September 10-24

Welcome Back to School! We have had a great couple of weeks in second grade. Thank you to everyone for signing and returning all the papers that have come your way. Please continue to sign/initial your child's assignment notebook every night and return Red Friday Folders every Monday. Thank you also for helping your child gather items they read to bring to school as well as their favorite book (Books should have been brought home today) As we settle into new routines and expectations, we have jumped into Unit 1 of Everday Math, started our new science unit: Balance and Motion and have begun Reader's and Writer's Workshops. Here is what we have been up to:
Reading: We have been talking about what we need to be successful readers- quiet, no interruptions, just right books. We discussed why everybody has different needs and books that are just right. We also practiced taking care of books and choosing our own just right books. Here is how we chose a book (you can use this acronym at home): I PICK
I chose a book
P urpose- why am I reading this book (to learn, for fun...)
I interest- does this book interest me
C omprehension- do I understand what I am reading
K now- can I read most of the words

* Look for your child to bring home a book in a book bag next week. This book and bag will need to be returned to school everyday.
Writing: We have started our work as 2nd grade authors. This month we will be talking about how writers get ideas and noticing how authors use details in illustrations and words to make thier stories come to life. The kids will be writing any type of story they choose this month. Our workshop has been filled with thoughtful planning, busy pencils and lots of excitement. I look forward to watching the kids grow and develop as writers.
Math: We have begun our 1st math unit. So far we have practiced routines, started to fill our math tool kits and worked with number patterns, time and counting coins. Please check the inside cover of your child's assignment notebook for their username and password to access the Everyday Math Online games and other resources. (See link to the right)
Science: We completed our first experiment in our Balance and Motion Unit. We explored balancing paper crayfish in multiple ways. We discovered that using counterweights (clothespins) helped balance the crayfish. Ask your child if the counterweights should be placed above or below the balance point.
Other News: We met our 4th grade buddies today. Once every month we will get together with Mrs. Kluck's 4th grade class to share in learning and fun. Timothy was our 1st Star of the Week (It was his birthday on Sunday). We used our 5 new school rules to develop our class social contract. Ask your child what the school rules are.
Reminders:
*Please turn in your family contact info card (it's orange)
*Scholastic Book Orders are due Thurs (optional)- you can order with a check sent to school or online (see link to the right). Every dollar spent earns our classroom points to buy more books.
*Writing collage is due on Monday
*Picture Day is on Friday September 17

Have a fabulous weekend!

Last Blog of the Year!

Hello Families!
I just want to take this opportunity to tell you what a wonderful year I have had (thus far!) teaching your second graders. It was a delightful class that I will always remember. I did tell a few of them that when they see me in the halls next year, or come to Pod A to visit their first grade buddies, they will have to say hello to me- not pretend they don't me (It happens every year- so sad!). I will truly miss everyone!
If you did not hear the news, I am expecting baby #2 in December. I did promise that I would bring Baby Dahms in to see them in third grade.
Thank you to ALL parents for your support this year! It has been my honor and privilege to be partners will you in your child's education! Have a wonderful summer!

Here is how we will finish the school year:
Math: We will take our final test on Thursday June 3rd. It was a unit review chapter, but there were some new, more challenging concepts.
Reading/Writing: We will finish our study of Fairy Tales and Fables next week. The kids have planned out all the elements for their own fairy tales. We will finally begin to write our first drafts next week.
Spelling: Next week will be our last spelling test. It will be a review of all the second grade high frequency words each child missed this year. If your child didn't miss many/ any, then they will be able to create their own list of words, with my help, that they want to know how to spell.
Science: We will finish science with a study of wind. We'll make pin wheels, weather vanes and anemometers to measure wind speed and direction.
Social Studies: The communities turned out great! It was fun to see all the different buildings come together to create 3 different communities. I hope you got a chance to see the projects at the Fine Arts Fair. Thank you to parents for helping your child create their building.
Other News: We did have our Human Growth and Development talk today. We talked about male and female anatomy and functions as well as good touch vs bad touch. Please follow up with your child about this lesson.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

May 14-28

Hello Families! I hope all moms enjoyed Mother's Day- especially the gift and card your child made you! Our school days are flying by! There are only 4 short weeks left in the school year. I am starting to get a little sentimental- the end of the year is always bittersweet. Summer is wonderful, but that means letting my second graders go on to third grade!
Here is what we have been up to and what we have planned through the end of the year:
Important Dates:
Volunteer Breakfast-Fri. May 20 in cafeteria before school
Camp Minikani- Tues May 25- bag lunch
Human Growth and Development- Fri May 28th
Elm Grove City Hall- Tues June 1st 9:00-11:00
Field Day Fri June 4- AM
Reader's Theatre- Fri June 4 2:45 Families welcome
Math: We are finishing Unit 11- Multiplication and Division. Our test in on Monday May 17. We then start our final unit which is a review of all the concepts we learned, plus some more challenging problems.
Reading/Writing: As we ended our poetry unit, we dove right into Fairy Tales. We are immersed in fairy tales- reading them in the morning and then writing our own in the afternoon. It has been a fun unit so far!
Spelling: We took our spelling test on the two sounds c, g and th make today, ending our 2 week study of those words. We only have 3 more weeks of spelling left.
Science/SS: We have been watching WeatherBug.com everyday for the weather forecast. Our class meteorologist then charts the temperature high of the day and the weather condition. We have talked about the 3 types of clouds: cumulus, cirrus and stratus. In social studies, we have continued to talk about types of communities and their characteristics. It was fun for us to leave a suburban community and head to rural when we went to the Ye Olde Schoolhouse, then to an urban community when we went to First Stage.
*Our Poetry Cafe was a great success. Thank you to all parents who helped bring in treats and everyone who was able to come
*Our field trip to see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was great. The kids enjoyed comparing the book to the play.
*2nd grade teachers will present the district's Human Growth and Development curriculum on Fri. May 28. This lesson includes vocabulary instruction related to male and female body parts. Boys and girls will be separated during this teaching. Curriculum materials are available to review at our school library, the public library and at the Central Administrative offices. If you have any further questions about the content or the opt-out process, please contact me

April 30-May14

Reading/Writing: We have been working hard reading poems through an author's eyes and then writing our own poems in writer's workshop. Poem in My pocket was a great success. The kids practiced their favorite poem and then read them with great fluency to anyone who asked (teachers, 5th graders, other 2nd graders)
Math: We finished our unit on money and place value- our toughest yet. The tests went home on Thursday. We have started Unit 11 - we are revisiting and solidifying double digit subtraction. Please refer to the 11-3 Home link family for an example on how to do Everyday Math Trade First Subtraction. Your child may be able to teach you too!
Science: We have had fun experimenting with air. We have seen that air takes up space, air resistance slows down objects when falling and air pressure can cause pop ups and make water fountains. Ask your child about the water fountain, tug of war and parachutes.
Social Studies: We continue to study communities- types (urban, suburban, rural), needs and wants, goods and services, community workers. We finished our study of communities with the Junior Achievement program Mrs. Chase led. Thank you to her for all her hard work-we learned a lot and fun!
Upcoming Events:
Poetry Cafe- Fri May 7 2:45
Camp Minikani-Tues May 11
First Stage-Wed May 12
Black Light Show/Fine Arts Fair- After School Thurs May 27
Elm Grove Village Hall- Tues June 1st

April 16-April 30

Hello Families! I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break! We are in the final stretch of the school year: quarter 4. We are working hard to learn everything a second grader needs to know. We are even talking about what it is like to be third graders- good listeners, read the directions very carefully, double check our own work, edit, being more responsible.

Reading: We started exploring poetry in reading. We are learning how to read poems using the author's clues like line breaks and bold words. Poetry is a outlet to practice good fluency-expression, rate, intonation. This past week we also made inferences about poems- what is happening in the poem that the text and pictures only hint at. The kids have been reading a lot of poems. Next week they will choose their favorite and practice...practice...ppractice for an upcoming school day 2nd grade calls Poem in My Pocket Day. The students will have their well practiced favorite poem in their pocket and teachers and other students will ask them to read their poem. It is a great way to practice fluency and speaking skills.

Writing: We have started our Poetry Unit (Mrs. Dahms' favorite writing unit because she is always amazed at how creative and imaginative the poems are that her second graders write!)We have started to look at the world through a poet's eyes-observing details and seeings things a different way. I continue to encourage the kids to bring their memo pads home and back to school so that they can jot down any notes for poems.

Math: We are finishing up Unit 10 this coming week: Place Value and Money. We have been doing a lot of shopping and making change in math. We've also learned how to represent money in dollar and cent notation- anything under 10 cents is still a little tricky- $0.05.

Science: We just started our Air and Weather unit. We explored air and discovered that it takes up space, we can feel it and it can move objects. We also learned that it is one of the three forms of matter: gas. Ask your child how he/she experimented with air.

Social Studies: We continue to study communities. Our field trip to the Ye Olde School House was so fun! We noticed the change from suburban to rural on the way to West Bend. I think the kids were taken aback when the teacher scolded them right when they got off the bus. Each child got a name tag with the name of a real student who attended the school a long time ago. This was their name the rest of the day. Ask your child what their name was and what was their favorite part of the trip.

Other News:

• Conferences will be next week Monday and Wednesday.
• The Book fair will be open Mon-Thurs of next week.
• Poetry Cafe will be Fri May 5th at 2:45- Families are welcome