Sept. 10

Hi Grade 2 Families,

We are almost halfway into our third week of school! I am very impressed with all the work that these second-graders have done so far. Here are some of the highlights:

Reading

We launched Reading Workshop very soon after school began, and the whole class already reached our goal of reading independently for 17 minutes! Students are remembering how to choose a book, find a spot, and focus on their books. They are also practicing the new skills of setting reading goals, taking a "second grade" sneak peek at their books, and choosing how their books should be read at different parts. Finally, students are practicing reading with a partner, which includes, reading to a partner, listening to a partner read, helping one another, and talking about their reading.

Math

During math this week, we have been learning about new math routines and tools that we will learn throughout the year. We have also been having Math Workshop, during which students can choose from several activities and assignments. I've also introduced a new part of math called a Number Talk, during which we mentally work through, as a class, several progressively more difficult computation problems. Students share their mental strategies and have opportunities to hear and practice new strategies.

Social Studies

During the first two weeks of school, we worked together as a class to brainstorm how we should behave in order to help everyone meet their second-grade goals. From all those ideas, we were able to whittle them down to four big rules for our class:

1.  Be respectul.

2.  Be kind.

3.  Be safe.

4.  Work hard.

As a class, we made posters for each rule with illustrated examples of how to follow them on post-its.

We have also been spending a lot of time discussing feelings, and students have been very receptive and open to these discussions. After making our mindfulness jars, I introduced the Mood Meter, where students can plot themselves on a graph based on their energy level and pleasantness. We placed several common emotions as points of reference: calm, silly, lazy, bored, embarrassed, nervous, angry, disappointed, sad, etc. 

Finally, on Monday, we began working on a project comparing pictures of Our Best Selves with The Beast (any overwhelming negative emotions). We will follow up this project by discussing strategies for what to do when you "meet the beast."

Dates to Remember:

September 26- Open House, 6-7pm

Have a great week!