSaw did some awesome upgrades over the summer, and we've been working on learning what's new with the photo and drawing tools. Using the new tools the kids made some cool art that they then used to individualize their computer screens.
We've got 4 days of second grade in the books, and we're doing great!
This week we will be able to get into our typical second grade routine a little more than we were able to the first three days of school. Now that we've reviewed all the school-wide expectations, we can focus on how things run in our classroom. We're still pretty deep in establishing expectations and setting up procedures for our classroom to run smoothly throughout the year, so we won't be really rolling for awhile yet.
The kids asked about when they will be getting homework. The answer is next Wednesday. We'll discuss home practice at Curriculum Night and it will begin the following day. Be sure to put Curriculum Night in your calendar--Tuesday, September 3 with one presentation at 6:00 and the same one at 6:50 (so you can attend sessions for all your children.)
You may be wondering what on earth we have been doing with SeeSaw. SeeSaw did some awesome upgrades over the summer, and we've been working on learning what's new with the photo and drawing tools. Using the new tools the kids made some cool art that they then used to individualize their computer screens.
We've got 4 days of second grade in the books, and we're doing great!
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Hooray! We all had and "Outstanding" day in Room 122! All of the kids earned a gem and a certificate for their outstanding behavior--following expectations, and most importantly, be kind and respectful.
Today we spent the early morning getting our supplies organized and ready for use. Everyone did a great job of following directions and helping each other.
We read a lovely book by Jacqueline Woodson called, The Day You Begin. The kids did a great job of understanding the theme of being kind and respectful, and we discussed ways we could do that in our classroom.
We took some fun first-day pictures, drew a self-portrait, and decorated our take home folders. Be sure to notice how nice that take home folder looks!
The kids decided they'd like the option of having an afternoon snack around 2:15, so please send an additional snack if you so choose.
We had a great first day!
Hooray! We all had and "Outstanding" day in Room 122! All of the kids earned a gem and a certificate for their outstanding behavior--following expectations, and most importantly, be kind and respectful.
Today we spent the early morning getting our supplies organized and ready for use. Everyone did a great job of following directions and helping each other.
We read a lovely book by Jacqueline Woodson called, The Day You Begin. The kids did a great job of understanding the theme of being kind and respectful, and we discussed ways we could do that in our classroom.
We took some fun first-day pictures, drew a self-portrait, and decorated our take home folders. Be sure to notice how nice that take home folder looks!
The kids decided they'd like the option of having an afternoon snack around 2:15, so please send an additional snack if you so choose.
We had a great first day!
Monday, August 19, 2019
Hello students and parents! I'm officially back to school today, and really can't wait for all of you to get here, too. Our room is looking colorful, comfy and ready for learning. If you're like me, you may be feeling a little bit sad that summer is ending, and a little bit nervous about a new school year starting. You are not alone! We'll spend our first two weeks of school focusing on coming together as a classroom community--getting to know each other, understanding how things will work in Room 122 this year, and definitely having some fun. I'll see you tomorrow at Meet the Teacher from 1:30-2:30! Enjoy your last two days of summer break!
Hello students and parents! I'm officially back to school today, and really can't wait for all of you to get here, too. Our room is looking colorful, comfy and ready for learning. If you're like me, you may be feeling a little bit sad that summer is ending, and a little bit nervous about a new school year starting. You are not alone! We'll spend our first two weeks of school focusing on coming together as a classroom community--getting to know each other, understanding how things will work in Room 122 this year, and definitely having some fun. I'll see you tomorrow at Meet the Teacher from 1:30-2:30! Enjoy your last two days of summer break!
Friday, August 9, 2019
YAY! Placement emails have been sent! That is the official beginning of our school year together! I'm looking forward to greeting everyone at Meet the Teacher on Tuesday, August 20th from 1:30-2:30. I bought some new books for our classroom library that I'm excited to share with you on our first day of school. I've been working hard to create a classroom where we will all feel happy and we'll enjoy learning. There are some new pillows and bean bag chairs I think you'll like using as we read and learn.
Hooray for the Room 122 kids!
Our class for 2019-2020:
YAY! Placement emails have been sent! That is the official beginning of our school year together! I'm looking forward to greeting everyone at Meet the Teacher on Tuesday, August 20th from 1:30-2:30. I bought some new books for our classroom library that I'm excited to share with you on our first day of school. I've been working hard to create a classroom where we will all feel happy and we'll enjoy learning. There are some new pillows and bean bag chairs I think you'll like using as we read and learn.
Hooray for the Room 122 kids!
Our class for 2019-2020:
- Bennett
- Emma
- Ethan C.
- Ethan G.
- Grace
- Holden
- Hudson
- Jonah
- Julia
- Layan
- Luca
- Matthew
- Noelle
- Olivia
- Se Yoon
- Will
- Yenah
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Today I spent the morning learning about our new Social Studies units. We have a fun year in Social Studies coming up! This afternoon I worked in our classroom to get things ready for our new school year. I'm excited to get all the members of our class together in room 122 so we can begin getting to know each other!
Today I spent the morning learning about our new Social Studies units. We have a fun year in Social Studies coming up! This afternoon I worked in our classroom to get things ready for our new school year. I'm excited to get all the members of our class together in room 122 so we can begin getting to know each other!
Thursday, July 25, 2019
I find myself thinking about our upcoming school year as I'm going for long walks and enjoying our beautiful summer weather. I'm getting excited to meet the students who'll be on their second grade journey with me. Can't wait until placement information is sent out on Friday, August 9!
I find myself thinking about our upcoming school year as I'm going for long walks and enjoying our beautiful summer weather. I'm getting excited to meet the students who'll be on their second grade journey with me. Can't wait until placement information is sent out on Friday, August 9!