May
2013
Dear Second Grade Students and
Families,
A WARM WELCOME TO THE 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR!!!
Spring fever has hit our class.
Although we have fewer than 20 school days left in second grade, I
want to utilize every moment for learning. I want your child REALLY
prepared to be a successful third grader! Chatting during
instructional lessons and not putting forth our best effort in
educational activities detracts from learning. Please speak with
your child about the importance of listening and doing their very
best.
In WRITING, students
have selected an animal to research and become an expert at.
We have been busy reading to learn all we can about our animal.We
will be publishing "All About" books detailing our knowledge.
Students will be learning about nonfiction text features, note
taking, and how to compose a 5 sentence paragraph as they
complete their animal project.
Our brains have been working SUPER hard to master 3-digit
SUBTRACTION WITH UNGROUPING
(or "borrowing" as many of us called it). Yes, it is a
tough concept for second graders! One thing I've noticed is that
many students need practice with learning their subtraction facts
so they are automatic and fluent. Please practice with
flash cards or computer programs a few minutes each
day so that your child can say/write subtraction facts quickly
and accurately. This will make subtraction with ungrouping so much
easier for your child. Also, we continue to practice counting a
variety of coins up to the value of $5.00. Additional practice
at home would be beneficial for everyone. Thanks for supporting
your child as they become great mathematicians!
Nearly all students in Room 117 reached their first
and second trimester AR reading goals.
HURRAH! Our third and final AR period runs from
March 15th to June 1st. Students retook the STAR test in
March and a new goal was established for them based upon
their reading grade level and 15 minutes of daily
reading. You can track your child's progress toward
meeting their new goal by using HOME CONNECT (an
informational letter with login/password was sent home;
email me if you need a new one). Students also bring home a report
with each test that they take (they just need to remember
to click print) so you can track their
progress.
Our new and final SCIENCE UNIT arrived
and we are tapping into our "inner geologist". Our focus will
be on Earth Science. We will be learning about earth
materials and their properties using a kit called
Pebbles, Sand, and Silt. Look forward to a heightened
awareness and interest in your child in all things rock and
dirt in the coming
months.
A HUGE THANK YOU is in
order to Makayla M.'s mom, Sarah's mom, Jeremiah's
Grandma, and Mrs. Losch (PTA volunteer extraordinaire and mom
of Parker in Mrs. Boglione's class) for volunteering to listen to
students read and assist them in taking AR tests. If you are able,
I absolutely love (and need) classroom volunteers whenever you are
available. Please call or email if you'd like to help out! You'll
be rewarded with LOTS of smiles!
I'm truly enjoying my students this year! THANK YOU so much for
having them ready and eager to learn each day! Your support at home
definitely makes a difference in your child's academic success.
May with it's unpredictable weather is
definitely here! Please help your child to remember to bring a
COAT
to school. We do go outside for 2 recesses, weather permitting,
each day. Also, our classroom has the reputation of being quite
nippy inside when it's cold outside. You may want to encourage your
child to wear long sleeves or bring a sweater to school. Wearing a
heavy coat in class can make it very difficult to use our best
handwriting.
Here is a brief description of some of the curriculum we will be
using in second grade:
READING: Your
child will be beginning a new reading series in second grade
(different from ReadWell which is used in kindergarten and
first grade): Reading Street. Students will be reading a
weekly story (along with other small books/stories that support the
skills and strategies taught in the weekly story). Comprehension
skills and strategies will be modeled and then practiced by
students using the literature we are reading. Developing
phonics/spelling skills and expanding vocabulary are other
important components in our reading program. Improving your child's
reading accuracy and fluency is a daily focus as well. During the
90-120 minute daily reading block time, students will spend time
listening to read-alouds, being involved in small guided reading
groups, and independently reading, writing, and learning about
words. Students will also have daily opportunities to practice
reading books at their "just right" reading level using the
Accelerated Reader program. The teaching of reading is integrated
throughout all curriculum areas during the school day.
MATH
: All Tacoma
School District
elementary
students will receive math instruction using the
Math Expressions curriculum. I am very impressed with
the depth of mathematical understanding my students have
demonstrated using this program. A major component in Math
Expressions is "Math Talk". Students are expected to show and
explain how they solved problems to their peers. It is important
for you to read the MATH PARENT NEWSLETTERS that are sent
home periodically.
SCIENCE:
During the months of September, October, and November,
and December, we will be learning about life science using the FOSS
Insect kit. Our physical science unit focuses on balance and
motion during the months of January, February, and March. Finally,
our earth science unit focuses on rocks and soil during the months
of April, May, and June. You
can read more about the FOSS Science Program by clicking on the
LINKS tab.
WRITING:
Students will be actively involved in daily opportunities
to learn about writing using teacher modeled and shared
writing mini-lessons, followed by independent writing time. We
begin the school year with units on learning about the writing
process, the expectations of Writers Workshop, and writing
spectacular sentences. We begin working on personal narratives
(writing about "small moments" important to us) during the months
of October, November and December. During the months of
January and part of February, students will focus on
fictional/narrative story writing. Learning how to write a five or
more sentence paragraph will be our writing focus in February,
March, and part of April. Students will learn about poetry during
the month of April. Finally, in May and June, students will learn
about research reports by completing a multi-paragraph report.
Throughout the school year, students will have opportunities to
compose friendly letters, write "how to" pieces, and write to a
prompt (a topic given to
them).
I'm so glad that you found my SWIFT web page. I hope you
find the information I have included on this site useful.
I will be updating it on a weekly basis, usually Fridays, so please
check back. If you have any suggestions for other helpful
information you would like included on this site, please email
me with your ideas. I want to keep you informed of all the great
things happening in Jefferson's second grade!
Please check the tabs on the left hand side of your computer screen
for current classroom information:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Find out who the Star Students of the Week and the Students of the
Month in Room #117 are and other important school and classroom
happenings in this section.
Also, find out which AR Reading
Point Clubs your child is in!
DISCUSSION:
Students can answer a question posed by the teacher and "chat" with
their classmates in this
section.
DOCUMENTS:
Misplaced your Second Grade Scoop newsletter or Reading Log? No
problem! You can download a current issue of our newsletter or a
Reading Log in this section. Many other classroom documents are
available here.
EVENTS: A
year-long calendar listing important school and classroom events is
included in this section. This is updated frequently.
HOMEWORK:
Weekly homework, spelling, and Reading Log assignments are listed
in this section. You may also access and print a current newsletter and
reading log in the DOCUMENTS section which also lists daily
assignments.
LINKS: Fun
and informational websites (for kids and parents!) that enrich and
provide additional practice on the skills we are learning in class
are included in this section. I'm always finding new ones, so check
back often!
CONTACT
ME: You may email me with any question or concern any time
of day or night in this section! I strive to be prompt in answering
my emails.
Just a reminder:
our PE DAYS
ARE MONDAYS AND
WEDNESDAYS. Students should dress for active play on those
days (appropriate shoes and shorts/pants).
THANKS!
Let me know what you think! You can email me by clicking the
"Contact the Teacher" tab to the left.
Joann Merrill
Second Grade Teacher
Class Phone: 571-3951
Office Phone:
571-4000
This website was last updated
on May 17,
2013
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