November 5, 2018
It's hard to believe that it is already November! As usual, we've
been busy in 2nd Grade!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Halloween this week! The
children enjoyed the Harvest Party and looked awesome in their costumes. Thank
you to everyone who helped to make the party a success! We appreciate all of
the donations and helpers! We look forward to our next classroom party, the
Winter Party in December.
Over the past several weeks, we have been reading fictional texts
during our Guided Reading groups and focused on story elements (characters,
setting, problem, and solution) along with the 5 Finger Strategy to retell a
story. Now, we are moving onto nonfiction texts. This week the children will
begin working on KWLQ Charts. The K and W are completed before reading the
text. The K stands for "What the children KNOW" about the topic. The
W stands for "What the WANT to know" about the topic. Then after
reading, the children complete the L which is "What they LEARNED"
from reading the book, and the Q which is "QUESTIONS they still have"
about the topic. We will also spend some time reviewing non-fiction text
features (Glossary, Index, Headings, captions, labels, Table of Contents,
diagrams, maps, etc..)
In Math, we have begun Unit 3. The focus of this unit is on
addition and subtraction fact strategies. The students solved a practice open
response problem using their own fact strategies. Then we discussed their
drawings and explanations and the children had the opportunity to revise their
work if needed. During another lesson, the children wrote subtraction number
stories and generated related addition and subtraction facts. We also spent
time discussing "fact families" by using dominos and fact triangles
to explore how 3 digits become a "fact family."
We hope that your child is practicing their facts at home at least
2 nights per week. Suggestions for ways to practice are on the back of the
weekly Homework Graph that is sent home every Monday. Thank you for your
support with this as fact power really helps the children with their everyday
math.
During our writing blocks, we have spent time continuing to work
on the Looking Back personal narrative stories that the children brainstormed
for at home. The children are doing an excellent job applying the learned
structure of personal narrative stories. We are currently working on revising
and editing their work. The children also had the opportunity to create a
friendly monster and do a creative writing activity where they got to pretend
to BE the monster and tell all about themselves. The children really enjoyed
this special Halloween activity!
Our Science unit on Plant and Animal Survival is coming to an end.
We spent time exploring the Ocean Habitat and the children became experts on
one ocean animal. Then the children presented their information to their
classmates in order to learn more about various ocean animals. We are looking
forward to doing some library research where the children will get to pick one
of the habitats that we study to learn more about. Finally, our culminating
activity will be to pick a habitat and create a diorama showing at least 1
plant and animal that lives there and show how a plant depends on an animal or
how an animal depends on a plant. Thank you to everyone who has already sent in
a shoe box. If you haven't already done so, please try to send in the boxes by
November 7th. Thank you!
Parent teacher conferences are coming soon! The online sign-up
will go live on November 6th at 3:30. Please watch for information to be coming
home from the school office. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss the
growth that your child has already made in Second Grade.
We will be going to the Concord Youth Theatre next Thursday,
November 8th. We will be leaving Robinson at 9:15 and will be back in time for
our regular lunch. The children will be eating their morning snack on the bus.
Therefore, we are asking that you send their snack in a separate bag from their lunch and in containers that can
be thrown away. Thanks for your help!
Upcoming Dates:
November 7th- Author Salina Yoon visits Robinson
November 8th- Field Trip to Concord Youth Theatre for Willie
Wonka play
November 12th- No School for Veteran's Day
November 19th- No School- Parent Teacher Conferences
November 20th- 2 Hour Delay- Parent Teacher Conferences
November 21st- Early Release for Thanksgiving Break
Amanda Siano
2nd Grade Teacher
Robinson Elementary
asiano@westfordk12.us
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