February Second Grade News - 2012

Dates to remember:
*Wednesday, February 1st - Second Science Fair - 2:00-3:30
*Tuesday, February 14th - Valentines' Day Party - 2:30-3:30
*Wednesday, February 15th and Thursday, February 16th - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences are by teacher request only. If you did not receive a request form and would like a conference, please contact your child's teacher.
*Friday, February 17th - No School - Staff Development
*Monday, February 20th - No School - Presidents' Day
*Wednesday, February 29th - Early Release Day - 1:15 dismissal
*Friday, March 9th - Report Cards go home
*March 15th - Second grade musical - More info. will follow
*March 26 - April 2 - Spring Break

Reminders:
Turn in January reading minutes and assignment.
*Begin filling out reading minutes for February.
*Be sure your child has a Valentine Card for every child.
*Remind your child to be sure to get the same lunch choice in the cafeteria that he/she ordered in the classroom in the morning.

Literacy
Reading: The children have been reading a variety of non-fiction and fiction books during our literacy block. When reading the fiction books we are focusing on the following skills:
*Predicting - Making reasonable predictions that go beyond the text
*Retelling - Explain the sequence of the story using character names
*Making connections
These skills are covered in the Independent Reading Assignment that comes home monthly, so please be sure your child is completing this.
When reading non-fiction texts we are focusing on the following skills:
*Text structure
*Using diagrams, charts, and graphs to gain information
*Using background knowledge to build deeper understanding
*Making connections

Fundations: We are currently working on Unit #9 in Fundations. This unit covers r-controlled syllable types, sounds of and spelling options of er, ir and ur. We are combining these r controlled syllables with other syllable types. The following are trick words introduced in this unit: picture, learn, and earth

Writing: We Have finished up the Instruction (How to) Genre in Every Child a Writer. We are beginning persuasive writing. The following is a revision checklist that will help guide the childrens' writing:
My beginning sentence tells my opinion on an issue.
I have two reasons that support my side of the issue.
Each reason may include a detail about it.
Each sentence is complete and makes sense.
My ending paragraph sums up my opinion.
After exploring the persuasive genre we will head into factual description.

Math
We have just started Unit#7 in Everyday Math.
Our learning goals for this unit include:
*count up and back by 2s, 5s, and 10s
*skip count on a calculator
*Use a number grid and a calculator to find the difference between two digit #s
*find halves of even #s
*find and record patterns for doubling and halving
*read numbers on a bath scale
*calculate dollar and coin amounts
*collect and record data
*compare inches and centimeters
*measure length and distances
*order and compare numbers
*find the median of a data set using concrete materials

Science/Social Studies:
During our History Unit: Connecting the Past to the Present, we were able to enjoy viewing many artifacts from the past. Thanks to Mrs. Dancy, we got to see a video of what was on the property of Leawood Elementary before construction began. She was also able to share with us the video of the first day of school ever at Leawood Elementary. Students explored record players, old snow shoes, cast iron tea kettles, a pair of old boots, etc... Viewing the Leawood photo albums and yearbooks from the 1980s was quite a treat. The majority of the second graders felt that they prefer 2012! Our next unit of study is Economics which will focus on opportunity cost, scarcity, surplus, goods/wants, services, etc...

Parent Tips:
Reading fluently can really help improve children's comprehension, or understanding of reading materials. Please help your child practice reading fluently at home by rereading the same sentence or paragraph while "phrasing" words together and using good expression. Children may even practice reading fluently by reading their own writing repeatedly. To make it more interesting, they may choose different people to read to, such as parents, grandparents, siblings, neighbors, or friends.

Thank you for all you do!
The Second Grade Teachers