Mrs. Fain's second Grade

September 3rd, 2021 - Asking Great Questions

This week we learned about Thick and Thin Questions. Thick questions are "thinking" questions - they don't usually have one right answer, and you definitely can't just "Google it"! Thin questions are often things we can look up and find the single right answer to. Both kinds are important, and as readers and learners, it's helpful to know the difference! It was felt strange, at first, to focus on asking questions without actually answering them, but we definitely got the hang of it! Check out our question ideas from Friday!

August 8th, 2021 - Back to School Season

As a teacher, these are some of my favorite weeks of the year! Back to school season means getting ready to meet my new students and their families, and spending time with my second grade teammates planning ways to make school even better than last year! It means pulling out some of my favorite books to share, and organizing school supplies to help us learn.

Here are a few links that may help you get ready for back to school season too:

School Supply List Uniform Guidelines All About Mrs. Fain Digital Postcard Math Fact Practice

January 14th, 2021 - Big Words in 2nd Grade

Strange and unpredictable as this year may be, we're kicking off 2021 right - with new goals and important conversations! Check out the slideshow below to learn about the ONE WORD each student in our class chose for 2021. These words are based on goals students set for themselves and learners, classmates, people, and friends.

We also spent time talking about Martin Luther King Jr. Our class set out to understand who Dr. King was and what causes he fought for.

We started by reading Sometimes People March by Tessa Allen, where we learned about ways people come together to speak out against things they believe are wrong. We learned the word protest, and brainstormed ways people fight for what they believe in. We also read Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. Students reflected on themes from the story and Dr. King's work, and identified some of the big words that represent MLK. Check out our Jamboard brainstorms below. We're looking forward to celebrating Dr. King's birthday by continuing to dig deep, and do the work of making our world a better, more equal place.

September 20, 2020 - Second Grade Writers: A Celebration of Hard Work!

This week, we studied the poems of a mentor text: The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald (and the children whose poetry is featured in the book). We found inspiration in several of the poems from, and celebrated the authors' use of interested words, actions, and details as we crafted our own poetry. Check out our second grade authors sharing their work below!

September 15, 2020 - Let the eLearning Begin!

Despite a whole line up of technical difficulties, incredible feats of parental flexibility, and a whole lot of uncertainty about what the year will look like, it truly feels good to be back! We've jumped right in, working hard to become a community, and figure out what it means to learn and grow together in this new setting. I could not be any prouder of these stupendous second graders, nor any more grateful to their families for making it all work.

We've spent the first weeks of school talking about how we can all play a role in supporting one another, as well as considering what makes second grade unique, and what makes it familiar. In math, we've started talking about all things Place Value, looking at hundreds, tens, and ones (and even thousands if we're feeling bold!). In Daily 5, we've reviewed Read to Self, and started to figure out how stamina looks when we're not together in the same room. We've also been practicing the three ways to read a book (read the words, read the pictures, and retell the story). We're focusing on retelling the characters, setting, beginning, middle, and end of a story. In science, we've learned what it means to Think Like a Scientist from our friends at Blazer Fresh, and how to follow the scientific method!

August 23, 2020 - Working From Home

The first assignment the new school year - find a workable work-from-home space for your hardworking student!

A few things to consider when finding (or creating) the perfect learning spot -

-The space should be somewhere quiet. Learning on a computer is hard enough without distractions, but a calm place to set up shop can make a big difference.

-Get organized together. A second grader who knows where to find all of their learning materials is a second grader who can begin to work independently. Consider setting up near an outlet to keep the Chromebook charged. Sharp pencils, a flat workspace, and a good pair of headphones will all be helpful too.

-There's nothing wrong with doing different kinds of work in different places! A cozy place to read or write could definitely be a perk of learning from home. And a more open area to take a brain break could be fun too.

I'd love to see and share YOUR learn from home spaces! Email me a picture, and then check back soon to see it posted :)

A few more resources:

Click here to watch a video all about what's in the backpacks you picked up from school last week.

One more way to prepare for a successful school year - make sure to check out this year's School Supply List!

June 9, 2020 - Summer Resources

Below you'll find lots of resources to dig into this summer, including:

• Our 2nd Grade Bitmoji Classroom

• Mrs. Hayden's 2nd Grade Science Lab

• Our class awards ceremony

• Rising 3rd Grade Summer Work and Move-up Video

• Rising 2nd Grade Summer Work and Move-up Video

May 11, 2020 - Learning From Home

I spent 10 summers of my life at a sleep away camp in Upstate New York. I was a camper first, and then a counselor. Each summer, the camp director and owner had a different mantra of sorts - a guiding phrase to help his staff grow to be the mentors and leaders his campers would need to rely on. One summer, he told us: "Don't forget to stop and look at the tree." In other words, slow down when you can. Sometimes the most special, memorable moments happen unplanned- on the way to somewhere else. He taught us how easy it is to be so caught up in getting from arts and crafts to gymnastics that we may miss the "tree" altogether, if we aren't reminded occasionally to stop and appreciate it.

The lesson about the tree feels as relevant now as ever. Life was moving fast a few months ago. There was baseball, and dance, and homework, and school uniforms. There was so much happening all the time, and it was hard to find any time for looking at trees. But not now...

I am in the habit of seeking silver linings - bright spots in tough times - and seeing all of the ways the students and families in my class are "finding time to stop and look at the tree" has been a joy. Below, you'll be able to admire Josh confidently sharing his life cycle wheel, Ben sharing about real-life chemistry he did with his dad, Jeremiah learning about his new turtle, and a whole slideshow full of other second grade "trees" - unexpected moments of new learning.

April 23, 2020 - A Lot to Be Thankful For

It's not always easy to stay positive from home, which is why I'm even more amazed at the share videos that came in this week. Our second graders have done such a beautiful job of finding meaningful things to be thankful for, and I'M thankful they were willing to share!

Check out their videos below, as well as a video of CFKN teachers letting all of our families know how much we miss them. Thanks to Mrs. Peraza for putting that video together!

January, 2020 - One Word for 2020

To ring in the new year, we went through a goal-setting process to help us each decide on one single word to guide our actions in the months ahead. We brainstormed things we hoped to accomplish or learn, and then came up with a giant list of words that might represent some of those goals. Check out our final word art below:

December 26th, 2019

This holiday season, we took on the Core Knowledge story A Christmas Carol! We explored Scrooge's character, and analyzed how he changed throughout the story. Students drew pictures of Scrooge before the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future visited him, showing an angry, stingy, greedy man. Their second portraits illustrated the changes in Scrooge's character. These stupendous second graders found ways to visually show Scrooge as a kind, generous, happy man. Check out some of their work below!

October 29th, 2019

In math, we've been working hard to learn the algorithms for addition and subtraction. Today, we began talking about the idea of "regrouping" and what it really means. We've talked about always starting in the ones column, and working our way towards the hundreds. We've also talked about how important it is to line up the ones, tens, and hundreds when setting up an addition or subtraction problem.

September 27, 2019 - Grandparents/VIP Day

We loved celebrating some special VIPs today in class! Check out the slides below, and take note of some superb similes!

September 17, 2019 - Exploring the Scientific Method in Science Lab

We are learning all about how scientists use the scientific method to think through problems and find solutions. So far, we've asked "How much salt does it take to make an egg float?" as we experimented with water density. We've also asked "How many drops of water can fit on a penny?" to discover that water molecules actually still together! Lots more hands-on learning in the lab to come.

September 5, 2019 - Putting Together the Puzzle Pieces

I have always loved puzzles, and problem solving, and chances to think creatively. Every day, from August to June, it's my job and my privilege to put together the puzzle pieces of a real live puzzle. Our puzzle is made up of 22 students, one teacher, one ever-changing schedule, 4 subject areas, and one unconventional classroom set-up!

The beginning of school is the part where we find all the edge pieces and see how they fit together to frame our year-long puzzle. This is the part where we build the routines that will be the foundation for new learning. It's the part where we start to learn about what kind of picture our class puzzle will make together - about how we will learn, and grow, and feel proud as group.

Check out our first week of school photos - AND PUZZLES -below!

August 13, 2019 - A Classroom in the Making

This year marks the beginning of my sixth year of teaching at CFK-N, my third grade level, and my third portable! I can't wait to take on this new challenge, and welcome 22 second graders into our new space, but teaching in portables can be a bit unpredictable. Getting this new room ready has already been an adventure!

Our classroom used to be the library portable, and when I first walked in this summer, you could definitely tell! Library furniture was everywhere, and the bathroom was newly walled off. (If you look closely in the pictures below, you can catch a glimpse of my mom, visiting from Philadelphia to help me get this place set up!)

Soon, the library furniture was gone, and all of my boxes and furniture were moved into the room. I was excited to finally start setting up, but the piles were a little bit overwhelming. My mom and I started with one corner, and worked our way around the room from there, until she had to fly back home!

Up next: book sorting and picture hanging.

These last pictures are from today, and I could hardly believe my eyes as I took one last look around the room before heading home. The room is bright, organized, and full of all the things that will make for an awesome year of learning. It has been a journey already, and this is only the beginning!

April 2, 2019 - Guest Poets

March Madness: A Haiku By Paxton

March madness is cool

Starts as 68 then 2

Close matches blowouts

The Lost Kid: A Haiku by Destiny

Lost but not found there

Living but not sleeping there

Lost but not found there

An Onomatopoeia Poem by Kyleigh

When you get in the way of a gorilla it will go "GGGGRRRR"

When you find a lion it will go "RRROOOAAARRR"

When you go to a beast he will make you a feast.

So you better run or you'll be done

March 20, 2019 - Figurative Language Resources

Quizizz - Figurative Language Quiz

Figurative Language Games

Figuring Out Figurative Language Kahoots

Kahoot - Similes vs Metaphors

Kahoot - Similies, Metaphors, Alliteration, Personification

Kahoot - All Figurative Language

Dark soul-poem by:Kennedi Crigger

Cold.

Frozen.

Was I as I lay on the dirt floor.

Bad.Dead.

Was my soul

Fire.

Gone.

Cold.

Dark.

Broken.

Down.Again.

This writing was by accident.I was writing a story and it just stumbled out of me.It looked like a poem, I had to change things, add things,and boom it made Dark soul.-Kennedi Crigger

Parts of Speech - Resources

We've been having fun in class practicing naming and identifying nouns, proper nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Here are some helpful resources to use as students prepare for Wednesday's quiz!

Khan Academy Grammar Videos

ABCYa Parts of Speech Game

Brain Pop Parts of Speech Sort (Email Mrs. Fain for log-in)

Arcademic Invasion Parts of Speech Game

Kahoot Practice

February 20th, 2019 - Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Though we try to honor and celebrate important African Americans (past and present) all year round, this month we're seeking some extra resources to extend our learning. Here are a few things we've done so far:

We read an article about Karyn Parsons - the founder of Sweet Blackberry, an organization that sets out to "bring little known stories of African American achievement to children everywhere".

We learned about urban farmer (and former basketball player) Will Allen who changed his community through creative problem solving. He worked hard to get healthy foods to more and more people, and taught others to do the same!

We also watched a Brain Pop video to get some background knowledge on the Harlem Renaissance and poet Langston Hughes.

And we worked together to research Katherine Johnson (Mrs. Oxendale's homeroom - video coming soon) and Sojourner Truth (Mrs. Fain's homeroom) and then create videos to share what we've learned.

Tomorrow, we're looking forward to attending Muller Road Middle School's Black History Month assembly to learn more.

If you have more resources - books, stories, websites, videos, etc. to share, we'd love to learn from YOU!

January 30th, 2019 - The Causes of the American Revolution

The American Revolution is one of the most high interest time periods we study in fourth grade. It's got all the makings of a good story - interesting leading characters, lots of drama, a break up, and a birth! And so, it's only natural to study the causes of the American Revolution with some theater of our own. Check out our "Causes of the Revolution" skits below!

Quizlet Deck: Causes of the Revolution

January 30th, 2019 - Top 5 Fun Things About Fourth Grade

By: Delaney and Kyleigh VP

1. Kahoots are one of the fun things we enjoy doing in 4th grade. Including birthdays, tests, and lots, lots more!

2. Explorations are another fun thing we do at our school. Explorations is a substitute for our outside recess time, whenever we have bad weather. Also, we do this in our free time!

3. Hirsh Projects! At our school we do something called Hirsh projects. Each quarter we have to create a project on science, fine arts, community service, and a biography! All very fun!

4. Everyday is the best day ever! We have a fun schedule every single day! We have related arts, each day a different one including computers, art, music, P.E, and library!

5. Our teachers are the building blocks of our school and they make everyday special and happy! We love our teacher so very much!

January 7th, 2019 - Setting Goals

Today, we talked about setting goals that are SPECIFIC, ATTAINABLE, and RELEVANT. Check out our brainstorms for reading, writing, and learning goals below!

December 10th, 2018 - Commas Rules and Practice

In class we've been studying the six rules for using commas. One way we've been practicing these rules in class is with our Comma Hall of Fame notes in Google Keep. Each time we learn a new rule, students consult their mentors - their good fit books! We search for great examples of each comma rule in published literature, and copy down our favorite examples into Google Keep.

Here are a few more ways to practice:

• Khan Academy: Meet the Comma (practice)

• Quia Comma Quiz

• Soft Schools Comma Quiz

December 10th, 2018 - Text Structures

For the last month, we've been studying text structures. We started by reading like writers - we read a story written in each structure, and spent time identifying key features. Check out some of the great books we studied

Cause and Effect: Encounter by Jane Yolen

Sequence: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Problem and Solution: Thanksgiving at the Tappletons by Eileen Spinelli

Compare and Contrast: Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

Description: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Students took inspiration from these stories, and drafted a few different small moment stories, written in a variety of text structures. Ultimately, they selected their favorite small moment, and the text structure they thought would tell their story best.

We've been working hard to take these stories through the writing process. We practiced goal setting, we learned from strong examples (written by classmates!), we self-revised, peer-revised, reformatted, and edited. This process has created opportunities for so much growth in our fourth grade writers. It's amazing to see how well they respond to feedback, and how willing they are to revisit the same piece of writing again and again to continue making improvements.

This week, we'll add the finishing touches to our writing pieces, and begin to prepare for an author's celebration!

November 13th, 2018 - Explorer Resources

Explorer Quizlet Deck

November 5th, 2018 - Text Structures

This week we're digging into text structure. We'll start by reviewing the basics of the five main text structures, and then we'll take it a step further by reading like writers. We'll focus on some touchstone texts, analyzing how they used a certain structure successfully. Here's today's introduction to text structures:

October 28th, 2018 - Native American Regions Resources

Quizlet Live Review Deck: https://quizlet.com/_3ukbfs

Videos from class:

October 18th, 2018 - The One and Only Ivan

Check out this update on Ivan to learn more about the real Ivan!

October 2nd, 2018 - What exactly is a sentence? (And what is not!)

This week, we're digging into sentences. So far, we know that a sentence has to have a subject (the noun/pronoun part) and a predicate (the verb part). We've learned that sentences fall into one of four categories:

• Exclamatory - shows excitement!

• Declarative - gives information

• Interrogative - asks a question

• Imperative - gives a command

Up next, we'll dig a little deeper into types of sentences and sentence fluency. We'll explore and practice identifying (and then writing) simple, compound, and complex sentences, and then put it all together to see what it matters in the first place! That's where sentence fluency comes in.

• Simple Sentence - A sentence that contains one subject and one predicate (one independent clause)

• Compound Sentence - A sentence that contains two independent clauses separated by a conjunction (FANBOYS - for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

• Complex Sentence - A type of sentence that contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses

Other ELA Updates:

We're studying our first set of stems this week, and using it as an opportunity to work with dictionaries, and to learn that knowing the meaning of a stem or root can help us understand us LOTS of words.

We're also digging into The One and Only Ivan by exploring Mack's character. Mack is complicated, and has shown two very different sides of his personality - one that is kind and caring, and another that is harsh and greedy. Students will work in class to write about their own opinion of Mack, using evidence from the text to support their opinions.

September 12th, 2018 - How to keep working on "School Stamina" from home

Just a few ideas in case the days are starting to feel a little long :)

Online tools:

• ALEKS Math

• Prodigy

• iCivics

• Medieval Times Research

• Make a Kahoot or a Quizlet deck for your spelling words

• Practice your keyboarding skills in Typing Club

Other ideas:

• This is a great time to work on your Hirsch Project! Think of ways to help others prepare for the coming storm, or ways to help your family at home.

• Read read read! The Richland County Public Library has some fantastic digital resources you can access without ever leaving your house, including ebooks, audio books, emagazines, and movies.

• Write, write, write! Write stories, write journal entries, write poetry, write news reports, write interviews - write anything! Got writer's block? Try writing a story from the perspective of Hurricane Florence. If a hurricane could have feelings, thoughts, questions, etc. about making landfall, what would they be?

September 12th, 2018 - The One and Only Ivan, and other ELA and Social Studies Updates

The One and Only Ivan is proving to be the perfect beginning of the year read aloud for our group. There is A LOT to talk about, including some really complex characters, an interesting and maybe even controversial setting, a plot that takes us back and forth through the lifetime of one very special gorilla.

Our first word list comes from The One and Only Ivan as well. Katherine Applegate, the author of the book, plays with language through Ivan. Ivan and his friends use animal-ish terms for things in the human world (for example, he says that humans forage in the mall). Over the next few weeks, we'll have a chance to explore some of those words, and compare how we might use them to the ways that Ivan uses them in the story.

We've also had a chance to learn Quizlet Live to review some basic ideas from the book. Quizlet is awesome resource to use both at home and at school. After creating a "deck" of what are basically virtual flashcards, we are able to play a team game in which students work together to match a definition to a term. The catch - the answer is only on one team member's computer, and groups must communicate clearly in order to answer 12 consecutive questions correctly and win the game! Last week, we played with Map Skills terms, as well as basics from The One and Only Ivan.

Finally, last week marked the conclusion of our first Social Studies unit, and Monday was the start of our second one: Medieval Times! Resources and links coming soon :)

Check out our photos (below) of Quizlet Live in action!

August 31st, 2018 - Map Skills Sites

Check out the links below to practice your map skills!

http://www.abcya.com/latitude_and_longitude_practice.htm

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-games/latitude-longitude-map-game.php

http://mrnussbaum.com/map-scale/

http://mrnussbaum.com/world-geography-for-kids/

http://interactivesites.weebly.com/maps--direction.html

August 27th, 2018 - The Big Back-to-School Brainstorm

One of my favorite parts of our first week back at school was an activity called "The Big Brainstorm". Students walked around the room, recording their thoughts on giant posters. They answered questions like: What do you need from your parents/teachers/friends/self to be successful in fourth grade? What are you most excited about in fourth grade? What makes you most nervous in fourth grade?

Once our brainstorming was complete, each group was assigned a brainstorm to analyze. They were told to work together to sort and categorize the ideas on the page in any way they wanted to. They were looking for big ideas - feelings and ideas that lots of fourth graders seemed to share. The directions were purposefully vague, and I was expecting LOTS of questions, but as I walked around checking on each group, I found my fabulous fourth graders working together, taking action, finding patterns, and summing up their findings. Each group presented their big ideas to the class and was given a round of applause by their attentive peers.

January 7th, 2019 - Setting Goals

Today, we talked about setting goals that are SPECIFIC, ATTAINABLE, and RELEVANT. Check out our brainstorms for reading, writing, and learning goals below!