As I wrapped up Fall conferences last night, I found myself thinking about how lucky I am to have such a wonderful, supportive group of parents to work with this year. As I mentioned to many of you, I look forward to parent-teacher conferences and value the conversations we have during that time. As you process what was discussed and the goals that I have for your children at this point, please be in touch with questions or thoughts.  Remember, the progress-report which you will receive in January, is designed to capture a “moment in time” and your children are making gains and continuing to flourish each day.

Before, I go into detail about what we have been up to in 2GS, I would like to call your attention to a few important dates.

*Mark your calendar*- Wednesday, December 19^th at 8:00am , 2GS Winter celebration. Details to follow but this will be a time to celebrate all of the wonderful work your children have accomplished thus far this year.

There are two more early release days- Thursday, December 6^th and Wednesday, December 12^th. There are movies being shown on both these days. If your child wishes to attend, please be sure to sign-up by the registration deadline.

Lastly, I will be out for professional development on the dates below. I have tried to book Ms. Bankler as the guest teacher for all days in an effort to provide some sense of consistency for your children.

December 11^th (all day), December 13^th (morning), December 20^th (all day).

There were some common themes and questions that came up at conferences. I will try and further address some questions parents had below.

Homework- The Reading Log continues to be the only homework your children have. It seems that some students are becoming lazy with this work. Please help to make sure that your children are putting in good effort each week. Additionally, most reading logs are being turned in without names. I have reminded second graders that this is a part of being a responsible second grader. If you or your child are looking for some more support in including structure in the reading log, I encourage students to write well constructed paragraphs. In 2GS, students have learned that a good paragraph includes a topic sentence (the big idea), three detail sentences that support the topic sentence and a conclusion (a thought, a wish, or a feeling). Additionally, students know how to summarize using this following quick prompt below.

In math we have been working on subtraction. Currently, students are working on the “lock-it-up, break-it-up” strategy. This is one of the many strategies that students will be exposed to in second grade. The goal is to introduce a variety of strategies in hopes that students find at least one that they will carry with them and use for subtracting in every day life. There are many steps in the process, ask your child to teach you what they have learned!

 

As discussed with many of you at conferences, math games are a great way for students to continue practicing math concepts in a fun and engaging way! The Math Resource Center at our school offers many fun games that you can borrow for periods of time, be sure it check it out! One game that second graders LOVE is Countdown, this game allows students to practice a variety of computation skills as well has the important skill of being flexible when thinking about numbers. If you are looking for a holiday gift for your child, you may want to consider this game.

 

 

Have a great weekend and please be in touch with any questions!

We have been working hard in 2GS! It was wonderful to begin conferences this week and I value this time to sit down and discuss your child’s progress thus far. If there is anything in particular that you would like to talk about during these meetings, feel free to let me know ahead of time.

In writing, 2GS has been working hard to write well-constructed paragraphs! Students are using their knowledge of what is included in a well-written sentence and applying this to writing a cohesive paragraph. We talked about that a good paragraph includes a topic sentence (the big idea), three detail sentences that support the topic sentence and a conclusion (a thought, a wish, or a feeling).  I encourage students to practice writing paragraphs using this format each week in their reading logs.

Students have also been writing “seed stories” or small moment stories. Teaching students to zoom into a small moment is one of the first skills I teach during our narrative writing! Students have been working to focus in on a story that takes place over a short period of time- 5 minutes to one hour. Second graders have been surprised to learn that by including dialogue, thought, descriptive language and sensory detail into their writing, they are really able to stretch out a small moment into an exciting story.

In math, students have been exploring multiple strategies for adding both with and without regrouping. Using the “break it up” strategy, students added two digit numbers with and without regrouping. This strategy reinforces student’s understanding of place value and adding larger numbers.

We have also been exploring subtraction. Subtracting always seems more complex for second graders. We took a step back and began exploring two-digit minus one-digit numbers. Second graders often need to be reminded that when they subtract they are always left with less than when they started. This week, we began to explore subtracting 2 two-digit numbers with the help of a hundreds chart.

We have also been digging deep into our soil unit. To start, students thought about what they already know about soil and questions they currently have. We gathered soil samples from around Lawrence Park. We further investigated them- observing, comparing and making observational drawings. Ask your child what they know about the features of soil.

To begin bringing in the Thanksgiving spirits, 2GS began to work on some Thanksgiving themed projects! We read the book Thank You Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson about a brave women, Sarah Hale, who saved Thanksgiving for our country and fought to make it a national holiday. After reading the book, we talked about the importance of being persistent and fighting for what you believe in. We also discussed what a hero is. 2GS came to the realization that heroes are really not figures such a Superman and Batman but rather real, brave people who do good for others. In thinking of some heroes, 2GS suggested people such as Martin Luther King Jr, Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln and Susan B Anthony. Then, each child identified who their own personal heroes are and wrote about why they are thankful for this person. Most students wrote about family members or other important people in their lives. Their writing was thoughtfully composed and very touching. We will share them with you next week.

As you may have heard, Lawrence is going screen free next week. I will be observing a screen-free week with the Lawrence community to be more present with colleagues and students during this week of Thanksgiving, and will not be on technology including not checking email from November 18 to November 25. If you have an urgent need to speak to me, please call the main office at 617-879-4300 during school hours.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoys the time with their families. I hope you all know how THANKFUL  I am every day to be your children’s teacher!