October 25th

Classroom update:

In math, we have finished Unit 2, which focused on addition fact strategies.
Near Doubles, Turn Around Facts, and the Making Ten strategy were some of
the strategies we practiced. The children will continue to use these strategies while
playing games during guided math and completing their math journal pages. This
week, we started Unit 3. This unit also works on fact strategies but with a focus on
solving subtraction facts.  Frequent practice of addition AND subtraction facts will
help second graders develop math confidence and fluency. If you're looking for ways
to help build your child's math skills, please work on fact fluency at home. Second
Grade students are expected to know addition and subtraction facts to 20 with
automaticity by the end of the school year. Thank you for your help in developing
this important skill. 

During writing, the children are working on their “Looking Back” stories. They are
using the photos and brainstorming sheet brought in from home to write the first draft
of their stories. It has been so much fun seeing all the wonderful photos and the stories
are off to a great start! The children also had an opportunity to create their own
"monster" and write a creative story about their monster. 

Daily 5 is up and running and the children are doing a wonderful job! In our reading
groups, we are currently focusing on retelling and identifying important story elements
(characters, setting, problem, solution). The children will be using the “five finger”
strategy to identify the story elements and will use them to help retell stories. These
are skills that we will practice throughout the school year.

In Science, we are finishing up our Habitat and Survival Unit. The children have
learned about our final habitat which was the ocean habitat. We have also begun
library research where the children are researching one habitat (ocean, rainforest, desert)
to further their knowledge. This is also our first research project, so the children are
learning how to "research" by learning about note-taking, putting their information
into their own words, and about non-fiction text features and how they help them
understand the test. The children will share what they have learned in small groups.
We have also started working on our habitat dioramas, the children are VERY excited
about this culminating performance project. 

Thanks for all you do and have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Siano

September 25, 2019

Classroom Post

We are off to a great start here in Second Grade! I am really enjoying getting
to know each of the children! We have spent a lot of time talking about
classroom expectations, routines, and establishing the culture of our classroom.
Here is a glance into what has been happening in your child's second grade
classroom these past few weeks. 

We spent most of our reading blocks reviewing the Daily Five structure. For those new to Robinson or those unfamiliar with Daily Five it is a literacy structure that allows for differentiation in the classroom and provides consistency. It is an integrated literacy instruction and classroom management system that is used during our literacy block. While I am working with small groups for Guided Reading, the other children have literacy “tasks” that include: Work on Words, Work on Writing, Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Listen to Reading. It takes a few weeks for me to assess all of the children and to determine their reading levels and while I am doing that, the children will build their stamina in each of the "task" areas. The children have been able to do 3 rounds this week consisting of "Read to Self, Work on Writing, and Listening to Reading."

In math we have recently finished working on Unit 1. This unit did a lot of review of concepts learned in first grade and allows time for us to establish math routines in the classroom. We've focused on number scrolls, number grids, and combinations of 10, and learning about equivalent names for numbers.

During our writing blocks, we have begun to talk about Personal Narrative stories which is our first unit in second grade. The children have had the opportunity to brainstorm ideas for their stories, completed their graphic organizers, and begin drafting their first personal narrative story.

I also assessed the children on the 100-second grade high frequency words. This is done periodically throughout the year to see what words your child needs to practice. These words will become part of their weekly spelling words that they will practice at school and home.

We started "Star of the Week" last week!  Each week one child will be chosen to be our "Star" for the week.  That child gets to bring in photos and other special items that tell about themselves.  We will display the photos for the entire week, and the child will get to present their items to the class on Fridays.  Last week I got to be the 'Star"! It was a fun way to demonstrate what "Star of the Week" might look and sound like.

**Second Grade Homework starts has begun! Please check your child's folder daily for homework assignments. On Mondays, your child will bring home their weekly Spelling Words on the back of their "Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe" sheet. Your child will be expected to practice their spelling words at least two nights per week. The Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe sheet will have a variety of choices for your child to pick from in order to practice their words.

Also, second graders are expected to read for at least 15 minutes per night. Your child will bring home a "Reading Log" on Mondays as well. We ask that they keep track of their weekly reading and return the "Log" on Fridays along with their "Spelling Tic Tac Toe" sheet. Both of these sheets should remain in your child's Take Home Folder all week and will be passed in on Fridays.We strongly encourage that your child read daily for enjoyment and/or extra practice.   

In addition to spelling and reading, your child will have math homework two nights per week. Most weeks this will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The math homework is due back the following day. Thank you for your help and support on homework.

May 8th Classroom Update

May 8, 2018

It's hard to believe it's May already!  

We have been very busy since we returned from April break.  It was great to hear the many places children visited or the fun activities they participated in over the break.  Everyone had lots to share!

Here are some other highlights from the past few weeks...

During our Reading time we got back to reading some more fiction texts with our guided reading groups.  We discussed and practiced some of the skills we’ve talked about throughout the year.  Our discussions focused on vocabulary, predicting, and re-telling. 

Everyone is has been working hard during ancestor research in the library.  The kids were really excited to begin looking at the books about their countries. We all began our research by learning about the geography of each country.  After researching geography each child had a chance to find information about some things they were wondering about (food, animals, holidays, famous landmarks). 

This past week during our Writing time we have started using the information we found in our research to write informational paragraphs.  We talked about how to begin a paragraph by using an introductory sentence.  Then, we demonstrated and practiced how to turn our notes into fluid sentences.  The children are doing so well.  I am very impressed at how quickly they are learning to write their paragraphs.  

We have spent last two weeks learning about South America. We learned all about the amazing Amazon Rainforest and the animals that live there. We created fun masks for Carnival, postcards about our trip to Brazil, and colorful travel brochures. It was a wonderful trip to a warm tropical continent! Sadly, this will be the last stop on our journey around the world.  We will be “flying” home to North America next week.

Last week all second grade classes enjoyed the Ghana program, a PTO sponsored enrichment program. As always Mr. Joe and Ms. Vida were a pleasure to have at Robinson. The children learned all about what it is like to travel to Ghana, a school day in Ms. Vida’s village, and daily household chores. The kids all loved the singing, drumming, and dancing!

In Math we have recently completed unit 8 and started unit 9.  Unit 8 explored 2-D and 3-D shapes, partitioned rectangles into rows and columns, and learned strategies to determine the total number of objects in equal groups. In Unit 9 we will continue to partition shapes into equal shares and apply these ideas further to explore measurement and learn new subtraction strategies. This unit is an introduction to fractions!

Thank you so much for all of your generous donations for the Family Fun Basket.  Our basket is very full and looks awesome!  I hope to see many of you this Friday at the Family Fest at Crisafulli School where our basket will be auctioned off to raise money for our school.  

May 9^th- Safe Routes to School Program

May 10^th- Robinson/Crisafulli Family Funfest

May 14^th- Second grade school store

May 22^nd- Field Day

**Save the Date:

June 11^th

Room 7

End of the Year Celebration

9:30-10:15

Parents are invited to come and see you child’s work from their travels around the world. We look forward to seeing you all there!

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Classroom update April 22nd

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Classroom update: April 22, 2019

I hope you enjoyed your April vacation!

The kids are doing such a great job with poetry. They have enjoyed writing some "template" poems where some of the words and structure were provided, but they had the opportunity to put their own creative spin on it as well. It was amazing to see the different ideas the children came up with. Finally, we will create a "Table of Contents" and illustrate their  Poetry Books. The children will be bringing their books home at the end of the school year.

This week, we began to talk about “thin” and “thick” questions to kick off our informational writing unit!  We created a set of “thick” questions, which we will be focusing on during our research.  For this unit, the students will research a country of their ancestors and write informational paragraphs. These paragraphs will eventually be used to create a wonderful book about their country!

Our reading groups will be focusing on reading "twin texts." Which means two books about the same topic, but one is fiction and the other is non-fiction. Once both books have been read and discussed, we will compare and contrast them. 

During math, we finished up Unit 7 and have started Unit 8, which focuses on Geometry and Arrays. In this first couple of lessons, the children explored 2-and 3-dimensional shapes and their attributes. They enjoyed playing a game called "Shape Capture" where they used shape attributes to "capture" shapes. We also enjoyed building various polygons and comparing their attributes. Children learned many new vocabulary words to describe the shapes: vertices, angles, parallel sides, sides, face, edges, and bases.

The children enjoyed learning about Antarctica the last two weeks for our Around the World unit.  We learned about all different types of penguins! After vacation, we will begin to learn about the continent of South America. This will be the last stop of our Around the World trip!

Upcoming Events:

April 24th: 5th Grade Chorus Concert for 2nd Grade @ JAC

Monday, April 29th: Parents Receive Placement Parent-Input Forms

Monday, May 6th: Due Date for Placement Parent-Input Forms

Let's Get Moving

     

     According to research movement in the classroom positively affects mental and physical well being, and supports learning. We try to move in our classroom everyday. Moving during and between activities helps my students to stay focused and involved in the lesson. According to the book A Moving Child is a Learning Child by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy, second graders at the age of seven and eight are at the end of the skedaddlers stage. They are able to participate in cooperative games, dance, leaping and skipping. Children at this age are nearing independence in movement. It is important to continue to support all children and provide learning experiences to help them grow. I have included a sample activity from the book A Moving Child is a Learning Child on my blog, it is a fun activity you can do with your child. Enjoy!
 
The Quest Chest
Children love looking for treasures! During this activity take a walk outside and look for treasures in nature. Before heading out come up with a theme. For example, you might search for things that are yellow, things that are soft or things that are hard. After the quest talk about the treasures with your child, then help your child create a special place to keep their treasures.