We have so many things going on in our second grade classroom! If you walk by, you will either hear lots of voices as we discuss reading, writing, science, and social studies, or you will see second graders sliently attacking their tasks at hand.
In Math, we have been working on numbers- counting patterns, math grids, time, money, and tally marks. Most of this first unit is review from first grade, but through the year we will take these concepts and push them further. A major part of our math curriculum is explorations and games. We've already learned multiple games to enhance the skills we're reviewing. They've been involved in explorations with base 10 blocks, thermometers and dominoes. Next up we'll be reviewing addition facts and strategies to get better at fact power.
During reading, students have built their reading to self stamina all the way to 20 minutes! They are now working on the other parts of our Daily 5 routine- reading to someone, word work, and writing workshop. Soon we will add listening to reading as our final piece. New strategies are being introduced regularly; such as using prior knowledge, and getting a mental picture. I'm working on assessing students' individual skills, so that we can set their reading goals.
We've also been reading many fairy tales and studying what the common pieces are between them. Check in with your student to find out some characteristics of fairy tales.
I am impressed with the class' desire to jump in and write! I've given them the challenge to be an author everyday, and during our writing workshop every student is engaged and writing the whole time. I have seen stories, lists, journal entries, and even comic strips being created. We'll be learning the steps in the writing process next, so that the students can use it all year in their writing.
We are also learning about sound. Key concepts so far are that sound is made by vibrations, and that it can travel through string, water, air, wood, and metal. The students made plastic cup telephones to experiment with. They also explored vibrations with tuning forks, rubber bands, rulers, and sticks. Don't forget to send your student's instrument on Friday!
Here are some pictures from our class...

Acting out rules expectations

Students reading in their "perfect pad"

Do you hear the sound?

Hello! Can you hear me now?

Parachuting in gym class

Tuning forks can make water splatter!

Working together to write down as many facts for the number 11.

F.R.O.G.S. behavior

Now that we are into our second week of school, our classroom expectations have been set!
Our five core expectations are:
Follow Procedures
Respect Others
Obey Instructions
Give It Your All
Show Kindness
The students brainstormed many different behaviors that would help our class achieve these each day. We practiced by doing skits in small groups and also by modeling the wrong way to behave. (They really enjoyed that part!)
In our classroom, I expect these to be followed at all times. We began a discussion of what consequences are in place should someone forget or have a rough day adhering to them. I am a true believer that students need to take responsibility, repair and fix mistakes. That being said, the consequence will help the student "make right" the action that was wrong. This includes reflecting and deciding which expectation they need to work on. Many times, students will write apologies for disruptions; they will also have a designated "rest pad" should they need a break from the group. These will develop further as needed in the classroom.
Each day students will reflect on how they met these expectations. Look for the "It's Cool in the Pool" sheet coming home in FROG folders next week. **Please keep them in the folder at all times. This will be my way of making them accountable to you as well as me.

The FACE menu board

In the next couple of days your will be receive a letter about the FACE menu board in our room. I will be basing a great deal of reading instruction off of this board, so your student will be VERY familiar with it!
F stands for Fluency "I can read smoothly."
A stands for Accuracy "I can read the words"
C stands for Comprehension "I can understand what I've read"
E stands for Expand Vocabulary "I can find and use interesting words"
Eventually each student will be working individually on one of these goals. Under each letter there are many strategies and skills that will help our readers become better!
We have already added "Check for Understanding" under C; "Cross-Checking" under A; and "Tune into Interesting Words" under E. Ask your student about these strategies- they will be able to explain them (if not now, within a month of practice!).

Using this "menu" of strategies will enable me to individualize your student's learning and key in on areas where he or she can improve.