week of September 28, 2009

There are 2 special, new things this week: Passport and CogAT. Passport is one way we differentiate our teaching of reading – For 30 minutes 4 days a week, each student works in a smaller class on a phonics or reading skill that is developmentally appropriate. We will also take our only standardized test this week. While it’s important that your child be well rested, have a healthy breakfast and give his/her best effort, the results do not affect your child’s report grade. Instead it is used to help us see how to best help your child learn. The only other test we’ll have this week is the Friday spelling test.

Our Kindness story for this week is a familiar folktale, “The Elves and the Shoemaker”. While we won’t be tested this Friday on the vocabulary words, I expect your child to know the meanings of these words: leather, polished, handsome, cobbler. This week’s spelling words all have the short /a/ sound: dash, gas, jam, map, cash, path, sat, ran, ant, had. Congratulations to the 15 students who got all those right on today’s pretest, and have the challenge words to learn!

In math we are working on addition story problems (see attached Home Link), and on learning strategies to help in quickly and accurately computing the basic addition and subtraction facts (up to 9+9=18). Triangle flash cards came home on Friday, which you can use for practice (ask your child how they work).

We are finishing our first social studies unit this week learning about cities, suburbs, rural areas and markets. I encourage you to take your child to the Oak Park Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning, to help him/her get a fuller understanding of these concepts.

Our Tasting, when we made a pretend trip to Mexico, was delicious & educational for all. Special thanks to Paco, owner of New Rebozo, who donated the guacamole and tortilla chips!! The next time your family goes out to eat, please consider going to New Rebozo, on Madison Street, near Harlem.

Homework: Review last week’s reading and math tests with a parent, to help you learn you’re your mistakes. Overall, I was very pleased with the outstanding job the students did on these tests! Daily: Get good sleep; eat a healthy breakfast! Read aloud for 20 minutes (starting Thursday, you can start filling in a Book It Calendar; 20 days of reading for 20 minutes earns you a free Pizza Hut pizza; practice a Mad Minute worksheet (A2 packet), practice spelling.
Due tomorrow: Home link (any time a Home Link comes home, it’s due the next day) Due Wednesday—remember to bring your library book if you want to check out a new one! Spelling workbook, pages 18, 19, 22; those doing challenge words, write a meaningful sentence with 5 of the challenge words instead of doing pages 24 & 25. For Friday: spelling test (Let’s all spell all 10 words correctly!)
For next Monday, Mad Minute packet A5 is due; remember your gym shoes!

Parents: Did you place an on-line order for Scholastic books? If so, please let me know.

Have you seen our bilingual Scholastic News? I’m still waiting for reimbursement for some subscriptions, and for the party money ($5. each). Thank you very much to those who contributed $1. for your child’s take-home folder and Let’s Chat book!

Week of September 21, 2009

Wow, we’ve completed 4 weeks of 2^nd grade, and finished our first unit in reading and math. Today we finished our “Sharing Stories” unit by discussing “connecting the selections” assessment, taking a listening test, and another one on a story read independently. Reading and spelling tests from last week are coming home today or tomorrow. Look them over, discuss them, and learn from your mistakes. I was very pleased with the outstanding job most students did on the comprehension, as well as in remembering to write in complete sentences, starting with capital letters & ending with periods.

Our new reading unit is Kindness; we start with a fun fantasy, “Mushroom in the Rain”. The vocabulary words to learn by Friday are: clearing, barely, drenched, huddled, flicked. The spelling words all contain the consonant blends of st and/or -nd.

In math we are finishing up the introductory/review unit: Numbers and Routines, with a test on Thursday. We will review the study guide in class on Wednesday. See the attached Parent Letter for an overview on Unit 2: Addition and Subtraction facts. I’ll teach different approaches to help your child learn to think strategically on these basic facts (up to 9+9=18), so s/he can learn to provide the correct answer automatically and correctly.

In social studies, our “People & Places” study includes learning about our neighborhood, and the characteristics of cities & suburbs. At home, or in the car, you can discuss the different features, as well as the similar features, of cities & suburbs. On Wednesday or Thursday, we’ll take another walking field trip to note features of Longfellow’s neighborhood. When we return to school, we’ll make a map of our neighborhood.

Tomorrow we start another curriculum that includes social studies and health –Tastings! Many thanks to Julian’s & Ian’s moms for helping each week with the serving & cleaning up! Not only will we taste great international food, we’ll learn the nutritive value of it, how it’s good for us, and about the culture and/or country where it originated. Look for a “book” to come home at the end!

Homework
Daily: Read aloud for 20 minutes; do 1 page of A4 Mad Minute, practice spelling & use the vocabulary words in sentences. Any time a math “home link” comes home, it is due the following day.
Due Wednesday: Math study guide! Also, spelling workbook, pages 14-17; Students with the regular spelling list (p. 16) need to do pages all 4 pages; Students who were given the challenge spelling words to learn do not need to do pages 16 & 17; instead they are to choose 5 of the challenge words, and write a meaningful sentence with each. Remember to bring your library book if you want to check out a new one.

For Thursday: be ready for our math test. Friday: spelling, reading & vocabulary tests;

Due next Monday, Mad Minute packet A4 is due; remember your gym shoes!

We’re excited to be able to see and hear authors David Shannon & John Scieszka on Wednesday afternoon. Come back for more fun & inspiration at 7 PM!

Week of September 14, 2009

This week’s story is “Tomas and the Library Lady”. Our understanding of Spanish and the larger world is increased in this sweet story of a migrant family. Our enjoyment & understanding of this story will be enriched by activities this week that tie in with this story. The grandfather in the story is an excellent storyteller; today we had our in-school field trip today with Professional storyteller, Chris Fascione! On Wednesday afternoon we will visit our neighborhood public library, just the way Tomas visited his neighborhood library. The vocabulary words to learn by Friday are: midnight, chatter, thorny, eager, howling. The spelling words all end with the /k/ sound.

In math we continue working with the 100 chart and the number patterns-these are the concepts that underlie our Base 10 number system. We will also make number models (equations) with greater than (>) and less than (<), for example 8 > 5 is a true number model.

In social studies we’re learning about “People & Places”, an introductory unit that deals with groups, communities and rules, similar to our Longfellow PBIS “cool tools

Homework
Daily: Read aloud for 20 minutes; do 1 page of A3 Mad Minute, practice spelling & use the vocabulary words in sentences. Any time a math “home link” comes home, it is due the following day.
For Parents: PTO meeting tomorrow evening, 9/15, at 7 PM in the school auditorium. Due Wednesday: spelling workbook, pages 10-11; Students with the regular spelling list (p. 12) need to do pages 12 & 13; Students who were given the challenge spelling words to learn are to choose 5 of the challenge words, and write a sentence with each. Remember to bring your library book if you want to check out a new one! Note: If you want, bring your public library card to check out a book or 2 on our field trip. Parents who have not yet granted permission for me to take your child on a walking field trip need to send me a note by Wednesday granting your permission. For Friday: spelling test; our first graded reading test on the content and vocabulary of “Tomas and the Library Lady” I will encourage the students to take the reading book home, to read & discuss it with you.
Due next Monday, Mad Minute packet A3 is due; remember your gym shoes! Wednesday. 9/23, 7 PM—come see authors David Shannon & John Scieszka! (We’ll also get to see them during the day!)

Are you able to help us?

1. Next week we begin “Tastings”, a delicious way we learn about good nutrition, staying healthy and other cultures. We need 2 volunteers to help set the table & wash dishes before & after the tasting. It will be most every Tuesday afternoon (time to be determined) this fall. Please let me know if you can help.

2. Can you help us collect things for our Rocks & Soil science study? We need rinsed out 2-liter bottles, and clean yogurt cups with lids. Just send them in as they’re available.

Ask your child to tell you: the special “-ck” spelling pattern (it’s in the workbook); a summary of his/her favorite story that Chris Fascione told; the number patterns on a 100 chart (ideally s/he will use words like “tens place” and “ones place”).

Week of September 8, 2009

Thank you to all of you dedicated parents who were able to come to Curriculum Night last Thursday. I have attached the Curriculum Night materials for those of you who weren’t able to make it. If you have not yet filled out the paper or online information and permission forms, please do so as soon as you are able. Your permission is important! For example: I am trying to plan a walking field trip to our neighborhood public library, to correspond with the library stories we’re reading these days; having your permission for such neighborhood walks will really be helpful!

This week we read and study “Story Hour—Starring Megan!”, fairly realistic fiction about a little girl who works hard learning to read, and finally reads aloud to the children at the local library. The vocabulary words to know for Friday’s test are: assistant, librarian, calm, patient, amazement. This week’s spelling pattern has words that begin with the consonant blends: gr, dr, tr. As we practice spelling, we also practice handwriting—remember pencil grip, topàdown motion and the “magic c”. On Friday’s spelling test it is also important to use lower case letters unless a capital letter is required.

An important reading and writing skill is the ability to identify the main idea(s). Either today or tomorrow we will watch President Obama’s speech to the schoolchildren of our country. Afterward we will write and discuss his main ideas, ie, what he wants the children to remember.

In math we are doing a variety of activities to build understanding of place value, digits, and our base 10 number system. This includes a lot of work with the 100s chart, as we grasp its logic and patterns, and how it can help us take shortcuts to figure out math problems.

Homework
Daily: Read aloud for 20 minutes; practice a Mad Minute worksheet (A2 packet), practice spelling
Wednesday—remember to bring your library book if you want to check out a new one!
Due Thursday: spelling workbook, pages 6- 9 (A number of students used their time very well in school today, and were able to complete these pages at school!!)
For Friday: spelling test; a “test” on the content and vocabulary of “Story Hour—Starring Megan!” (I won’t grade this one; it’s a chance for your child to work on his/her own; next week’s test will be graded.) I will encourage the students to take the reading book home, to read & discuss it with you.
For next Monday, remember your gym shoes!

For Parents: PTO meeting next Tuesday evening, 9/15, at 7 PM in the school auditorium

Heads up! There will be a substitute teacher on Thursday morning (when the 2^nd grade teachers have an in-service on the new Physical Science Curriculum) and also all day Friday (I’m going to Phoenix to spend the weekend with my dear cousin who is in the final stage of living with cancer.)

FYI: We have some heart-healthy kids in this class! They have gone beyond my expectations of running around the perimeter of the playground once a day (a distance of 1/5 mile), and are doing extra running! Some have even run a mile during recess (5 laps)! Others are using great math skills and adding up the fractions to keep track of how far they’ve run this year! Kudos to them!!