Week of 5/20-5/24

Math:

We have begun reviewing many of the concepts we have learned this year. Students have grown so much as mathematicians this year and it is so fun to see them practicing all their skills. Next week we will begin out last topic which is about time and data.

Reading/Phonics:

We have officially completed our LAST spelling test of second grade! This week in centers students read about vertebrates and invertebrates and became fact finders, played word scrabble and continued to work on our phonics pattern for the week.

Writing:

In preparation for our trip to the zoo we began our animal research projects. Students browsed all the animals found at the zoo and choose one. After doing some thorough research, students have been creating slideshows with all the information they've gathered. Toward the end of the week, we learned how to insert pictures and add effects. Next week we will be sharing our slideshows with classmates and practicing our public speaking.

Important Updates:

• Zoo Field Trip: We will be going to the Zoo on Thursday! I will be sending some information home tomorrow with some suggestions for a successful day.
• Spelling Update:We are officially done with spelling tests for the year! Such an accomplishment. We will continue to practice and review spelling patterns, but there will no longer be formal weekly tests!

Week of 5/6-5/10

Math:

This week in math we continued working with pattern blocks to make new shapes. We identified many different kinds of shapes and their characteristics. Next week we will look at equal parts.

Reading/Phonics:

This week during Daily 5 students worked with the silent consonant blends. Even though these are silent blends, they could not be tricked! During centers we read about Firefighter Heros and made connections to our main selection from a few weeks ago.

Writing/Social Studies:

This week in writing students worked very hard on a special Mother’s Day project. Keep your eye out for this on Sunday! :) On Friday we made our Biography Posters. Such hard work was put into these and they look wonderful! We cannot wait to show them off next Wednesday at our Student Showcase (see more about that below).

Important Updates:

• Student Showcase: Mark your calendars for the Second Grade Student Showcase! This will be on May 15th from 6:30-7:30. This is really your child's night to shine! Unless no other options are available, we encourage you to attend with only your second grade child. There is so much to share and space is limited. Thank you!

• Zoo Field Trip: Please send in field trip money (check for $17.50) by May 17th. We are still in need of chaperones. Please note- chaperones will meet us at the zoo via their own transportation.

Week of 4/22-4/26

Math:

This week in math we completed our unit on money. Our money unit consisted of two short topics that looked first at counting money and identifying coins and coin values, and then adding money and making change. We played several fun games this week that helped us practice the very important skill of changing giving! Students loved this--AND were really accurate too! Next up we will be going into Topic 12, which is Geometry.

Reading/Phonics:

This week during Daily 5 we we revisited suffix endings, this time adding in some new ones. In our small phonics groups we identified base words and then added different suffix endings. Our main selection was called Fire Fighter. This was a nonfiction selection that taught us about the various different jobs a firefighter has. We also tied this into our question of the week, which looked at teamwork and how important that is for firefighters.

Writing/Social Studies:

We have been very hard at work doing all of our research for our biography projects. Students are SO invested in their research and have done a phenomenal job finding all kinds of details. Each student is creating a book that contains all their collected research.

Open Circle:

We completed our Zones of Regulation study by creating our own desk zone charts. These will be used for students to “check in” individually throughout the day.

Important Updates:

• Glue Sticks: To reload our pencil cases for the remainder of the school year students are low on glue sticks and pencils. Please send these in for your child!
• Poster Board: A letter about the final step in our biography project will be coming home toward the end of the week. Please keep your eye out for this as it will contain more information.
• Student Showcase: Mark your calendars for the second grade Student Showcase! This will be on May 15th from 6:30-7:30. Join us for an “open house” type night where students will be showing off their classroom and many of their recent projects!

Week of 4/1-4/5

Math:

This week we began out introduction to Money and started looking at coins and their values and characteristics. We counted coin combos and ordered coins from least to greatest value.

Reading/Phonics:

This week we read The First Tortilla. We made predictions about what we thought the story would be about. Then we found out it was a legend. While reading, we checked in on our predictions and changed them as we gathered more information. During centers, we were busy working on identifying character traits and practicing using our spelling pattern ui, oo, ue, ew.

Writing:

We have begun our poetry unit of study! This week we learned all about Haiku’s, Cinquain's, and Diamond poems. These poems have A TON in common. Although their format is different, there content is all based on using a mix of nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Students did a fabulous job writing poems all week! On Friday, we picked our favorite of the three and began typing it up. We will be learning how to format and add pictures next week!

Important Updates:

• March Mail: March Mail was a wonderful success this year! Our class wrote over 120 letters this month, which means we raised LOTS of money for the Holliston Food Pantry.
• April Reading Log: Students came home with a new reading log for the month of April. It is full of blue raindrops! For every 20 minutes of reading, cut a raindrop out and it will be added to our display!
• Supplies: As we move into spring, we are in need of a few supplies for the classroom. School approved disinfecting wipes and tissues would be greatly appreciated. Also, any of the listed items on our classroom wishlist would be helpful in keeping our classroom sticked over the next few months. Thank you!! :)
• Spelling Next Week: Next week we will be doing a Reading Street review week where we revisit many of the concepts and topics from Unit 4. I have picked 12 high frequency words that we use often in our writing as our spelling words for the week. We will not have a spelling pretest on Monday, but we will have our regular spelling test with these words on Friday 4/12.
• Maker Space: We will be going to Maker Space next Thursday!

Week or 3/18-3/22

Math:

Students have been hard at work applying their regrouping skills to word problems. In addition, we have been amazing problem solvers who can identify mystery numbers after reading clues and testing out combinations. Next week we will take our Topic 11 assessment.

Reading/Phonics:

This week our phonics centers focused on the io/oy and ow/ou spelling pattern. In addition, we wrote about how we would catch a leprechaun and focused on using strong transition words and an organized sequence of events. Our main selection this week, Soil, was an expository text and taught us all about the makeup and differences in soils. This text led us into looking closely at nonfiction text features. We used the text to identify text features and discuss what their purposes are.

Social Studies:

Our field trip to Moose Hill was a great success! It was so nice to see how much knowledge students brought with them and were able to share with our tour guide, Kris. Tasting the maple syrup was by far a favorite part! We have been working on a flip book that compiles all we have learned throughout our Maple Sugaring unit. This will come home next week and we can’t wait to share it with you!

Important Updates:

• March Mail: Our March Mail delivery days are Monday and Tuesday of next week! We will be responsible for sorting and delivering ALL the mail at Placentino! We can’t wait!
• March Reading Log: The second grade has created a giant rainbow in the hallway with a pot of gold beneath it! For every 20 minutes of reading, students can place a gold coin in the pot! We hope to fill it up as a grade!

Week of 3/4 - 3/8

Math:

Over the course of the week we have been continuing our work on Topic 11. We began working on subtraction of three digit numbers and reviewed the different strategies. Students have been working so hard on this skill and taking their time to follow each of the steps. We will continue our work on this next week as well.

Reading/Phonics:

In reading we read The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin. Through this nonfiction text we were able to sequence and dive deep into the life cycle a pumpkin goes through. In phonics, we have been working on the oo and u vowel pattern. Due to a short week last week (with the snow day) and no school this Friday 3/15, we will continue with this spelling patterns next week. Our spelling test will be on Thursday 3/14.

Writing:

March Mail is officially underway! As a class we have written almost 100 letters to friends, classmates and teachers at Placentino. The more letters we write the more letters we will get! Next week we look forward to writing even more letters! Stamps are 10 cents and all money is donated to the Holliston Food Pantry!

Social Studies:

We began learning all about maple sugaring. On Friday we looked closely at the different layers that make up a Sugar Maple tree. Next week we will learn more about how the maple sugaring process has changed overtime and how it works!

Important Updates:

• March Mail: For over a decade, the Placentino School transforms into a Post Office during the month of March. Our Placentino students spend the month of March writing, reading and mailing friendly letters to classmates, siblings, teachers, and our school mascot Peppy. Students can get stamps for their letters for a donation of 10 cents per stamp. At the conclusion of March Mail, the stamp money raised through purchasing a stamp for letter writing will be donated to the Holliston Food Pantry. We look forward to raising lots of money for a good cause!
• Snow Gear: A reminder that students must have snow pants and boots to go in the snow at recess!
• March Reading Log: The second grade has created a giant rainbow in the hallway with a pot of gold beneath it! For every 20 minutes of reading, students can place a gold coin in the pot! We hope to fill it up as a grade!
• Field Trip: Our field trip to Moose Hill will be on Tuesday 3/19. Students will be eating lunch in the classroom so we are asking for lunches to be completely nut free. Thank you so much!!

Week of 2/11-2/15

Math:

Over the last 2 weeks we have been working very hard on subtraction with regrouping. Students have been practicing and practicing their regrouping skills and I am so proud of all the hard work. On Friday we took our Topic 9 assessment to show off all we learned. When we return from vacation, we will be starting Topic 11 which looks at Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction. We will use all we know about adding and subtracting with two-digit numbers and give three-digit numbers a try!

Reading/Phonics:

This week we reviewed many of the skills we have learned over the last several weeks in Unit 3 of Reading Street. We reviewed several of the previously taught spelling patterns and took a close looks at high frequency words and how important they are in our reading and writing. We played a Fact vs Opinion whole class game early in the week and practiced some more with synonyms and antonyms. Lastly, we have been working really hard on writing a summary of a text. We are building our skillset on identifying main events from the beginning, middle, and end of a story and compiling them into a sequential summary.

Writing:

In preparation for Valentine’s Day we created Heart Maps. Students brainstormed all the things in their lives that fill their hearts. They created beautiful heart maps that outline all of these things. I loved seeing the finished hearts--you can tell how much thought and effort was put into these!

Valentine’s Day:

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our wonderful Valentine’s Day celebration. From the snacks, to the crafts, to the volunteers who helped make our celebration special--thank you! We had a lot of fun and enjoyed making some festive crafts and eating some yummy snacks! One of the highlights was exchanging Valentines!

Important Updates:

• February Break: NO school Monday 2/18 through Friday 2/22.
• Class Directory: We noticed a few families are not in our Class Directory. If you would like to be apart of it and think you are not, please send me an email with your name and email address and I will forward your information to our wonderful room parents. Thank you!
• Scholastic Order will be placed on Monday 2/25 if you are interested in placing an online order. Don’t forget to use our class code: TWZZ8
• Wish List: If you are interested in donating to our classroom, I have updated our Classroom Wish List. ANY of the items on the list are always greatly appreciated!
• Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!: In honor of Dr. Seuss we will be having a spirit week when we return from vacation. Take a look at the spirit days and feel free to join in on the celebration!
  • Monday, February 25th: The Foot Book - Wear mismatched shoes or socks!
  • Tuesday, February 26th: Oh, The Places You’ll Go - Wear a shirt or hat from a place you have been or would like to visit.
  • Wednesday, February 27th: Green Eggs and Ham - Wear something green!
  • Thursday, February 28th: The Sleep Book - Wear your pajamas to school.
  • Friday, March 1st: The Cat in the Hat - Wear black, white and/or red.

Have a wonderful February Vacation and I look forward to hearing all about it!

Week of 2/4-2/8

Math:

We continued looking at subtraction with regrouping and are working on writing the problems ourselves in a neat and organized manner. I am so impressed by all the hard work! We will finish up this topic next week and will take our topic test on Friday 2/15.

Reading:

This week the skill we focused on was fact and opinion. Students listened to an informational text about Chameleons and then completed a fact and opinion sort. We learned that facts are proven to be true while an opinion can change from person to person. We are going to continue looking at other examples of this next week as well. Our main selection this week was called A Weed is a Flower. This story was a biography of George Washington Carver. He changed the farming world and helped us to remember that all living things are equally important.

Writing:

Our gingerbread writing is finally complete and students exchanged their work with another student. They worked carefully to try and recreate their partners house JUST by reading the descriptive writing. During the big reveal we had some pretty close drawings! This also allowed students to go back and add more detail and clarify areas that their partner did not understand. Great work! In addition, we finished our opinion writing on whether we think football is the best sport. We used lots of examples to help support our opinion.

Open Circle:

On Friday during Open Circle we attended Space Camp! We read a book called Personal Space Camp, by Julia Cook. This took us on a journey of what personal space is and how we all have our own personal space bubbles. We learned that our bubbles might be smaller with family and larger when we are in an unknown place. We talked about what personal space looks like in our classroom and how it is important for us to respect our friends’ personal space throughout our day. Ask us about how Louis taught his friends about personal SPACE!

100th DAY:

On Thursday many 2nd graders did not show up to school…. INSTEAD I spent my day with a bunch of 100 year olds!! The outfits were amazing and students LOVED it! We had a fun day filled with 100th day themed centers. Students built structures with 100 cups and 100 pattern blocks and played some 100th day themed games. In the afternoon we got to play Jeopardy with many of the other 2nd grade classes. Students were on a team and had to answer questions--which were not easy! Many of the questions were about events that happened 100 years ago! This was a great time! Check out some photos from our 100th Day here!

Important Updates:

• Valentine’s Day: We will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Thursday 2/14. Students can bring Valentine’s in anytime this week and I will hold onto them until Thursday! Thank you to all who signed up for snacks and to help us out. Snacks can be sent into the nurse so that she can check them out--then she will send them up to us! Please let me know if you have any questions.
• Spelling: This week will be a review week for spelling. I will be sending home 10 high frequency words from unit 3. High frequency words are words that come up in our reading and writing all the time. Students can practice these at home and we will have a spelling test on Friday 2/15.
• Request! We will be doing a few more STEM challenges in the coming weeks. We are in need of more paper towel rolls and cereal boxes. We would also love any random household recycled items or old art supplies that you no longer need or use (pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, etc). If you have anything around your home and would like to send it in, we will put it to great use! Thank you SO much!

Week of 1/21-1/26

Math:

In math this week we completed our work on Topic 8 and solving two-digit addition problems with regrouping. Like I mentioned last week, I am SO impressed by the hard work I have seen from students as they learn this complex skill! Next week we will begin looking at two digit subtraction and will be getting to regrouping with subtraction soon! I can’t wait to see the hard work continue!

Reading/Phonics:

This week we did some more learning about Martin Luther King Jr. As a class we brainstormed what our dreams are for the world. Check out some of the inspiring dreams here. During centers this week students practiced making compound words and identifying the tenses of different verbs. We learned some strategies for figuring this out. If a verb ends in an “s” it is usually the present tense. If a verb ends in an “ed” it is usually the past tense. Lastly, if a verb is accompanied by a “will” it is usually the future tense!

Writing:

This week in writing students created their very own paper gingerbread house. Next, they worked on writing about their house with such detail, making sure to include descriptive adjectives. The last step was for students to exchange their writing with a classmate. The classmate had to read the detailed description and recreate their friends gingerbread house using only the writing! Once finished, they revealed their house and compared! Check out some finished products here!

Important Updates:

• Request! We will be doing a few more STEM challenges in the coming weeks. We are in need of more paper towel rolls and cereal boxes. We would also love any random household recycled items or old art supplies that you no longer need or use (pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, etc). If you have anything around your home and would like to send it in, we will put it to great use! Thank you SO much!
• Snow Reminder: Snow is HERE! If your child would like to play in the snow during recess time, please send in snow pants, boots, hats and gloves. If students do not have all these things, they can still go outside and play games on the hardtop, just no snow!

Week of 1/7-1/11

Math:

This has been a VERY exciting week in room 210. We have officially begun our journey of REGROUPING! Students have practiced “making a 10” by using linking cubes. This strategy has helped us to visually see what is happening when we regroup. Students worked together to model different addition sentences with their cubes and looked for groups of 10! I was so impressed with how everyone worked together and had FUN doing so! On Friday, we were introduced to regrouping without cubes. Students did a great jobs working on this! We will continue to work on this skill next week.

Reading:

Our main selection this week was called Dear Juno. Students enjoyed listening to this text and drawing conclusions based on what we read. Students did some work on drawing conclusions after learning the smallest fact. We talked about how authors need readers to draw conclusions all the time in books. Students also wrote letters this week as a center, where they responded to letter that I wrote to them! I can’t wait to read them!

Writing:

We have continued our work on narrative writing. We have been focusing on writing a narrative that embodies many different elements like an entertaining beginning, elaborate details, suspense, and a conclusion. Students have been working really hard on their writing making sure to edit with a readers eye!

Open Circle:

During Open Circle this week we read one of my favorite books Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun. This led to a great conversation about differences in favorite foods. We used the phrase, “Don’t Yuck Someone Else's Yum”. We drew pictures and explained what our wildest favorite food was.

Earlier this week students were introduced to a new whole class “game” called Stategy-o-poly. This game was created by Mrs. Allen and helps students to identify different strategies they used throughout the day to help them begin their work, handle big emotions, show kindness, and stay on task. Students are able to earn “treasure cards” that often include some sort of special reward. This could include; eat lunch with a teacher, earn a game with a friend, use the computer, bring a stuffed animal to school, visit the library with a buddy, etc. If your child mentions earning one of these things, you can ask them what strategies they used throughout the day. One child plays each day, so it will take several weeks for everyone to get a turn. So far it is a hit and has been a great way for students to identify their strengths when they may not have necessarily noticed!

Important Updates:

• No School Friday 1/18 (Professional Development)
• No School Monday 1/21 (MLK Day)
• Since we have 2 four-day weeks in a row, the spelling words that go home on Monday will last for two weeks. The next spelling test will be on Friday 1/25.

Week of 12/17-12/21

Math:

We began Topic 7 this week which looks at Mental Subtraction. We practiced double digit subtraction without regrouping. We used a rainbow strategy and also practiced using a hundreds chart. We played some fun winter math games during centers as well. We will continue with Topic 7 after winter break.

ELA:

We stayed very busy this week reviewing skills we have learned so far. We looked closely at the different parts of speech and sorted words into their proper places. We also read another Jan Brett story called Gingerbread Baby. We sequenced the story and identified the characters, setting and problem.

Writing:

This week in writing we wrote an opinion piece explaining if we would rather go sledding or build a snowman. We collected and graphed the data too. We worked on using details to support our opinion. I sure know of a few kiddos who have their fingers crossed for some snow over vacation!

Social Studies:

Groups worked on their maps this week! This project has allowed students to learn so much about their town by working together cooperatively.

Open Circle:

During Open Circle this week we listened to a special book that Mrs. Slaney recorded for us called The Judgemental Flower by Julia Cook. We talked about our similarities and differences by interviewing classmates. It was a great activity!

Thursday and Friday Fun Days: Thursday we had a blast watching lots of different movies! PJ day was so much fun. We did lots of reading! On Friday we had our “Party in a Box” celebration! Everyone LOVED opening their thoughtfully decorated boxes and enjoying the treats inside. Check out some pictures from the fun we had this week.

Thank you all SO much for the thoughtful Christmas gift. I want to wish you all the happiest of holidays and a very happy and healthy New Year! I am looking forward to kicking off 2019 with all of your amazing children!

All my best,

Samantha

Week of 12/3-12/7

Math:

We finished up Topic 10 this week in math. Students have been working so hard ordering numbers and determining which one is the greatest and which one is the least. This is tricky, but I am so proud of how hard everyone has been working! Also, we played a game where students had to work together to put a bunch of numbers in order. Great teamwork!

ELA:

This week we reviewed four different spelling patterns. Students picked their own words that they felt they needed to work on. This was a great skill for students to practice--being able to identify a pattern to work on. Great job applying these spelling patterns on the spelling test! We have also been reading our first Jan Brett book, The Mitten. We have done several different activities and are looking forward to our next book of hers!

Social Studies:

We began our group mapping project. Students are working in a small group to identify different landmarks and water features like lakes and rivers. Students were zooming in using google maps and noticing places in town. Next we will be working on drawing the map to scale.

Writing:

On Friday we began talking about “Entertaining Beginnings”. We have been looking at some different ways to begin our writing and trying to hook our readers. We are going to be writing a narrative about our winter hat going missing!

Important Updates:

• Extra Recess! We filled our Warm and Fuzzie Jar! Our class suggested a few ideas and then we voted! Extra recess was the winner! We enjoyed this on Friday afternoon before Spanish.
• Party in a Box: You will notice in your child’s folder a letter about our Party in a Box! This is a fun tradition that the second grade classrooms do each year. The gist of it (you can get more details in the letter) is that parents create a box with a few little things inside for their child: juice box/water, something sweet, something salty, and a small (under $5) gift/toy. You can decorate the box however you wish and I ask that it be sent in on Wednesday 12/19 so we can enjoy and open them on Friday 12/21. Please let me know if you have any questions about this!
• Spelling: will resume as normal next week!

Week of 11/26-11/30

Math:

This week we have been continuing to work on Topic 10 which looks at Place Value to 1,000. We have been comparing numbers, finding 100 more and 100 less, and even practiced spelling number words to 1,000! Next week we will be finishing up Topic 10 and students will take the assessment on Friday.

ELA:

During centers this week students worked on “stealing” parts of a question and “sliding” them into their answers. We looked at how pumpkins decompose as we move into winter. YIKES! I also wanted to compliment everyone for their hard work this week on spelling. As a class, we did SO great on our Friday spelling test! Great work!

Social Studies:

In Social Studies we finished learning about all 7 continents and locating all of the oceans in the world. Students loved looking at photos of the different continents and hearing about some of the similarities and differences. Next week we will start looking at Holliston and working together to create a giant map of the town!

Writing:

During writing our class finished up a book we made for Mrs. Gallagher for her birthday on Monday. Each student created a page thanking Mrs. Gallagher and sharing a birthday wish for her. Students brainstormed ideas for projects they could create together, voted on one, and did a fabulous job keeping it a secret! It truly was a project that shows just how much our class CAREs in all ways. On Monday we will give it to her, she is going to LOVE it!

Makerspace:

This week we had our second Makerspace and boy was it AMAZING! Students got to use virtual reality goggles to take a trip through space, color pictures of rocket ships that then became 3D, played with moon sand, AND created different phases of the moon! Check out some photos!

Open Circle:

During Open Circle this week we remembered some kind things that happened to us over the course of the week. We also talked about our class goal of filling up our “Warm and Fuzzie” jar and some things we can do to fill it. We are almost there, and will soon need to vote on a class reward!

Important Updates:

• Scholastic Book Club: The November Scholastic order has been shipped and I anticipate it arriving this week! I will send home the December and Holiday catalogue on Monday. I will submit orders on 12/21. Don’t forget to use our class code!
• Next Week: Next week will be a review week in spelling. I will send a spelling list home on Monday that shows all 4 spelling patterns we have been working on in Unit 2 of Reading Street. Students can work on words or patterns that they feel they need practice on. They will not be tested on all the words, just 12 like normal! Let me know if you have any questions!

Week of 11/19-11/23

Math:

In math this week we did a fun “shopping” activity where students had to “buy” dinner for Thanksgiving. They needed to have enough food to feed 12 people and used a list to make sure they stayed within their $100 budget! Since we have been looking at place value to 100, this was a great activity that got students thinking about numbers AND items that people eat on Thanksgiving! Pairs worked cooperatively and stayed on budget!

Project Based Learning:

We were posed with a problem--too many crows have been eating the crops at a local farm. We were put in charge of coming up with a scarecrow that would scare off the crows! Our models needed to stay under 18 inches and we had to buy our materials. We had a $20 budget and the materials were EXPENSIVE! :) Check out some photos of the finished products--I think they will keep the crows FAR away!

Writing:

Over the week were have been working diligently on our Thankful Pies! We brainstormed all the things we are thankful for and added them to our pies. Then we wrote about why we are thankful for each thing. We hope you enjoyed these yummy and thoughtful pies! Students could not wait to share them with you! The pies went home on Tuesday afternoon, hopefully you got them!

Feast!:

Thank you to everyone for the donations to the feast. For those that came to volunteer we SO enjoyed having you as part of our celebration! We shared a poem, read Giving Time and enjoyed some snacks. Our class also got to share some things we are thankful for. Please enjoy some photos from our feast!

Book Orders: A few have submitted November book orders online through Scholastic! I will be sending out the order on Sunday, so if you are interested in getting some books in this round please order before Sunday at 4pm. If you do order, don't forget to use our class code! Click here to check out the books available! Our classroom code is: TWZZ8

**I will be sending home December catalogs next week and will do another order before Winter Break :)

Have a very happy and restful Thanksgiving! I have a lot to be thankful for this year thanks to your wonderful children!

Week of 11/5-11/9

Math:

We began Topic 5 this week which looks at Place Value to 100. Students have been introduced to some fun place value games that they enjoy playing with a partner. We will continue working through this topic next week. Many students have also enjoyed using Class Hero as one of our math centers. This site can be accessed via my website and used at home if students would like. Just a reminder that it is app based so therefore does not work on a regular computer (only a chromebook or phone/ipad).

Reading:

This week our main selection, Scarcity, was all about how different events can lead to products we enjoy being available or not. We talked about how weather can impact the availability of fruits and veggies that we buy at the store. This text also led to many great discussions about wants vs needs as well as good vs services. It was really great to see students brainstorming the differences!

Social Studies:

In Social Studies this week we talked about what Producers and Consumers are and how they impact one another. We also spent some time learning about Veterans Day.

Important Updates:

• Monday 11/12: Veterans Day--No School
• Tuesday 11/13: World Kindness Day-- Wear RED or PINK to show how much you LOVE Kindness!
• Thursday 11/15: Picture Retake Day
• Conferences: The last night of conferences is Thursday 11/15. I look forward to chatting with you then!
• Request! We are going to do a project that involves paper towel rolls and cereal boxes. If you have any around your house and would not mind sending them in, it would be greatly appreciated! I will be collecting them until 11/16.
• Thank You! SO much for your kind donations to our Thanksgiving feast. If you signed up to bring something in you can send it with your child and I can store it until the feast.

Week of 10/29-11/2

Math:

Another busy week in math! We continued with Topic 4: Repeated Addition. Students have done so great recognizing patterns and creating arrays based on word problems. On Halloween we did some spooky math and on Friday we took our Topic 4 assessment. Next up is Topic 5: Place Value.

Reading:

This week was all about...Abraham Lincoln. Students LOVED reading, writing and researching all about him. We talked about biographies and what kinds of things we include when writing them. Our main selection also led to looking at dates and we looked at ordering dates on a timeline. (This ties right into our next math topic)!

Writing/Social Studies:

We have continued writing and talking about Native Americans. Next, we will begin to look at the role Native Americans played in the first Thanksgiving.

Important Updates:

• November Reading Logs: I sent home a new reading log! Students can color a leaf for every 10 minutes of reading! They can be returned on Friday!
• Raz Kids: This week students got to login to Raz Kids. I sent home login information if students choose to use this at home. The teacher username that they should use is: ssullivan70. Please let me know if you have any questions about logging in. If you would like to be notified about your child’s progress I can add your email to their account. Send me an email if you are interested!
• Class Hero: This is a new resource that students were introduced to on Friday. This is an app based program and therefore will not load on regular laptops or desktops (so strange!). BUT it will load on ipads, iphones/androids, and chromebooks! If you use on an ipad download the app! If you are using on a chromebook, use the link that is posted under links. Students will need to use our classroom login code which is 748474. **If you would like to create a home account then it will not interfere with their class login. (It will only let them play for a certain amount of time, so if they play at school, they may not be able to play at home). Creating an account is free! Please let me know if you have any questions!
• Parent Teacher Conferences will be held 11/8 and 11/15. If we have not met, I look forward to seeing you then!
• Tuesday November 6th--No School (Election Day)
• Scholastic Book Orders: Book orders will be submitted on 11/26. Flyers will be sent home next week if you are interested in ordering. Click here to order! Our classroom code is: TWZZ8
• Request! We are going to do a project that involves paper towel rolls and cereal boxes. If you have any around your house and would not mind sending them in, it would be greatly appreciated! I will be collecting them until 11/9.

Week of 10/15-10/19

Math:

In math this week we have been busy working on different subtraction strategies. Our latest strategy is using addition to help up subtract. We also worked on solving 2 step word problems. We learned that we use the information from the first part of the problem to solve the second part of the problem.

Reading:

We took this week to look back at our first unit in Reading Street. We reviewed the spelling patterns we have practiced so far. We also reviewed some of our reading skills like characters and setting, and identifying the main idea and key details and events in stories.

Writing/Social Studies:

We have been very busy writing our personal narratives. We are making our way through the writing process and many students have already “published” their first story! In Social Studies we have been continuing our study on where we are in relation to the world. We have talked about the World, the Continents, and Countries. Next, we will zoom in on Massachusetts and finally Holliston.

Open Circle:

In Open Circle we talked about the similarities and differences within our classroom. We played a game to see what we had in common. It was so great to see students learning new things about one another!

Important Updates:

• Pumpkin Patch Project: Information came home about our fall project last week. Completed pumpkins are due on Monday, October 29th. Please let me know if you have any questions. I have loved hearing about the ideas so far and cannot wait to see them!
• Conferences: Parent/Teacher conferences will take place on 10/29 (during school), 11/1 (½ day of school), 11/2 (½ day of school), 11/8 (evening) and 11/15 (evening). Please refer to the sign up to see your time. I will also send home reminders as your date approaches.
• Native American Trail: It’s almost here! We will be exploring the Native American Trail this Wednesday afternoon! I will send a reminder on Tuesday, but please send students in sneakers (or even boots), and long pants and long sleeves. The Native American Trail is brought right to our backyard! We will be in the woods area behind Miller School so we need to dress appropriately.
• Red Sox Day: Tuesday is Red Sox Day! Wear your gear in hopes of bringing the team good luck as they begin the World Series!
• Read-a-thon: WOW! I am SO impressed at how much we have been reading! This is the last week, so don’t forget your bookmarks! Regular reading logs will come home beginning 10/29.

Week of 10/1-10/5

Math:

This week we have been hard at work using what we know about addition and subtraction to solve word problems. We also reviewed some helpful strategies to help make adding with three addends easier. We look for ways to make 10 or 5, doubles or doubles +1. We have also been practicing our writing in math where we are creating our own number stories using addition and subtraction. We took our Topic 2 assessment on Friday and will begin Topic 3 on Monday. Topic 3 focuses on different subtraction strategies.

Reading:

This week our main selection in Reading Street was A Walk in the Desert. This was a nonfiction piece that taught us all about the plant and wildlife that lives in the desert. We learned it is SO different from where we live and talked about why. This text also helped to spark our social studies unit on maps! We were able to locate a few major deserts in the world using our giant classroom map.

Writing/Social Studies:

Our Fall writing pieces are done--and they are wonderful! I will share these with you at Parent Teacher Conferences. This week we also did some learning about the history of Columbus Day and who Christopher Columbus was. Students enjoyed reading their mini books with a partner.

Important Updates:

• Spelling: You may have noticed the spelling test this week was out of 15 instead of 12. On the back I asked the students to spell 3 “mystery words”. These words follow the spelling pattern of the week. It is helpful to me to see if students are applying the spelling pattern to all words, so this is great practice!
• Volunteers for the Native American Trail are still needed! Please contact me if you are interested. The timeframe is from 12:00-2:45 on October 24. Please make sure you have completed a CORI form with the office. Thank you!

Week of 9/17-9/21

Math:

We have finished Topic 1 in math this week. Students will be coming home with a math mat called Reteaching. Please take a look at this with your child and ask them about it. If they bring the Reteaching mat back to school on Monday with a parent signature I will give them a CARE card for being responsible and showing effort by practicing math at home! Students will take the Topic 1 Assessment this Monday.

**Our math strategies which students use on every word problem:

1. Circle important numbers
2. Underline the question
3. Box important words

ELA:

This week we Explored Space! Students LOVED this text in our Reading Street book. We learned all about life on a space shuttle. During Daily 5 centers we practiced our spelling words, listened to the Exploring Space text, and read Twin Club with a partner. We also started working with Lexia. Students can log on to this at home as well. See the link on my website. Students have been doing a great job getting started on Daily 5 and I have seen such growth in their independence so far! In writing, we have been continuing to write an expository piece about fall. Students have brainstormed, planned, and are now in the process of writing a rough draft! They look great so far and they cannot wait to share them.

Important Updates:

• Picture Day is MONDAY
• I will post the spelling words for next week under the spelling tab on my website. I will also send home a hard copy list!
• Native American Trail--Volunteers are needed for this “field trip” on October 24th. A training session is provided on October 18, from 6:30-8 where you learn how to run the various stations. Send me an email if you are interested in helping out! It is A LOT of fun!
• Conferences: Thank you to those who signed up for one already. If you have not, I will be sending out times that
• From the PTO: If you have not filled out the Class Directory and wish to be included so parents can contact you via email about special events, please let me know ASAP. They want to get the final copy out to parents soon. If you wish to be added, please email me with your name and email address and I will add you to it!

Week of 9/3-9/7

Hello everyone!

Another (HOT) week in the books! Thank you to the wonderful parents who brought in Popsicles to keep us cool these last two weeks. They were very much appreciated!

Math:

This week we started Topic 1 in math, Understanding Addition and Subtraction. This topic will be very much a review from the end of first grade which will help to boost skills! This week students were also introduced to some new math games. Ask them which is their favorite to play with a partner so far!

ELA:

During our reading time this week I began introducing the Daily Five curriculum. It has been so great to see how much students remember from last year. After choosing some Just Right Books, we practiced building our Read to Self stamina. On Friday, we practiced Read to Someone. Students read with a friend about a City Mouse and a Country Mouse.

Important Updates:

Library Volunteers: Ms. Canal (our librarian) is looking for parent volunteers for our library time. Our library time is scheduled for 11:30-12:00 on Thursdays. It does not begin until the week of 9/17.

Weekend News Outline: I sent home and explained to your child the Weekend News Outline. After every weekend, students will be writing in their Weekend News Journal. We modeled this routine at the beginning of the week. The Weekend News Outline is a great resource to review with your child on a Sunday before school. It does not need to be filled up by your child--you can fill it in with their help of course! Please note, it is not mandatory, just a helpful tool that gets minds thinking and also helps to start conversations. You can find a PDF version of the Weekend News Outline here. I will also post it under the At Home Tools tab on my website for future use.

Reading Log: Next Tuesday your child will be bring home a reading log. This is something that students or parents can be filling out with their child throughout the week. It will go home at the beginning of each week and should be returned on Mondays. At Placentino we do not give formal homework; however, students are expected to be reading for 20 minutes each night. This is a great time for students to practice reading, as well as listen to reading. Please remind your child to bring the reading log in each Monday! Thank you!

Spelling: We will be starting spelling next week! On Tuesday students will taking a spelling pretest and be working with their spelling words throughout the week. On Fridays (usually) we will be taking our spelling test so students can show off their growth! It has been requested that a spelling list be sent home with our words for the week. There is no formal spelling homework, but feel free to practice the words at home in sand, with shaving cream, or anyway you wish!

Enjoy the LONG weekend! It is finally starting to feel like fall!

Best,

Miss Sullivan

August 28, 2018

Hello Room 210 Families,

Welcome to Second Grade! I enjoyed meeting many of you at the Open House yesterday. I hope your child has shared some of the fun things we did today on our first day back! We were very busy and tried our best to stay cool. Today was a day filled with learning all about some of the classroom routines and getting to know one another. We spent most of the day with the lights off trying to stay cool! Although we do have a couple of fans in the classroom, we spent some of our afternoon in an air conditioned space which was refreshing. As we look toward another hot day tomorrow, please remind your child to dress in light clothing and bring a water bottle. We took many water breaks today!

Some things to note:

Folders: You may have seen a blue folder in your child's backpack this afternoon. That is their “Home School Communication” folder. This folder should come back and forth each day. Completed work and notices will come home so keep your eye out for these! Please send notes in this as well.

Snacks: Just a reminder that students are to bring in a peanut/tree nut free snack each day. Our classroom (as are all classrooms) is peanut/tree nut free. We will have snack around 10 am each morning.

Supplies: Many of you received our classroom supply list on the green paper. Please take your time in getting these materials. I know my list went out late!! To those who have brought in the supplies, thank you!! We will not need the supplies until next week.

Website: Many have asked, and I do have a website! It will be coming soon as they are still trying to get all the new teachers up and running with accounts for everything. I will send out the link (and have it at the bottom of my emails) as soon as it is available.

I can already tell it is going to be a great year! I look forward to working with you and your child! Please feel free to email me at any time with question or concerns.

Best,

Miss Sullivan