Week of August 31st-Sept. 4th

Curriculum News

This next week will get us even more into the swing of things in second grade.  We will be further exploring each of the 5 Oceans during our Science time.  With all of our early outs, we are not getting enough time in for our Social Studies so we will carve in some time in the afternoon to further explore the idea of communities and community helpers.  As we continue to look at several more excellent books by Cynthia Rylant, we will be looking at her writing style and applying some of her techniques to our own original work!  Now that the Daily 5 is in full swing, we will also be getting into our reading groups and be able to work on some very important reading skills like story elements and making predictions!

Reading Assignment

Beginning this next week, we will start a new reading assignment.  Each student is asked to read 80 minutes per week at home.  There will be “Reading Log” that will be going home with students starting on Monday.  You will need to initial each day that they have read for proof of completion and turn it in that following Monday for credit.  If students hit their reading goal every week during that month, they will get an opportunity to either eat lunch with me in the cafeteria or get a homework coupon which is good for getting out of one homework assignment that following week.  They can choose which prize they would like!  I have already seen so much enthusiasm towards reading from this group and am very excited to see this continue to grow throughout the year!  Students are not penalized for not participating but any extra reading time at all with you is a wonderful experience for everyone involved!

Book Order

There is a book order that is going home with students on Monday, August 31st.  It needs to be returned no later than Monday, September 7th.  Thank you for looking at this with your child!

Spelling Words For August 31st-Sept. 4th

little     work       know       place        years        rain       mail        wait         paint        chant        paid        history       goods      pitch

Challenge Words (Extra Credit)

volume              services

Have a great weekend!

 

Week of August 24th-28th

Next week will be our first full week of school!  The first few days went very well!  I can already see some amazing things from this 2nd grade class!  It will be so exciting to see them as they grow throughout the school year!

This next week we will be getting into all 5 areas of the Daily 5 and starting to explore the Ocean even more as we take a close look at all levels of this vast part of our earth.  During our Math time, we will begin practice and discussion of basic addition and subtraction strategies along with some math story problems that put these skills to the test.  Our look at different types of neighborhoods and communities will also begin this week during our Social Studies time!

This will also be the first week for 2nd grade to have a spelling test.  Words will be passed out on Monday so that you have a hard copy to keep at home.  As you can see, I also try to get them out on the Friday before for those who are remembering to check our classroom blog.  There are usually 14 words plus two “Extra Credit/Challenge” words.  Only the main 14 words are officially graded, but if a student gets the challenge words correct, it adds points to their test score.  If someone gets all 16 words correct, they get a 100% in the gradebook but will get two bonus points added on at the end of the semester as well!

Here are our words for this week:

over        new       sound       take       only          car         park        hard        barn       card      shark       map       family         compare

Challenge Word:             timeline              contrast

Reminders:    Next week will still be early dismissals at 2:00.  Our school pictures are scheduled for Thursday, August 27th!

Have a good weekend everyone and I look forward to having our first full week of school!

Mrs. Johnson

Back to School

It is already upon us….another school year is set to begin and we are ready to get excited about learning!  Our school theme this year is the ocean, which ties in perfectly with our classroom theme as well.  There is always so much to cover throughout the school year but we will be easing into our routine this week as we do some fun activities to introduce students to our theme and their expectations in 2nd grade!  This blog is where you will always find next week’s spelling words (given on the Friday before) and other hints of what will be coming up in the next week of school.  This is also a way for us to keep in communication and where you can send me questions as I do get emails when posts are made.  Feel free to reach me this way, via email, or at school at any time!

Next week is when we will begin 2nd grade spelling tests.  Students are also given several opportunities to practice during their Daily 5 Rotations but it is always a good idea to spend 5-10 minutes evening practicing to ensure success!

Reminders

Next week we will also be using our assignment books which will give you the opportunity to see what kind of homework they have each day.  In second grade I do not give much but there will be some evenings when students are expected to complete given assignments.  I do ask that you sign at the bottom of each page every evening (Except for Fridays) as this is part of your child’s assignment as well….to be responsible enough to get their books signed!

Show & Tell will begin in the month of October.  I will be sending home a calendar at the end of September!

I look forward to an amazing year and cannot wait to work with you as the year progresses!