Week at a Glance

Hello friends and families of B-124,

We’re still waiting for those cooler temperatures, but as far as 2nd-grade goes, things are buzzing right along!

We are starting our 2nd IB unit this week! Please see below for more details:

IB Unit 2:

• Transdisciplinary theme- Who we are

• Central idea- Everyone can play a role in solving problems

• Learner profiles- open-minded, communicator, reflective

• Lines of inquiry:

  • Perspective- individual roles and responsibilities

  • Function- the purpose of public services

  • Causation- problem and solution

This week’s big learning ideas will be:

• Phonics: VCe rule Home Practice One; Decodable Passage One; Home Practice Two; Decodable Passage Two Dictation Quiz Friday practicing the rules 🙂

• Here is a list of irregular words (also known as heart words or sight words) that 2nd graders should have already mastered spelling and reading at this point. 

• Reading: In this unit, students will continue exploring how friends depend on each other. We are enjoying several fantasy pieces like, The Enormous Turnip and Help! A Story of Friendship. We know that good readers ask and answer questions throughout the reading process and use prior knowledge to connect with text. The resources linked will help you understand the development of these skills more and provide you with some tools to help your child at home.

• Grammar/Writing: subjects & predicates; restating the question in our answer

• Math: We will be assessing the following standards that we have been focusing on the past couple weeks:

  • 2.OA.B.2: Fluently add and subtract within 20

  • 2.OA.C.3: Determine whether a group of objects (up to 20) has an odd or even number of members

We are beginning a unit on data- collecting and recording data, interpreting picture graphs, drawing picture graphs to represent data, interpreting bar graphs, and drawing bar graphs to represent data.

• Social Studies: We will be introducing the new IB unit- learning about the theme, central idea, learner profiles, and more.

• Science- In this unit, students explore the properties of materials and matter! They describe and classify different types of materials by properties like hardness, flexibility, and absorbency, and they investigate how those properties are useful in meeting basic human needs (such as clothing and cooking). They also investigate how heating and cooling affect the properties of materials.

• Chapter Book- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

For students who have already demonstrated mastery of the grade-level standards, we are providing in-class extension activities to deepen their learning and encourage higher-level thinking.

Reading (2.RL.1 – Ask and answer questions about key details in a text):

• Generate and respond to their own higher-order questions using evidence from the text
  
  

• Make inferences and explain how specific details support character traits, setting, or theme
  
  

• Compare and contrast story elements (character, setting, plot) across multiple texts

Math (2.MD.D.9 – Generate measurement data and create a line plot; 2.MD.D.10 – Draw a picture graph and a bar graph to represent a data set):

• Create and conduct their own surveys, then organize and represent data using multiple graph types
  
  

• Analyze data sets to solve multi-step problems and draw conclusions
  
  

• Design real-world measurement tasks and represent findings using line plots and graphs

These extensions are designed to promote critical thinking and provide appropriate challenges for students who are ready to move beyond the core expectations.

Remind from PATS..

If you haven’t updated or signed up for the online directory, please do so here: simispats.org There are many reasons you want to make sure that you are connected to PATS here, but this year, it will also ensure that you receive updates specific to our homeroom. Even if you already have an account, please login to make sure your information is correct, especially the teacher(s).

Looking Ahead:

• Wednesday, September 10- TCT- 1:00 release

• Wednesday, September 17- TCT- 1:00 release

• Wednesday, September 24- TCT- 1:00 release

• Wednesday, October 1- TCT- 1:00 release

• Friday, October 3- End 1st Quarter; No School- Teacher Planning Day

• Week of October 6-10- Fall Break- No School

• Wednesday, October 15- TCT- 1:00 release

• Wednesday, October 22- TCT- 1:00 release; Parent/Teacher Conferences

• Thursday, October 23- Parent/Teacher Conferences- Half Day Schedule

• Friday, October 24- Parent/Teacher Conferences- Half Day Schedule

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any comments, questions, or concerns. Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you!