This is going to be another exciting week in second grade with a lot going on! We will be celebrating Freedom Week with a look at why we are grateful for our freedoms. We will celebrate Constitution Day on September 16th. At this time we will discuss the constitution and why it is important.
This week we will also have an early release day on Wednesday. School will be dismissed at 12:45. Please let me know with a note in the folder or an email if your child's way of going home will change for early release.
Reading
For reading we will continue our Daily 5 program. Last week we continued to work on Read to Self and introduced Work on Writing. This week we will continue to practice those two skills, and we will add Read to Someone. Read to Someone is a buddy reading system that the kids love. It gives them time to get with a partner and read in a structured way that is still exciting.
We will also continue to practice reading strategies this week for reading comprehension.
Writing
Last week we focused on types of sentences and incomplete and complete sentences. This week we will introduce the Lucy Calkins writing program with a focus on drawing or sketching out a story in order to get the idea for the story before writing. We will also have grammar lessons over common nouns and a/an usage in sentences.
Math
In math we will continue to work with place value in numbers up to 999. We will compare and order these numbers using words like before, after and between. We will also introduce and use the greater than, less than and equal to symbols to show value. At home you can continue to work with your child on reading clocks to the 5 minute mark, and also on comparing large numbers. An easy way to do this is to give them a couple of three digit numbers and asking them to name the larger or smaller number.
Spelling
This week we will start our new spelling program. I will give a pre-test on Monday and then send home the words with your child that day. Each day at school, we will practice the spelling pattern and you can practice with the words at home. We will test over these words on Friday. The test will also include 10 "surprise words" that they have not studied but that match the spelling pattern.
This is not a program that focuses on memorization. The goal is to learn a spelling pattern that you can apply to other words in hopes of improving each child's spelling in their writing. Many spelling programs have students memorize a list of words just for the test on Friday. They might get all the words right, but then they may forget them or never transfer them to their writing. Other students might do poorly on Friday spelling tests because they have difficulty with memorization, but in their writing they might be stronger at sounding out words than their peers.
Obviously the important thing is to become a better speller, and not to just be able to memorize a list of words for a week. It may take your child a while to get use to this program, and I'll give the class some feedback after the first test. I know this is the first time that they will have taken a test like this, and will view their grades accordingly. Just remember that the goal is overall spelling ability and not memorization or test grades.
Social Studies
This week we will continue to study geography. We will look at different types of maps, globes and atlases. We will talk about the purpose for each of these, and how to use each. Then we will move into discussing landforms.
Caraway Cares
Our school will be working with the Caraway PTA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to collect items to help with disaster relief in our area. Each grade will collect a different item. Second grade will be collecting new socks and underwear in all sizes(still in the package). All grade levels will be accepting gift cards to area stores (HEB, Randall's, gas stations), for as low as $5 a piece. These cards can be dropped off in the front office in the labeled box on the circle table. This drive will replace the annual Caraway Can Food Drive this year, and it will end on Friday, September 23rd.
Thank you!
Thank you to all the parents who have sent in supplies for our classroom and extra toys for our treasure box! Our class appreciates your support.
Reminders and Dates:
September 14th Early Release Day- School ends at 12:45
Tuesday Folder Basket- Valerie Armstrong
Principal's Pride- Luke Lentz
