April 20-May 4

Hello families! We are in the home stretch of second grade. I must admit, I am already feeling sad about letting this group go to third grade! While we only have a little time left, there is still so much learning to do! See the right sidebar to see what we are learning right now.
MAP testing- Please note the days will participate in the spring MAP tests. Try to avoid any appointments or early pick ups/late drop offs on these days- thank you!
*Tues May 15 9-10am
*Thurs. May 17 1:30-2:30pm
*Fri. May 18 11-12am
Author Visit- Mike Thalor, author of humorous children's books including the _____ from the Black Lagoon series, will be visiting our school on Mon. May 7. In the Friday folder, there is a information packet with an order sheet if you are interested in purchasing a book to be signed by the author.
Poem in my Pocket- The poem your child brought home in his/her reading bag is their one of their favorite poems. On Fri. Apr. 27, second grade will have Poem in My Pocket Day. The kids will all carry a copy of their poem in their pocket and wear a special sticker. Teachers will stop them in halls, lunchroom, playground, etc and ask the kids to read their poems. Please practice the poem with your child so he/she is ready to read the poem fluently on Friday.
Mark your calendars!
*Poetry Cafe- families are invited to attend our Poetry Cafe on Fri. May 4th at 2:45pm.
*First Stage Field Trip Tues. Apr. 24- bag lunch needed
*Family Fun Night- Fri Apr. 27 (see Friday folder and Ton webpage)
Ask Your Child
Why did you choose ________ poem as your favorite?
What is onomatopoeia?
How do you read a poem with good fluency? (line breaks, expression, read punctuation, rhythm)
What is the value of the 6 in 7,654? (600)
What can you do to help the Earth (turn off the lights when not in use, turn off the water when not in use, recycle at school, home and in the community)

March 29-April 20

Hello Families! 4th quarter has officially begun. Report cards have been sent home today (Fri. March 30) Please make sure you check your child's folder for the reprt card and a field trip slip for two plays we are scheduled to see. Note the return date for the field trip is Thurs. April 5. Have a wonderful weekend and spring break.

Donations- we are out of glue sticks and pencils- thank you for any prior donations. If you are willing to donate either of these items, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your help!

Facts Test- as a reminder, the emphasis on facts tests should be to build fact power (automaticity). The timed test is one tool to practice automaticity and measure progress. It is the goal for kids to automatically recall facts without counting. As long as the kids scopres are improving, the actual number score

Reading Job tickets- to manage guided reading group assignments, I sometimes give the kids a job ticket to remind them of their assignment. You may have seen them in your child's reading bag. The assignment I list on the ticket can be completed during readers workshop- I do give the kids a sufficient amount of time to do so. Please know that the job ticket does not have to be completed for homework.

Reading Bag Books- Most of the books sent home (other than Fridays) are books we are working on guided groups. It is important to our lesson that kids only read the pages/chapters assigned to them. Please encouarge your child to reread a chapter to you- look for new words to define to help build your child's vocabulary, talk about the plot, have your child share any questions he/she has as a reader, make predictions, retell...

Poetry notebooks-Your child will be bringing home a small memo pad to write poetry. Your child may use the notebook to make a list of ideas that might inspire a poem or they could even write poetry in the notebook. This memo pad shoudl be returned to school everyday. Keeping it in the reading bag might be a good idea.

Art For Youth- Beth's mom presented Art for Youth for the month of March. We learned about genre painting- a scene from everyday life. We examined Horace Pippin's The Domino Players (1943) and Paul Cezanne's The Cardplayers (1890-1892). We focused on compistion in both works- how artistis use color, arrange figures and objects to show mood, relationships and a glimpse of everyday life.

Ask Your Child-

What is the difference between area and perimeter?

What is the author's message in Big Al?

How are to, two and too different?
What does it mean to see with a poets eyes?

What is your class working on in the picture below?

March 16-March 30

It feels like spring is here! With the warm weather comes energetic kids. So as a school, we are trying to channel the energy into positive behavior with an all school incentive. If a class earns a PAW slip in every area of school: hallway, bus line, bus, bathroom, cafeteria, classroom, morning line and playground, then that class can participate in an all school movie.
Please check the right sidebar to see what we are learning in each academic area.
Author's Celebration: We had a wonderful celebration on Monday. Thank you to all the parents who were able to join us and those who brought treats and materials. The kids had a great time sharing their animal reports.
Book Orders: March/April Scholastic orders are due today. You can submit orders through Saturday online. Scholastic has now released an app called Storia. It is a virtual bookshelf that comes with 5 free books. You can now buy scholastic books for your e reader.
Writing Captions: For our humor mini unit, we will be writing captions. I am asking families to check at home for a funny photo (or copy of a photo) of your child that would lend itself well to writing a funny caption underneath. Please send the photo to school by Tuesday March 20.
Tests Home: Look for Math Unit 8 Test and Social Studies Unit 7 test. The Science test should have come home on Wednesday. Math tests should be signed and returned. I will stamp/star the test and send it back home for you to keep. It is important to me that I know you see your child's test.
Math Homelinks- You have already noticed that some homelinks ask for your child to bring in boxes or find things in magazines to share at school. It is much appreciated when you are able to find things at home, but it is not manadatory. So please do not worry if your family can not fulfill that part of the homelink.
Ask Your Child:
Which PAW slips has your class earned for the all school incentive?
How many feet are in a yard?
What is one of the main problems in Mouse and a Motorcycle?
What should you do when you finish a test a school? (Check over your tests- make sure you didn't skip any problems and redo the problems to make sure you got the correct answer) We are having lots of kids skipping questions on tests, even kids who say they checked it over- yikes!

March 2-16

Happy March! The end of winter is near! Although we have had a fairly mild winter, I can't wait to be outside in spring weather! Quarter 3 is off to a great start. I told some families at conferences that quarter 3 is a huge time of growth in second grade. They really start transitioning to more independent thinkers and learners in the classroom. Kids are ready to talk about books in more depth- summarizing and synthesizing, inferring, cause and effect, comparing and contrasting, examining author's purpose... As writer's kids more thoroughly understand that they are writing for a reader so spelling, plantation, word choice, organization...are all better understood as writers. In math will tackle more difficult concepts(fractions, multiplication, some division, problem solving) as well as revisit other concepts on a deeper level. I enjoy every single day with this group of kids! I am already beginning to be sad the year is coming to an end!
Please read What We Are Learning in Second Grade on the right sidebar.
Here is some classroom news:
Art For Youth-We learned about Cubism and artists who were influenced by this type of art. Henry Moore (mostly made sculptures) and Charles Alston both created cubist works of art. As artists, the second graders drew faces from different viewpoints with some elements of cubism- unrealistic proportions, straight lines and angles, broken and reassembled parts, multi dimensional, bold colors...
Hot Cocoa Party- Second earned a Hot Cocoa Party back in January for winning the Penny Drive. On Wednesday March 7, we will finally have our party. The Penny Drive committee (PTO) is asking that each child bring a 12oz ceramic mug for the hot cocoa party to save from trashing disposable cups. You may send the cup to school with your child anytime- before or on March 7th.
Author's Celebration: Mark your calendars for Friday March 9th at 2:30. We will be hosting families in our classroom for an Author's Celebration. Kids will share pieces of their animal reports as well as other nonfiction pieces we have published.
New Jobs in the Classroom: We added a couple new daily jobs in the classroom- Meteorologist, Joke Teller and Chair Person. Ask your child what role each job plays.
Ask Your Child
What is the numerator and the denominator in a fraction?
What is the most interesting fact your have learned for your animal report?
Can you summarize the book or a chapter in the book you brought home?

February 17-March 2

Hello Families! We had an exciting week- Valentine's Party and the all school trip to see Willy Wonka. Both events were fabulous. Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped with the party! Here are some important happenings in our classroom:
Service Project: Before we headed off to the middle school production of Willy Wonka on Wednesday, the entire school participated in a service project for local community shelters and rehabilitation centers in need of food. Each child decorated a lunch bag at the Valentine Party and saved a Valentine treat. Then we all formed a line to assemble lunches including ham and cheese sandwiches, carrots, oranges and pretzels. Tonawanda volunteers then delivered all the lunch bags to each facility for lunch that day. It was a wonderful feeling to help someone in need!
TGIF Journal: Thank you for writing back to your kids every week. We'll continue the weekly letters until the journals fill up.
Plants!: We had a great time when Boerner Botanical Gardens came to our classroom to teach us about Stir Fry Plants. We learned that we eat roots, stems, leaves and flowers. We've had a lot of fun "mowing" our lawns and watching them grow.
Animal Reports- a letter went home in Friday Folders today asking families to help their child find a picture of the animal they chose. The picture could be from the internet or a magazine. If you don't have access to a printer, I can help find a photo at school. Thanks!
Nonfiction Author's Celebration: Our class will host an author's celebration in the first couple weeks of March. We will share all of the nonfiction pieces we have written, highlighting the animal reports. We will begin writing our animal reports on Monday. It is hard to guess when we will be ready to present so I will let you know the exact date of the celebration as soon as I know.
Reminders:
No School Thurs and Fri
Conferences Wed evening, Thursday PM
Ask Your Child:
What is something plants can do that humans can not? (grow their own food)
Why do we read nonfiction? (to learn)
What does median mean?
Can you give me a summary of your day at school?

February 3-February17

Hello Families! 3rd Quarter is off to a great start. February is a very busy month- Stir Fry Plants presentation, Willy Wonka, Valentine's Party. 100th Day of School, Dr. Seuss' birthday, conferences... Look at the right sidebar to see what we're learning in class in each subject.

1st place in the Penny Drive- 2nd grade donated the most money in the penny drive so we won a cocoa party for the grade level next Friday.
Math Facts Tests- This quarter, we will be taking both addition and subtraction timed tests every week. You will notice facts tests assigned as homework some days. Please have your child complete the rest of the test and return it to school. Your child's goal is 54 facts in 3 min for both addition and subtraction facts.
Reminders-
*Valentine Party is on Tuesday 2/14. We will exchange Valentines, enjoy treats and play games. I will send home a class list next week to help with Valentines.
*All School field trip to see Willy Wonka 2/15. All permission slips and fees were due today.
*Conferences - Feb. 22 and 23-No school for kids 2/23 and 2/24
Ask Your Child
*Can you retell the class read aloud The Mouse and the Motorcycle?
*Which Community Worker did you research for your slideshow?
*What are the steps in the life cycle of a Brassica plant?
*How are goods made and transported?
*What topic did you choose for your True/False book?

January 20-February 3

Hello Families! 2nd Quarter has officially ended. The start of the new semester begins Tuesday. Look for report cards next week. We did complete MAP testing this week. The kids worked really hard to do their best. I was very proud of their effort! Look at the right sidebar to see an overview of what we are learning in each subject. Here is what we have been doing this week:

Art For Youth: Beth's mom taught us about Franz Marc and Paublo Picasso's modern art cubism and collage technique- lots of straight lines. We created our own versions with vibrant, colorful settings and clippings of animal photographs. Ask your child about their masterpiece. (See some examples below)

TGIF Journals: We will continue to write letters to parents every Friday into March. Some kids seem to be forgetting to check in with me and not finishing their letter. If your child's letter is not finished, please have him/her finish at home before you write back.

HELP!: We are almost out of pencils for the year! If you are willing to donate a pack to the classroom, we would greatly appreciate it.

Classroom Calendar: I have posted our classroom calendar at the bottom of this blog. Just scroll all the way down to see Surprise Readers, classroom activities/field trips, open volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering, you just need to click on the event-more details- click the title (i.e 2:45 Math Games) Erase Math games and put your name (ie 2:45 Nicki) Click Save- Make changes to this event only. The your name should appear on the calendar.

Ask Your Child:

*What does your brassica plant need to grow?

*What is the purpose of reading nonfiction?

*What is a good and how does it get transported?

*What is a noun?

*What book club are you a part of and what is the most interesting fact you have learned so far?

*What is the difference between tattling and reporting?

Reminders:

*Nature Center Field Trip Fri. Jan 27 9-11am- please help your child to dress in boots, gloves, hats and heavy coats for the weather.

*The All School Field Trip slip to see Willy Wonka is due on 2/3. There is a $2.50 fee (it is hard to catch on the permission slip)

*If you are attending a conference this winter, please return the orange slip sent home on Friday, confirming the date/time of the conference that was chosen for you.