Thursday

"Party On!" That was the sign one of our classmates made during choice time today.  We had a wonderful Holiday Celebration at the end of our day today.  The only thing missing was a friend that went home sick and Mrs. Jones (who was also sick).  We had plenty of good cheer (thanks for all of the yummies) and a fun book swap.  Thank you to all who donated a book.

We began our day with some work in math.  We did some workbook pages using bar models.  Mrs. Odgen helped us with that since I was at Maple Street talking about our math program.  We also went to the computer lab after Mrs. Kleiner came in for Second Step.  Some of us typed while others got to have free choice.

Tomorrow is the last day before vacation.  I want to wish all of you a safe and happy vacation.  Thank you for sharing your children with me.  I have such a wonderful group of kiddos this year!  I'm so thankful.

Wednesday

We worked in the computer lab today on a site called Scootpad.  It is based on the common core and has reading and math activities.  It can be done from home.  I will print off the directions after break.  I think it is really exciting and a great way to practice those Common Core skills.

In writing today, we talked about matching pictures to text.  Students are at the point of publishing their stories and that includes a picture. These stories will go into their Ta Da! books with all of the other stories they publish this year.

In math, we created our own story problems and solved them with bar models.

Party tomorrow!  Books and food due tomorrow!

Tuesday

It has been a crazy (zigger zagger) two days!  The kiddos have been great!  We've mixed some great learning with some really fun stuff!  The concert was awesome!  I have a video of it that I will post as well as pictures. 

Yesterday, students wrote their Weekend News.  They are really focusing on  editing for Word Wall words, capitals and end punctuation.  We didn't have math yesterday but today we worked on bar modeling. This is a bit challenging, but once we get the hang of it, I'm sure it will help tremendously with story problems.

Please remember to bring a book for the book swap as soon as possible. 
Also, our Holiday Party is Thursday. Thanks for all of the donations!  You can send them in at any time.

Friday

I am off to the PTA presentation of Polar Express with my girls pretty soon.  I hope I see some of you there.

We had a nice day today.  It was Ms. Adams' last day today.  We surprised her with a banner, a book, cupcakes (approved by Mrs. Conley), and a morning message.  I will post pictures. I was so moved by the students' show of appreciation for all she has done in our room.  We have such a SWEET group of kiddos here!  It was so special.

Mrs. Jones came in to do math with us and we learned something new called Bar Modeling.  It's an approach to solving word problems that Math in Focus uses.  For some, it seems easy but it's important to establish a solid foundation for this concept, especially if we adopt this program in the future.  The concept will follow as they solve problems involving multiplication, division, and even algebra. 

We did a lot of catch up work including typing those published pieces.  We are almost done!  In word work, we worked on vowel word families with long vowel patterns (a difficult concept for many second graders). 

This afternoon, we learned a new digital storytelling app called Toontastic.  FUN!  Some of us even shared their stories with the class.

Please remember the book swap book for Monday.  See you at the concert!

Wednesday

Report cards went home today.  Please sign and return the envelope.  Thank you!  Let me know if you have any questions.

It was a workshop kind of day.  We worked for a long time on our published pieces.  Also, students learned more about what to edit for (capitals, appropriate spacing, end punctuation as well as spelling).  We also saw how to write a summary of a book.  It was so exciting to have a long block of time to focus on what is needed to do (some reading, some writing).  I am proud of how well students worked.

This afternoon, we reviewed number bonds and some subtraction.  Many students are looking solid in this area.  Some are still not grasping it 100%.  I will keep working with them for sure.  Any help at home is always welcome!

We are getting ready for our concert too!  Very exciting!

Tuesday

Good Evening

I'm sorry for the spotty posts as of late.  Things are humming and time escapes me sometimes.

First of all, the report cards are in their envelopes and ready to go home tomorrow.  We had some pretty big technological glitches so thanks for your patience.  Please let me know if you would like to discuss anything further on the report cards.  We can always meet.  It may not be until the new year, but I would be happy to make an appointment with you.

These next two weeks are a bit crazy busy.  We are getting ready for the concert next week. We also have our holiday celebration on Thursday afternoon.  A note went home about that today.  Please let me know if you are unable to contribute the item/items your child volunteered to bring or if you can't contribute a book for the swap. Thank you!

Ms. Adams' last day will be Friday.  She'll be off to student teach next semester in Hillsboro.  We will for sure miss her around our room!

We have been working on publishing our writing.  Students learned the difference between revision and editing today. The process continues!  I hope to be done and celebrating these pieces by next week so we can start a new adventure in the new year with writing.

In reading, we are focusing on the skill of retelling and summarizing.  This is difficult! I read a book called Chrysanthemum today and modeled how to find the beginning, the middle and the end of the story.  We will look at how to summarize those parts tomorrow.

In math, we continue to review subtraction with regrouping... another difficult concept.  If your children come home and they are exhausted, that's because we are doing some hard work here at school! I'm pushing the test off until Thursday in math with a little more review tomorrow.

Questions?  Let me know!  Thanks!

Thursday

Hello!

The energy level was high today in 2F.  We did some great work though!  We worked on typing our drafts along with revising them in writing. In reading, we did the workboard while guided reading groups met.  In math this morning we did some real tricky problems!  It was hard, but we got through it! Mrs. Kleiner came for Second Step.  It was a pretty normal day.

Please remember the book swap.  You can send your wrapped book in anytime.  Thank you!

Wednesday

Today we began our day with music.  Please remember the Holiday concert is December 17 at 1:30.  Students brought home the words today.  Any encouragement will be great, thanks!

In writing, we worked on our revisions. Reading was guided reading with a book to start: Miss Brooks Loves Books!  We made some text to text connections.  In word work, we talked about long vowels.

This afternoon, in math, we worked on word problems with subtraction.  That was followed by Daily 5 math!

Tuesday

We are on our way in the writing process in 2F!  It's so exciting!  Students are revising by adding details and in the midst of typing their second drafts for the published pieces.  It's a lot of work, but they are plugging away.  I'm so proud of them.  We are using the laptops from the computer lab to work on these drafts.  Of course, students love this!

In reading today, we read a book about The Girl Who Hated Books.  Tomorrow we will read another book and try to make some text to text connections. Students did the work board while we met in guided reading groups.

In word work, we wrote the 5 new word wall words.  We worked on our penmanship as well.  Then, students fixed their brainstormed sheets from yesterday to the correct spelling.  The morning flew by!

This afternoon, we did subtracting across zeros.  Tricky, but we did great!  We will continue with more subtraction practice tomorrow.  I hope to do Daily 5 tomorrow.

Monday... the beginning of December!

Well, we are in the busy time now with these three weeks.  I have included a December calendar of events on the blog. I hope you find it helpful.

One of the events that you will be hearing about soon is our Holiday "party"/book swap.  This is something we traditionally do in second grade.  It will be held on Thursday afternoon, December 20 at 1:45. The snow date will be Friday, December 21 at the same time.  At this party, students will swap a book for another one.  Please begin to think about purchasing a book or donating a gently used one that is appropriate for a boy or a girl.  It should come to school by no later than December 17 wrapped.  Let me know if this is an issue for you as I have many books I could donate on your behalf.  We will also have a "party" where we enjoy each others' company as well as some holiday cheer.  I will let you know the food items that we need in order to make this happen.  Thank in advance for your help with this.

I am in need of anti bacterial wipes and plastic spoons again.  Thanks so much!

Today in 2F, we began with writing class.  I showed students how to begin the revision process with their drafts. They proceeded to do Weekend News. Later, we went to computer lab to work on a brainstorming activity using Kidspiration.  We will continue this project next week with Mrs. Pond.  In reading this morning, we learned a new song called Metacognition.  We also worked on work stations during guided reading time.  Word work involved a pretest on the December word wall words.  Those came home today for homework.

This afternoon, we got a chance to work with the artist in residence, Jeff Warner.  It was fun!  Then we practiced subtraction!

Friday

I was out sick yesterday so that is why I didn't post.  Thanks for understanding.

Today we worked on triple digit subtraction with 2 regroupings.  Wow!  That is a hard skill that requires many steps and organization.  It is tricky but we are working on it for sure!  Mrs. Math Jones was here today too for that lesson.

After that, we did some catch up work.  We all worked on different things at this point. Anything that was not done was sent home to do over the weekend.  Thank you for your help with that.

In word work, we discussed blends and digraphs and played a game on the computer about those.  This afternoon, we read aloud and then did centers.  In our centers, we read Scholastic News, some writing, and Making Words.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Wednesday

Hello to all!  Yesterday I was at the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference.  I learned some great stuff that I can't wait to try in the classroom!

Today, we began with music.  After morning meeting and snack, we had a lesson by Ms. Adams for writing. We wrote about our December traditions. In reading, we listened to a song by Jack Johnson and made some connections to that. We switched for WIN groups today. This afternoon, we learned how to regroup ones and tens in 3 digit subtraction.

Monday

We are back and in full swing!  Students started their day thinking about the difference between general details vs. specific details.  We used examples like "I had fun." and  "It was nice." as general details.  I've asked students to be more specific with their details in their weekend news. 

In computer lab, we typed the final drafts of our How to Make a Scarecrow pieces.  We learned some things about formatting on the computer.

In reading, I explained a new center called Fluency Folders.  Students will be reading their poems to themselves to work on their fluency.  Also, I explained the Write about Reading this week which is to make a text to self connection with something that they've read this week.  Students worked on the work board while I met in guided reading groups.

In word work, I introduced 5 new word wall words.  Compound words were the theme this week!

After read aloud, we began 3 digit subtraction without regrouping.  Our day ended with Daily 5 math and more practice on this skill.

Homework went home tonight: Reading log and Math log.  Thanks for your help with that!

Tuesday

Energy was high today!  We did a lot of catch up work and students worked diligently to get it done!  We selected items for our portfolios for the month of November.  I sent the rest of the work home. We are working on developing our self reflection skills.

In reading, we read The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant.  Students were asked to make a connection based on this book.  They could have a text to text connection or a text to self connection.  After that we did some math.  I introduced the concept of checking the answer of a subtraction problem by using addition.  This was hard!  We'll plug away more when we return.  We will be delving into 3 digit subtraction when we return as well!  Woo Hoo!  Subtraction is a difficult concept for so many.

In the afternoon, we watched a BrainPop Jr. video about Thanksgiving.  Then, we made a turkey to show what we're thankful for. We also watched our Voice Thread project. 

Please be sure to check the tabs for the additions to this blog: the Voice Thread project and the Think Central math site.

Have a super Thanksgiving!

Monday

It was a very busy day today!  We did quite a few assessments to get ready for report cards coming out in December.  In writing today, we looked at our first drafts of our stories that we plan to publish.  I read McDuff Moves In to start the class. We went back through and looked for sensory details in the book.  Next, students were asked to check their own writing for sensory details. This was difficult.  I'm thinking we will need to go back to this and do lots of modeling with this skill. Students are still working on identifying what sensory details are.  We will continue this work in future writing classes.

In the computer lab, students went on Think Central which is the math website for our program, Math in Focus.  I was able to load student accounts with personalized assignments, depending the skill level each child demonstrates in class.  This is something that students can do at home.  I will put a tab on this site for access as well as directions for them to log in.

During reading, we did another lesson on schema.  We collected schema on Thanksgiving (we had a lot!) vs. our schema on Rocky Point (not so much).  We talked about why we might have had more schema on one topic vs. another.  Students then practiced their visualization skills by illustrating poems/shared readings that we've done in class.

In word work, we learned the five new word wall words. This afternoon, we read our read aloud. Finally, during math, we did some assessments for report card standards.

Thursday and Friday

Sorry for not posting yesterday....we had a busy day that started with math MAP testing.  Please let me know if you want to know your child's score.  We also had Second Step and an assembly in the afternoon.  HMS voted Pete the Cat as the Ladybug winner!  3 Hens and a Peacock came in second and Calvin Can't Fly came in third. We voted after the test and had a special Ladybug snack.  The assembly in the afternoon was about bullying.  We talked about schema in reading today.

On Friday, we did a lot of catching up of sorts.  During math, Mrs. Math Jones came in and did a fun number game as well as some subtraction with regrouping.  We did Daily 5 math after that.  Students worked on finishing up work and during word work, we acted out some of our word wall words.

After recess, I read aloud the beginning of our new read aloud: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.  Students drew what they visualized as I read.  Finally, we worked on handwriting, finish up work and played on the iPads. 

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday

After music class this morning, we did a piece of writing about how to build a scarecrow.  Students planned with pictures and then wrote a first draft.  We will take these to final draft by editing and revising them next week.

In reading, we talked about the last of the strategies to use when figuring out unknown words.  I will hand students a bookmark tomorrow to use to prompt them with these word attack skills.  We read a poem about numbers and found many things like short vowels, compound words and contractions.  We know a lot as second graders!

In word work, we switched classes to work in WIN groups. This afternoon, I started a new read aloud and did more with subtraction with regrouping (2 digits).  After Daily 5, we reflected on our feelings of this skill.

Please have your child wear red and black tomorrow as we vote for the Ladybug book winner.  Also, we will MAP test in math tomorrow.

Tuesday

This morning in writing, we worked on our Weekend News. It's a bit beefed up now, with added requirements.  Students looked at the goals they set for themselves and tried to work on that in this writing.  Also, we use special paper now where we have to read our piece over 3 times in order to edit it.  Once for capitals; once for end punctuation; and once for word wall words.  Some of us didn't finish.

In reading, we learned about a new activity called word work that is open during guided reading.  Students are responsible for working with the words in their personalized spelling notebooks in different ways.  It seemed to go well today. This week's write about reading is a graphic organizer retelling one of the Ladybug books.

During math, we worked on subtraction with regrouping with blocks.  The mantra we say is:
"More on the top, no need to stop.  More on the floor, go next door, take a ten, and start again.  Numbers the same, zero's the game."  Ask your child what that means and see if he/she can explain it.  We did Math Daily 5 today. 

I introduced the second 5 word wall words today too.  We wrote them and paid special attention to the handwriting paper and letter formation.

Friday

We had a sort of "ketchup" kind of a day.  Mrs. Jones came in and did some math with us.  Then, students did some structured catch up work.  I was able to meet in reading groups that had not had closure in certain books while students did handwriting and a math bingo game.  During word work, I introduced the first of the November words (better late than never!): boy, girl, use, want and why.  Thanks for your help with these.  We then did a cool activity with the word wall words that we haven't spelled correctly.  We found the value of each word using scrabble tile amounts.  A little math and word work mixed together!  This afternoon, we read the second to last Ladybug book called Blackout.  On Tuesday, we will read the last one so students can be informed voters on Thursday.

In the week ahead, we will vote on Thursday as well as MAP test in math on Thursday.  We have an assembly about bullying on Thursday too!  Don't forget that Monday is off for Veteran's Day.

I am in need of Pledge Multipurpose wipes for the iPads in our class. If you can donate, that would be fabulous!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday

The snow is so exciting!  We were able to go outside for recess as well.  Kiddos need snowpants and boots if they want to play on the field with snow.  Thanks for your help with this!

Tomorrow is popcorn and the Veteran's Day assembly.  Please have your child wear red, white and blue if possible.  Thanks.

In math, we began subtraction with regrouping!  Exciting stuff!  We will keep working on this as it is a difficult concept.  In reading, we cleaned out our book boxes and had a lesson on metacognition.  Mrs. Turcotte read us a book while I modeled what her think bubble would be saying.  Fun!

In writing, we typed our riddles.  Everyone is almost done.  We will turn these into a VoiceThread document soon... that will be very cool!  Students also worked on their drafts.

Word Work had us switching classes again for specific phonics lessons.

Wednesday

Thank you so much to all of you who came out yesterday to meet with me about your children.  I must have talked a lot because I had no voice when I got home last night!  Let me know if there is something that I need to follow up on from our conversations.

Today, we had an eventful day in 2F.  In the morning, we talked about having a beginning, middle and end to our stories that we are publishing.  I read a book and we talked about how to find the beginning, middle and end in a story.  This will help with reading as we discuss retelling as well.

In reading, we began our discussion of metacognition. We made a 'salad' with a mix of text and thinking to demonstrate this. We talked about real reading, not fake reading... making sure we are making meaning of the words that we read.  This will be a continuing conversation in class.

During word work, we switched classrooms and were mixed up with other second grade classes.  This was fun.

This afternoon, we looked at how to subtract without regrouping.  We used unifix cubes to help us understand this concept.  We practiced subtracting 2 digits minus 2 digits.

Don't forget about popcorn on Friday.  We will also have an assembly for Veteran's Day on Friday. We are asking for kiddos to wear red, white and blue that day.

Monday

We began our day in the computer lab and we ended our day in the computer lab!  This morning we took the reading MAP test. I have the scores to share with you at conferences tomorrow. 

We got a chance to vote today too.  Ask your child how the election turned out at HMS! 

In math, we rebuilt a number and did some seat work. Reading consisted of just Read to Self time. In word work, we practiced the words we haven't mastered from the word wall.  I have sent home a list of these words for you to study with your child whenever you can.  That would be great!

This afternoon we did a writing prompt and then went to the computer lab to type our backyard habitat riddles.  The end product for this will be a Voice Thread including children reading their riddles and showing the picture as the answer.  Fun!

See you tomorrow!

Thursday

We had math first thing today and talked about strategies for subtraction.  Counting back, counting on, and part, part whole are 3 that we came up with.  I had students practicing the counting back strategy using the number line.  Then we broke into small groups for daily 5 math.

In reading today, we read Stars, one of the Ladybug books.  We talked about what the book made us think as we read it.  This is the ground work for us to begin our discussion about metacognition.  In word work, we changed a hen into a fox (ask your child about that one!). 

This afternoon, I showed students how to change their brainstormed lists into a draft of sentences.

Tomorrow is popcorn and the book fair.  If you want to send money in for your child to purchase books, you may.  Also, we are making our scarecrows in the afternoon.  A fun filled day!!!!

Happy Halloween!

Phew!  The energy level is high today!  After music this morning, we had writing workshop.  Here we learned how asking questions of each other is helpful when trying to think of details to write about our topics.  We will begin drafting tomorrow.

In reading, we read the October poem from Chicken Soup with Rice.  We talked about what we noticed and/or liked.  Then it was onto Guided Reading and the workboard. 

For word work today, we talked about short i words and played 20 questions with short i words.  Also at morning meeting this morning, we played I Have Who Has.... This was great!

In math, we began our discussion of subtraction. We talked about the language we would hear when talking about subtraction.  Someone even knew that subtraction was related to division in some way!  Very cool!  We worked in Daily 5 math groups as well.

Have FUN tonight!

BOO!

Tuesday

Oh my!  Between early dismissals, late starts, the hurricane and Halloween, let's just say it's been an interesting 2 days!  Yesterday, we went to the computer lab to learn about Xtra Math, a program the is web-based where students can practice their daily math facts.  I'm assigning a new piece of homework that involves keeping a math log.  I would like for children to practice their addition and subtraction facts up to 20 a few minutes each night.  They can use flashcards, do so orally, get on Xtra math (see the handout that came home yesterday) or do some worksheets.  It is so important for children to have their addition and subtraction facts mastered in order for them to experience success with the higher level math required with Math in Focus.  Thanks for your help with this. Let me know if you have questions.

In word work, yesterday, Ms. Adams introduced the 5 new words of the week: good, school, would, should and these.  Thanks for your help practicing these at home.

Today, we started with an introduction to the MAP test that we will take on Monday morning.  Mrs. Pond showed us what the test will look like in the computer lab today.  We will take the reading test on Monday and the math test will follow sometime the following week. 

In reading, today, we began working with our Guided Reading Work Board.  This consists of the independent work that students are doing while I'm meeting in reading groups.  Such activities are: read to self, read to someone, write about reading, listen to reading, and reading group work.  Students keep track of what they've done at the end of each reading class.  They will pass this sheet into me at the end of the week.  It went really well today.

This afternoon, we took a math test on addition up to 1,000.  We're moving on to subtraction to 1,000 next!  I will lay some groundwork with basic subtraction before launching into regrouping.  This is always a difficult concept for second graders.

Please remember that our Scarecrow day will be Friday afternoon.  Also, I sent home a pre-conference sheet for you to fill out before parent conference day.  If you could do that as soon as possible, that would be fabulous!  Thank you!

Thursday

In math this morning, we worked on regrouping in the tens and the ones place today!  Woo Hoo!

In reading, we worked on word attack strategies including read on, reread, and think what makes sense.  We read a big book about Animal Tracks to practice these strategies. 

We got together in our scarecrow groups to talk about our supplies and what is still needed.  Looks like, overall, we are in good shape. 

This afternoon in writing workshop, we talked about publishing stories.  All students have chosen a topic to write about and we will go through the writing process together.

POPCORN TOMORROW!

Wednesday

After music, morning meeting, and snack this morning, we looked at our Weekend News. Students were asked to reread it and look at their sentences.  They looked at how the sentences began, how long they were, and how many sentences they've written.  Students then made a goal for their writing, based on what they found in this research.  I will continue to show them how to vary their sentences as we work on Weekend News each week.

In reading, we discussed reasons for choosing favorite parts in books. This goes with our Write About Reading for the week.  In word work, we spelled out the word wall words using our bodies.  Ask your child about that!

This afternoon, we read My Father's Dragon and did more math with regrouping.  It seems as though we are getting it!  Daily 5 math is always fun!

Tuesday

We began our day with our 3B's Assembly in the MPR.  It was nice to see everyone in black and yellow.  It's always nice to get together as a school to see our learning community!

In reading today, we talked about Writing about Reading.  I'm asking students to write about what they've read each week in a structured manner.  This week, they are picking their favorite part from a book that they've read during Read to Self time and reporting out on that by Friday.  I modeled how to do this with a Ladybug book called Calvin Can't Fly.   I will continue this lesson tomorrow when we talk about what qualifies a "favorite" part.

We reviewed short 'a' vowels in word work today. We read Miss Mary Mack and then did an activity with vowel patterns word families.

In math, we did a lesson on 3 digit addition with regrouping in the tens place. We also reviewed no regrouping with 3 digit numbers and regrouping in the ones with addition. Students worked in small groups during Daily 5 Math time.

Things are clicking and we are learning a lot!  I hope you are hearing positive things at home!

Monday

Sorry for the late post.  My older daughter turned 9 so our afternoon and evening was booked! We had a great day today.  Students worked on their Weekend News, Nature Graphs in the computer lab, and math addition of 3 digits for math. 

We were in the computer lab for math today.  I had the kiddos go on the website for the math program using the virtual manipulatives.  This was pretty awesome to watch! If you are interested in having your child practice at home, please let me know.  They can have access at home. I'm hoping to put more activities in their accounts for them to work on.  It's a cool resource.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRESS YOUR CHILD IN BLACK AND YELLOW TOMORROW!  It is our 3B's assembly. Mr. Carozza came in this morning and sang the song with us.  He played his guitar and everything!

Another reminder is to send in the scarecrow supplies. If you forgot what your child signed up for, please let me know.  I have a master list.  Also, we are in need of $1.50 from each child to cover the cost of snacks for our scarecrow celebration.  Thank you!

Thursday

Sorry for the late post.  I sat down to do some work and realized that I didn't update!

DON'T FORGET THAT TOMORROW IS POPCORN DAY!  50 cents a bag.  It works to pay ahead if you'd like.  There are 5 more including tomorrow. I'm happy to keep a tab!

Today was one of those days where I'm so glad I'm a teacher!  We had some great stuff going on in our room, I'm proud to say.  We started the day off with math.  I loved having math first; everyone was so fresh and ready to go.  It was great. I introduced multi-digit addition by using graph paper to line up the ones column, the tens column and the hundreds column.  This is a great visual tool.  Once we had this under control, we moved on to Daily 5 math.  I love working with students in small groups. I find so much value in it.

After snack, we had Second Step and then reading. We talked about word attack strategies.  The one we are focusing on now is think about what makes sense in the sentence.  We practiced with some sentences on the overhead.  Students then proceeded to work independently on Read to Self and Read to Someone while I met in groups.

In Word Work today, we used the iPads and did Tic Tac Toe Phonics as well as Spelling City.  Fun! 

This afternoon, we had PE and then did a lesson in writing workshop using the iPad and putting sentences together.  Students proceeded to work on their own writing. We ended with writing share.

Please remember that Parent Conferences are on November 6.  Let me know if you've forgotten your time.

Wednesday

In writing this morning, we looked at groups of words and decided whether they were sentences or not.  We are looking at complete thoughts vs. incomplete thoughts.  I am looking for students to show control over this in their writing.  It's a work in progress!  Students got a chance to share their writing at the end of writing workshop.

During reading class, we practiced Read to Someone and Read to Self while I pulled guided reading groups.  We talked a little about how to help one another when we read to each other.  This is also a work in progress!

Ms. Adams did a lesson on digraphs for Word Work.  Students had to sort pictures containing ch, wh, th, or sh in them. 

We finished Gooseberry Park today!  It was a great book!

In math, we are plugging along with regrouping.  We will start 3 digit addition tomorrow!  Daily 5 Math is going well.  I think the kiddos are excited about it.

Please remember to pass in the scarecrow forms, money and supplies anytime. Thank you!

Tuesday

Today we added to our repertoire of choices during guided reading time.  We have now learned how to Read to Someone.  Some students call this Buddy Reading.  There are specific guidelines that we talked about today during Read to Someone time.  One of them is called EEKK!  See if your child remembers what that is!  Students practiced Read to Someone today both in reading groups and independently.

In writing today, we discussed complete sentences.  This was a new concept for the children. We talked about what complete sentences are and what they must have (subjects and verbs essentially). We will continue our work with this as it was new to most.

During word work, we took a spelling test to see where we fall for our next round of WIN groups. 
I read aloud Gooseberry Park.... we are almost done!  Finally, in math, we talked about when to regroup and when not to.  Today was the first day of a new way that I am organizing the independent work time:  Daily 5 Math.  I have students in groups working on various independent activities.  One group is playing a game that is appropriate to the concept we are working on in class. One group meets with me for extra instruction. One group is working in math journals. One group is working on math "by themselves".  Finally, another group may be working on the computer.  Today was the first day and we are working out the kinks, so to speak.  Let me know if you hear anything about this either way.  I'm still looking for help on Thursday mornings to run a small group.  Email me if you can help out.

Monday

We learned how to regroup today!  How exciting!  I showed students on the cool website that comes with our math program.  It was very fun to watch. We will continue to practice regrouping 2 digit numbers this week and by the end we will work on 3 digit numbers.

I sent home information about a tradition in second grade: scarecrow building.  Students got together on Friday and decided what they would be responsible to bring in to make the scarecrows.  You can send those supplies in anytime: the sooner the better. Also, let me know if you can come in to help with this activity. 

In reading, we met in groups and practiced read to self.  We wrote our weekend news in writing.
We had computer lab today where we began to graph the results of our Nature Hunt.

New word wall words this week: great, grade, friend, write, think.

Finally, we have a new student in 2F!  Max came this morning and everyone was very kind to welcome him.

Thursday

It was a total Zigger Zagger Day today!  We had Mrs. Kleiner come in first thing this morning to do Second Step.  Then, Mrs. Maynard from the Town Library came in to read us stories.  It is Fire Prevention Week this week, so we got to hear some firemen talk and then go into a fire truck.  Fun!

In reading, we learned about the 3 ways to read a book: read the pictures, read the words, and retell the story.  We practiced during read to self time while I met with reading groups.  In word work, we had our last WIN time for these groups.  Tomorrow we will test the 20 review words again to see if progress was made. 

This afternoon we had PE and then writer's workshop.  Students are hard at work writing, brainstorming and editing their work. 

POPCORN TOMORROW!!!!!!

Wednesday

I had an appointment this morning so I was a little bit late. When I walked in, everyone was quietly working at their desks!  What a treat! They had just read The Alphabet Book and were doing some brainstorming about topics to write about in their writers' notebooks.  Next, we went to the computer lab to do a website called Into the Book.  This works on metacognition while reading.  Next, we switched groups for WIN time. 

After lunch, we read aloud and then did a lesson on rebuilding numbers. This is the step between adding with no regrouping to adding with regrouping.  Mrs. Math Jones came in and gave a small assessment.

MRS. GRADY'S CLASS IS SELLING POPCORN ON THE NEXT 6 FRIDAYS.  IT COSTS 50 CENTS A BAG.

Tuesday

We had another whirlwind of a day!  With PE first thing this morning, we worked the day away so quickly!  I am starting something called "App of the Day".  This is the part of the day when I introduce a new app on the iPads to the class.  Since we have 3 in our room all of the time, it's important for us to know how to use the apps that are on the devices.  Today's App of the Day was Spelling City.  This is just like a website that we used for Word Work last week only you can't input your own words.  You use their lists which are quite good, actually.  Ask your child to tell you about it!

After this time, we introduced our 5 new word wall words.  The October list has gone home today to hang on your frig and practice whenever you have a minute.  The words today are: you, got, today, end, and week.  We did an "on the back" activity which is when we use a pattern in the word to spell other words. For example, if you know how to spell end, you can spell lend, mend, bend, tend, etc.  I'm trying to get students to use the word wall words as much as possible when writing.

Speaking of writing, we did Weekend News today.  After that, we moved right into reading with a strategy called Check for Understanding. I used the book Tops and Bottoms to model how I check after each page to see if I'm understanding the book.  I showed how this was done. This is something you can do at home.  After your child reads, you could ask them to stop after each page and retell what is happening. If she/he cannot retell, the book may be too difficult.

In word work, we worked in our WIN groups and will for tomorrow and Thursday. Friday I will assess to see if we've made improvement.  This afternoon, we learned how add double digit numbers without regrouping and read aloud.

Thursday

Today we had PE first thing due to the third grade testing.  The kiddos came back very sweaty!  Phew!  They had fun, though.  Mrs. Kleiner came in to do a lesson about preferences.  During reading, we read a book about the best place to read.  Please check your email about an assignment that goes with this book.

It was our second day of WIN groups.  Students seem to enjoy moving into different classes.  It was indoor recess again.  In math, we took a pretest for chapter two and played some addition games. 

Wednesday

After music first thing, we worked on our riddles today. Students have taken their research on the backyard habitat animal and created riddles for them.  Also, they did illustrations of the animals.  It is my intention to have them read the riddles into a program on the computer called Voice Thread.  Then, we will display their pictures as answers to the riddles.  I will be able to post them on the blog, or at least a link to them.  All in good time!

Also, something new and exciting happened today.  We mixed all of the second graders up for WIN time. WIN stands for What I Need and we are working on phonics/spelling skills.  The kiddos were very excited to get to go to other rooms and work with other students. We will do this tomorrow as well as next week. 

This afternoon, we started a new book called Gooseberry Park.  Also, we worked on addition strategies in math.  I will pretest the next unit which is addition up to the 1,000 place.

Tuesday

As we were going through the schedule today with the kiddos, we realized that we had nothing "special" today. Of course for me, everyday is special!  It was, however, a normal, run of the mill day!  In reading, we really worked on Read to Self.  We made a T-chart of what it looks like and what it sounds like when we are Reading to ourselves.  This is the activity that students are doing while I meet with reading groups at the moment.  We also talked about my Crown of Silence!  Ask your child about that!

In writing, we filled out a Writing Bingo card to spark ideas to write about in our writers' notebooks. Some students even got to write about something from the bingo card in their notebooks.

In word work, we did something a bit challenging.  We looked at the shapes of the words without words in them and tried to fill in these puzzles of sorts. We talk a lot about "in the attic" letters vs. "main floor" letters and "basement letters".  Ask your child about that to understand it a bit more.

We finished Gooney Bird Greene today! This a story all about storytelling and what makes a good story.  Very fitting!

Finally, in math, we worked on the strategy of making a ten to help us add.  We used tens frames to show different ways to look at addition problems.  For example, we looked at 8 + 6 is the same as
10 + 4.  This is challenging for some. 

Monday

We did lots and lots of stuff today on the computers!  In computer lab, we learned how to bookmark this site.  We went onto Spelling City and did some games/quizzes with our word wall words.  It was good practice. We also got to play "Hungry Fish" on the iPads in math.  That was a favorite part of many people's day.

In reading, we read more nonfiction and met in reading groups.  I introduced the last of the first grade Word Wall Word list: very, who, were, where, and went.  Next week, we will begin with second grade words that will be new to us.

In math, we are talking about addition strategies.  Today we worked with tens frames to show how to make tens as a strategy.  During writing, we did our Weekend News.

Friday

It was a rainy Friday and Picture Day today!  After art first thing, we had Mrs. Math Jones come in and teach us about tens frames.  After that we had pictures and Ketchup Time. This afternoon we had indoor recess in Ms. LeBaron's room and then we put work into our portfolios!  The remainder of work from September is coming home today. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

Thursday

Yahoo! Mr. G helped me figure out how to upload the video!  It's finally there!  Check the I PICK Rap tab up top.

We did a lot of research today in the library. Students picked a backyard habitat animal and learned more about it using the nonfiction features that we've been talking about!   The rest of the class worked on the Nonfiction Scavenger Hunt.

Mrs. Kleiner talked about respecting one another today, something we've been talking a lot about.  It was a great day!

Wednesday

Ms. Adams had her teaching debut today for morning meeting!  She did a great job!  The students were very responsive to her.  The professor from NEC was very impressed with our class.

In reading, we read a book about Backyard Habitat animals.  We will be studying these tomorrow in the library.  Students will begin researching an animal and they will put their information together for an end project afterward.  We will be stressing the nonfiction conventions and how they help readers gain information. Students then worked either in a reading group, on a nonfiction conventions scavenger hunt or picking facts from nonfiction books.

In writing, we finished up our writing benchmarks, finished up our Weekend News and then did a word work activity. Mrs. Cannon had read us the book A House is a House for Me.  I had students reread this book and look for rhyming words.  This activity was called Rounding up the Rhymes.

This afternoon after library, quiet time and read aloud, we had a math test on place value. 

Tuesday

We filmed our I-PICK rap today, but I'm thinking of redoing it.  I didn't like the camera angle.  We will try again tomorrow.   Students did the writing benchmark today as well. The majority did not finish and will work on it tomorrow.

In reading, I read Tacky the Penguin and we looked at a nonfiction book about Penguins. We put together a Venn Diagram comparing the similarities and differences between fiction and nonfiction. Students did a great job with this activity.

In word work, we chanted and wrote the 5 new word wall words for the week: said, there, their, our, and they.  Students also put boxes around each word to show letters that were "upstairs", "on the ground" and "in the basement" letters.

This afternoon, we read Gooney Bird Greene.  Students are loving this book. In math, we took a practice test on place value.  The actual test will be tomorrow. We also played a game called, "Place Value Poker."  It was very fun!

Pictures are Friday!

Monday

This morning, we wrote about our weekend for our weekend news!  This is becoming easier as we practice more.  I handed our writer's notebooks today and we learned about our own personal dictionaries.  Students put a copy of their first grade word wall words into their notebooks as well.

During computer lab, we learned how to do Tumblebooks.  We also learned how to bookmark this page at school so we can to it easily. 

In reading, I met with a reading group while others worked on reading nonfiction.  In word work, we learned about homophones.  Some of our word wall words are homophones.

This afternoon, we did some challenging math with number lines.  Students worked on catching up with some workbook pages.  It was a great day!

Friday

Well, we didn't get to video the I PICK rap today.  I remember at the end of the day and not everyone was in the room.  So, we will certainly do that on Monday.  The kiddos are very ready!  It's awesome!

This morning, we began with art.  Next, after snack and choice time, we had math.  We worked with number lines to help us skip count.  We noticed patterns skip counting by 5 and 10!  Next, we played a math game.  Also, this afternoon, we worked on some workbook pages.  That's a lot of math!  Our unit on place value will be ending next week.  After this, we will move on to addition facts!

During "Ketchup" time, we worked on any work that we didn't finish throughout the week.  Please note, anything not done was sent home this weekend to be completed for homework.  Thanks for your help with this!

For Word Work, we read a poem called, "My Backpack" and talked about syllables. We also played "Be a Mind Reader". 

This afternoon, we read chapter 2 of Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry.  Then, we did centers with Scholastic News, Handwriting, and math workbooks.

Don't forget that Friday is picture day!

Thursday

We began our day with math today because later in the morning we went to the library.  In math, we are looking at ordering 3 digit numbers.  Students used the white boards to show what they knew.

After snack, Mrs. Kleiner came for Second Step.  Next, we had a lesson about vowels and used the word wall words to identify and categorize words based on the number of vowels.

In the library, Mrs. Alibrandi taught us about the conventions of nonfiction print. We learned about Headings, Bullets, Bold print, sidebars, glossaries, etc.  Students found examples of these in nonfiction books.  We will continue this work next week in guided reading groups.

This afternoon, we had PE and then read a book about favorite places.  Students then wrote about their favorite places to be.

Wednesday

Our reading class today was all about shoes!  We made the comparison from Good Fit shoes to Good Fit books.  I brought in shoes from home to show how different shoes have different purposes (winter boots, flip flops, bowling shoes, etc).  Then I showed them how Mr. Follansbee's muck boots don't fit me.  This was to show how different people have different fits with books and shoes!

Students filled their book boxes with Good Fit books this morning.  These needed approval from me.  We also took out the handwriting books today as I have noticed that some children need help with number formation. 

We started a new book Gooney Bird Greene.  In math, we did more work with greater than and less than.  I showed students my webpage and how to get to math links and spelling links (games) as well.

Tuesday

We turned our 5 Finger Planners from yesterday into sentences.  We worked on making a 7 sentence paragraph about one event of the weekend.  Students were encouraged to make sure their word wall words were correct.  I passed it back and had students fix their writing.  This is the beginning of the editing process for us.

Students also were introduced to the I-PICK rap.  We will practice this week and I'll video it for you to see.  This is a song about picking the right book for yourself.  Each letter stands for something when choosing a book:
I = I choose a book.
P= What's my purpose for reading?
I = Am I interested in this book?
C= Do I comprehend what I'm reading?
K= Do I know most of the words?

Also during reading, we filled out a survey about our attitudes in regards to reading.   These will go into our portfolios.  With the rest of the time, we decorated our buckets.

During Word Work, we chanted the new word wall words with the Alligator Clap and Batter Up.  The words for the week are: don't, her, here, how, mother.  There is a letter coming home about our Word Work on Friday of this week.

After indoor recess, we read aloud the Tale of the 3 Ralphs, a pretty comical story.  The story's moral was that fair does not always mean the same.  We talked about what this meant for us in 2F. 

In math today, we are comparing 2 and 3 digit numbers.  We learned about the greater than and less than symbols. 

Monday

What an exciting day!  Mrs. Pond came in and showed us how to use the iPads today for our computer lab time.  We got to try out a couple of apps: Whirly Word is one and Mrs. Spider's Story is the other.  It was great fun!  We have 3 iPads housed in our room and it is my intention now to get them going.  Please let me know if you know of any apps that your child enjoys at home.  We could investigate and put them on the iPads here.  Any feedback is welcome.

During writing today, we learned how to use a five finger planner as a brainstorming tool.  I asked students to pick one thing that they did over the weekend.  This is called their "Weekend News".  They mapped out the details of this event and some even began writing these into a paragraph!  We will go over tomorrow how to turn our brainstormed ideas into sentences.

Some of us got to share our 5 memories bags.  I will work in more tomorrow.  I know it's hard to wait!  We will also make our buckets tomorrow.  On Friday, we read a book about how to fill buckets.  Ask your child about that.  We will work hard as a class to be bucket fillers! 

In math we are learning about standard form, expanded form and word form of numbers. Place value can be tricky. We are working with numbers in the hundreds place.  Reading and writing number words is difficult.  We are working through it though! 

Today is Constitution Day!  We watched a video that goes with the Scholastic News that they read on Friday talking about this day. We also read a book about the Constitution.  Finally, I sent a coloring book home.  This is not homework.  Your child can do this at their own leisure.

September 28 is picture day!

Thursday

It was great to see all of you last night at Open House. I hope you enjoyed our classroom.  I think your children had fun showing you around!

Today we created our own classroom rules.  We looked at our Hopes and Dreams and tried to come up with a set of expectations that will help us achieve these.  We meshed these with the 3B's and came up with a "contract" for all to sign. This is hanging in our classroom now. 

Mrs. Kleiner came in for Second Step today and we had PE after recess.  Students had 2 sessions of math today since we were interrupted by a fire drill yesterday. We are working on place value and skip counting.

We also went to the library to talk about choosing "good fit" books. Mrs. Alibrandi read us a book and then gave students strategies for picking books.  All students left with one good fit book to put in their book boxes.

Wednesday

I look forward to meeting you at Open House this evening.  I will be here from 6:30 to 7:30PM in the classroom.  See you then!

Today, we had music right off at 8:10.  2F has been great about getting in the room and getting ready for  a special!  It's impressive!

After Morning Meeting and snack, we made a Who am I? book where we wrote riddles for people to guess.  These were all put into a book to be read in the classroom.  After that, we read Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox.  This is a story about a boy who befriends an older woman who has lost her memory.  The boy finds objects to help her get memories back.  Students have their first homework assignment!  I sent home a paper bag with directions on it.  They are to find 5 things to put in their bags that spur memories for them.  These will be shared with the class and I will take pictures of each student with their items for their portfolios.  This assignment is due no later than Monday.

During Word Work, I explained how to do an activity called Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check.  We will work on this tomorrow as we ran out of time!

Speaking of running out of time, we had a fire drill today that cut into our math time.  We are working on place value but I will need to finish up the lesson tomorrow!  I also read The Conversation Club to them and we talked about taking turns to speak and raising our hands.

Tuesday

It was another great day in the land of 2F!  What gorgeous weather!  The classroom has finally cooled down a bit, thank goodness.  I brought in an extra fan for the afternoons.  It seems to help a bit.

This morning we read a book called Meet Jane.  This is a book about Jane Goodall and how she dreamed of becoming who she is as a small child.  We discussed what it's like to have dreams and goals and hopes.  Next, students thought about what their dreams and hopes are for their second grade year.  We made a bulletin board for you to see at Open House.  Tomorrow we will continue this discussion by making our own set of classroom rules.

After PE, Mrs. Cannon came in and read us a book called A House is a House for Me.  We then made our own pages for a class book again, for you see tomorrow night.  I was able to do some reading benchmarks while this was happening.  I am wondering if anyone out there would be interested in bringing their child to school early one morning (7:30) for me to benchmark.  Please let me know if this is an option for your family.

In Word Work, we chanted the 5 words of the week.  Then we played Be a Mind Reader with one of these words.

After lunch, recess, quiet time, and read aloud, we did our first lesson in the new math program.  Students got to use textbooks!  Very exciting!

Monday

I apologize for not updating on Friday!  The day just got away from me and I never got to it!

Today was a fun day. We ended it with an assembly.  I will post pictures soon.  It was a man who does stunts on his bike.  He showed us some and even jumped over Mr. Carozza at the end! Everyone was very engaged during his talk. 

Mrs. Jones came in and worked with us on Number Bonds.  This is a new concept for our class.  It is another way to look at fact families.  We will begin our new math program tomorrow.  We also had computer lab this morning.  Students learned to log in and how to open an application (Kid Pix).  We also learned rules.

We put our classroom puzzle together today.  You will see it at Open House.  Please don't forget to come on Wednesday night at 6:30.  This is a chance for your child to show you around the classroom and some of the fun things we've been doing so far in 2F. I will also have a sign up for parent conferences there.  Please look for that.

I introduced the first 5 words from our Word Wall today.  These are review words from first grade.  We will work with these five words all week during Word Work.  They are: after, are, because, before, and could.  If you'd like to help your child by studying them, that would be fabulous!

Today it was Judah, Kevin, Kally, Ned and Russell's day to go to the library.  They will go every Monday.

Thursday

Phew!  It's been another busy day in 2F.  We began with our regular Morning Meeting.  Students made a graph of their favorite special today.  We were able to have some good math conversation about the results of the graph.  We also played "Coseeki" at Morning Meeting.  We are learning about each other through our share time. 

We had our first fire drill this morning.  2F did very well.  Next, we made puzzle pieces for a class puzzle that we will put together tomorrow.  I did some reading assessments with individuals while students were working.  I gave a pretest of high frequency words from first grade Word Wall Words.

We went to the library for our introduction this morning.  Students can begin to take books out starting next week.  PE was this afternoon and we worked on the Cuisenaire Rods for math today.

Coming up:  Open House is Wednesday night at 6:30PM.  I will have a parent conference sign up out there as well as a sign up to volunteer in my classroom.

Another Great One!

We had another fabulous day!  Our day started with music first thing in the morning. I was so pleased with how well 2F got themselves ready to go in a quick amount of time.  Walking quietly in the hallway was a success as well.  Very impressive!

We made bracelets today.  Each bead represents something.  Students shared their bracelets with each other and then did a sort of scavenger hunt to find others with similar interests and bracelets.  The Blanket Game came back.  We are getting to know the names of our classmates.

I read aloud a book about fire drills and we talked about how to proceed in 2F if there is a fire drill. The discussion went well.  Students were able to think about all of the important behaviors during fire drills.

In math today, Mrs. Jones came in to read us a book and do a counting activity with us.  Everyone loved it!  We also did another activity with Cuisinaire Rods.  We are working on Number Sense.

Welcome to Second Grade

This is the first post of my 2012 - 2013 school year.  I'm happy to report that we had a fabulous day today!  We began our day with our Morning Message on the new projector!  I have my iPad hooked up to project the letter and then the students get to fill out the interactive part on the chart paper.  Today's question was how we got to school this morning.  The majority were dropped off from a car.  We made our first class graph!

Students learned how Morning Meeting will operate all year long.  Every day we have 2 leaders who tell us the schedule, do the calendar, report the weather, and help us read the Morning Message.  They play a key role in our Morning Meeting.  The leaders have the opportunity to share any news that they feel is important with the class.  They also lead the line and get the snack milks.  I don't do class jobs, but the leaders do all of the things students would do if they had jobs.

After Morning Meeting, we decorated candles showing our birthdays. These were hung on the birthday cupcakes in the classroom.  We also worked on a challenging word search with all of our names in it.  Students also decorated their Take Home Folder covers.  Hopefully, you saw these today when your child showed you the paperwork sent home today.

We had snack and then PE.  To finish our morning, we played a game with a blanket, learning everyone's names.  We will play this tomorrow as we try to learn all about each other. We also did a scavenger hunt to find things in the classroom that will be useful to us!

This afternoon, we read a book and had some "Quiet Time".  Ask your child what that's all about! We worked on some math with Cuisinaire Rods.  It was a great day!