April 12-26

Hello Families! We have been working hard since we returned from Spring Break. Here are some classroom happenings:

Ronald McDonald House Performance: What an amazing experience! The second graders proudly represented Tonawanda at the Ronald McDonald Groundbreaking of their new addition. The kids sand beautifully, moving the crowd with their words and voices. I heard numerous comments about the beautiful lyrics and the joy our second graders brought to everyone. It was an honor to be part of such a wonderful celebration.

High Interest Day- The kids are very excited about the opportunity to rotate to 3 different classes to learn something new at High Interest Day. Ask you child how their experience was today.
Poetry Cafe- Mark your calendars for Friday May 3 at 2:45- Families are welcome to come listen to all the wonderful poetry we have written!
Spring MAP Testing Schedule: Our final round of MAP testing is coming up. Here are our three dates:
Tues May 7-Reading 9 am
Wed. May 8- Math 11am
Tues. May 14- Language Arts 11am
Checking Our Work- As we get ready for third grade, I am concerned that kids continue to turn tests in with skipped problems even when I ask if they checked their work for accuracy and completeness. Please have your child practice checking their work every night with homelinks. It is an important skill to make routine.
Ask Your Child:
How has Edward changed in our class read aloud?
What is the difference between a want and a need?
What different types of poetic language have you learned about? Why do authors use those techniques?
How do you write $5.04 in dollar and cent notation?
What is the difference between a prefix and suffix?

March 22-April 12

Hello Families! Happy Spring...? Despite the cold weather I hope the sunshine is brightening your days! Please read what we are learning in 2nd Grade the right sidebar. Here are some other important happenings in our room:

New Assignment Notebook in the Sidebar: I have added an extra week to the assignment notebook so that all assignments between blog posts will be listed. If your child ever forgets his/her assignment notebook, please check the blog for homework.
Nonfiction Celebration: Thank you to all families who were able to join us for our celebration last week Friday. The kids were super excited to be able to share all their hard work with an audience. Thank you again for the treats!
CLAW slips: I hope everyone was able to read the yellow information sheet on CLAW slips that came home on Wednesday. Our class is piloting the use of CLAW slips for every minor behavior that does not follow our 5 school rules. CLAW slips will be stapled in assignment notebooks- a parent should sign and then I will collect the slip the following morning for documentation. Every 4 CLAW slips results in an office referral and a call home.
What I am is...A Good Sport: Our school focus is being a good sport. I am so happy to say our group of second graders really exemplifies good sportsmanship. While other grade levels have to focus on what a good sport is, our second graders play fairly, take turns, accept each other's differences and use positive words. Yay second grade!
Classroom Community Incentive: We are working on walking silently in the halls- in a line.  The line part seems to be very difficult for this group. We are also working on eliminating disruptions in the classroom- noises, shouting out, talking when should be listening... So we are adding flower petals everyday that we successfully walk silently or have no disruptions. When the flower petals are all on, we will have a class reward.

Mrs. Dahms' Store: The kids earn pennies daily for returning homework, having a positive day and being helpful in the classroom. I encourage the kids to save up their pennies to earn a dollar. For every dollar earned, the kids get a Dahms Dollar to spend at my store, plus a bonus prize for earning the dollar:
1st Dahms Dollar: Lunch in the classroom with me and a friend
2nd Dahms Dollar: Free Magazine
3rd Dahms Dollar: My Computer Chair for the day
4th Dahms Dollar: Free Book $3 or less from the Scholastic Book Order
5th Dahms Dollar:

Hello Families!
Please see the right side margin for details of what we are learning in 2nd grade. Here are some other classroom happenings:
Animal Reports: The kids are finishing up their research and starting to revise, edit and then publish their research in their own magazine. We will share ALL of our published nonfiction pieces with families at our Nonfiction Author's Celebration on Friday March 15th at 2:45pm in our classroom. You are welcome to take your child home right after to avoid the parent pick up/buses at the end of the day. I am looking for a couple families willing to bring juice, treats or plates/napkins.
2 Post It's every night: I am asking the kids to write 2 thoughts from their reading every night (except weekends). This is a way for the kids to formally document their thinking as readers. I do check the kids in every morning and document if homework is incomplete, including post it notes.
MAP Scores and Other work: If you did not have a conference, I sent home your child's winter MAP scores along with some other work on Thursday in a big ziploc bag. Be sure look through all the fabulous work we have been doing!
Just Kidding: Our school Social Worker, Ms. Grube, came into our classroom to read a great story called Just Kidding. It is a great story about how hurtful words can be even we you say "Just Kidding". She gave us a good rule of thumb: Never tease about anyone's body. Also, we learned to read other's reactions and know when someone is not in the mood for kidding. In addition, we talked about using our words to let someone know that what they are saying is hurtful (otherwise, sometimes friends do not know they are being hurtful)
Botanical Gardens: Third time is a charm: we were finally able to make it to the Botanical Gardens on Thursday for Stir Fry Plants- our third scheduled date due to snowstorms! The kids seemed to enjoy the presentation on plants we eat. I was very proud of everyone for trying new foods- broccoli, bok choy, carrots, zucchini and pea pods. Look at our photos below.

Food Chain

Trying new veggies (plants)

Line for Seconds!

Ask Your Child:
What does our school focus for March mean? (What I am is a Good Sport)
Which fractions are equivalent to 1/2?
Which number is the numerator and which is the denominator?
Is your animal an herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore?
Which class does your animal belong? (Mammal, reptile, bird, fish, amphibian)

100 Random of Acts of Kindness Bulletin Board

February 22-March 8

Hello Families!
Please see the right side margin for details of what we are learning in 2nd grade. Here are some other classroom happenings:
Animal Reports: The kids will soon begin their final nonfiction study on animals . The kids will all conduct and write a research report. Everyone will use a variety of sources including books, magazines, ipad apps and websites. You will receive a letter this Friday asking for help finding pictures of the animal your child chose. We are looking forward to sharing all our hard work this unit with you at our Nonfiction Celebration!
Nonfiction Celebration: Mark your calendars for Friday March 15th at 2:45-3:30.
2 Post It's every night: I am asking the kids to write 2 thoughts from their reading every night (except weekends). This is a way for the kids to formally document their thinking as readers. I do check the kids in every morning and document if homework is incomplete, including post it notes.
Conferences and MAP Scores: Conferences begin this week on Wednesday evening and then continue Wednesday March 6th. If you have a conference scheduled, you will receive a parent questionnaire on Monday. I would really appreciate if you could return it by Wednesday.
Winter MAP scores will be sent home Friday and at Wednesday Feb. 27 conferences.
4th Grade Buddies: We have started a Dr. Seuss webquest with our buddies. We are learning about Dr. Seuss' life, reading a Dr. Seuss book with a message and discussing Dr. Seuss' style using alliteration. Each buddy group will create a Powerpoint Presentation to share their learning.
Ask Your Child:
What is your 2nd Book Club topic?
What does being a close reader mean?
How can you make sure you do not turn in a test with skipped answers?
What does empathy mean?

Februray 8-22

Happy February. Here are some new happenings and updates in the classroom:

Valentine's Party- Please note that our class party will be on Wednesday, February 13 at 2:30 instead of February 14. We will exchange Valentines at the party. A class list was sent home last week so kids can be sure to make a Valentine for everyone.
What I Am Is.....A Learner: This month our school wide focus is being a Learner. Our class especially is working on being Learners. It has been a difficult year thus far keeping academics in focus with disruptions throughout the day, everyday. We have had more conversations as a class and individually than I can count about attentively listening (eyes, ears and body), following directions the first time, doing what you are suppose to/making good choices, keeping silliness and silly comments at lunch and recess... Ask your child what being a learner means and what he/she can do to help our classroom of learners be more focused on learning.
New Behavior Management System- In partnership with being a Learner, I am trying a new system to help maximize learning in the classroom by decreasing the amount of disruptions we have. This new system charts any disruptions, rule breaking and missed learning as well as positive behaviors. You will automatically receive an email every Friday, but you have access to reports every day. Once you create a user name and password, you can log in at your convenience. Let me know if you have any questions.
Book Series- Your child brought home a packet on Friday that he/she worked on in January when studying a book series. This was a new, higher-level thinking study that second grade tried this year. All three of us teachers were very pleased with the "close reading" and book club conversations our second graders practiced! Please take time to look through the packet and have your child share the process.
Animal Reports- In the next couple weeks your second grader will begin a research project in school on an animal of their choice. It will be a lot of new and hard work! The kids will be using multiple source types to gather quality and credible information including books, magazines, videos and apps on the ipads and online articles and encyclopedias. We will have a celebration at the end of the unit in which families will be invited. I am aiming for the 1st week of March, but the kids progress will guide the timeline. I will keep you posted and get you the date ASAP.
2 Post Its- You probably noticed an addition to reading 20 minutes every night in your child's assignment notebook- now kids are expected to jot their thinking on 2 post its. In second grade, we want the kids to track their thinking every night on post its. We gave examples of possible thoughts your child can write on the back of the reading log located in your child's reading bag. Please use that as a reference if needed. Your child should keep the pad of post its in their reading bag everyday.
MAP Scores- Next week, you will receive a graph and description of your child's grown on the MAP test. This will be a great opportunity for you to talk about the graph with your child. I will also be helping the kids with goal setting using the graphs.
Ask Your Child:
*What is a biography?
*Which person in history did you study and publish a book about?
*What part of a plant makes its food?
*Did you mow grass at school? How? Why?
*What makes you proud at school?
*What is our school wide goal for PAW slips on the playground in 1 week?

January 25- February 8

Hello Families! I hope everyone is staying warm! Enjoy the photos from the Nature Center! Thank you to our parent volunteers! It was a great trip! Here is our classroom update:

February Field Trip- We will go the Botanical Gardens on February / See the permission slip in today's Friday folder for more details.
Subtraction Smarties- We started subtraction facts tests last week. Our end of the year goal is 54. As a class, most of us have much lower scores on our subtraction tests than addition. If you kept the fact triangles from past homelinks, those are ideal for practicing facts. It really shows kids the strong relationship between addition and subtraction. I encourage the kids to practice facts at home for 5 minutes several nights a week. Practice is the key to improvement.
Keyboarding: We are immersed in keyboarding. We will finish all the letters today. It is proven to be a very difficult skill that requires a lot of discipline and focus. It is much EASIER and FASTER for the kids to just use their pointer finger to type all the keys. I am really trying my best to encourage kids to go slow and practice using the correct keys. Taking short cuts now will hurt them as they grow as typers in third  grade...fourth..fifth.. You can help encourage your child when typing at home to use the correct fingers for each key.
Book Series: The class is doing an excellent job diving into a book series and analyzing characters and author choices. I have been impressed with their book club conversations. I think watching a video of our peers, from the Marley book series, talking in a book club really elevated the conversations.
TGIF Journal: Thank you for taking time to write a friendly letter to your child every weekend. This is our last letter. The kids have really enjoyed writing and reading letters with you.  
Ask Your Child:
Who is JJ in the class read aloud? What mystery is he trying to solve?
Show me how your fingers should look when they're "online" on a keyboard (home keys)
What are the 3 ways seeds travel? (wind, water, animal)
What are some patterns you have noticed across your book series?
What is the verb game?

On The Lookout For 100 Acts of Kindness- We started this new bulletin board in hopes of writing 100 clouds by the 100th day of school (early February) The kids are eager and on the lookout for kindness!

Hello families! Happy 2013! I hope everyone had a nice winter break with their second graders! Our first half of second is almost over. Time does fly. 3rd quarter begins on January 22nd- report cards will be sent home later that same week. We have come a long way since September. I'm looking forward to watching them continue to grow into third graders!
MAP: We completed our winter MAP testing in teh areas of Reading, Math and Language Arts. I was happy to see the class overall stay more focused and try their best. I saw a big difference in the times it took kids to complete the test- much longer times this session, which tells me the kids were really trying hard and rereading to understand questions.
Subtraction Smarties: is our new facts test incentive. The kids will be taking Subtraction facts test every Tuesday. For every point a student's score improves, he/she will get to color a section of a Smartie. When all 5 sections are colored, the student will earn a Smartie. Reminder; 2nd Grade expectation for math facts is 54 correct in 3 minutes- both addition and subtraction. Try practicing a little a weekly to help boost your child's fact power. You can use flash cards, timed tests, the websites I have listed in teh sidebar or some fact apps.
TGIF Journal: Thank you for writing a Friendly Letter back to your child in the TGIF Journal. We will be writing a letter to you every Friday until the journal is complete.
WHAT I AM IS...KIND: Our school wide focus this month is being kind. OUr school Penny Drive fits right in. In the classroom we have our own Bulletin Board: We Take CARE of each other's feelings so SNOW one gets hurt! In addition to being kind, our class is working on two goals:
1. Be Ready (ask your child what that means- there are lots of different examples)
2. Do the Right Thing (even when no one is watching)
Ask Your Child:
Which Series Book Club are you a part of?
Which book did Mrs. Dahms just finish reading to the class? Why do you think she chose that book?
Can you retell the story?
What did you do with your 4th grade buddy this week?
Tell me 3 interesting thinsg you learned at the Waukesha Historical Museum.
Reminders:
Nature Center field trip Tuesday 9-11am. Dress in winter gear- BOOTS!