2nd Grade News
February
2nd Grade Solar System Musical Performance
Growing Up In 2nd Grade
As your child continues to grow, please help them do a simple "pants" check. We are sending a high number of friendly reminder to students to try to pull their shirt down to cover their backside; we're seeing a lot of skin when they sit. Thank you for help with this!
Conferences
Students will be dismissed early February 24 & 25 at 12:15 pm. Lunch will be served at school.
Headphones
Reading with Mrs. Valanty
Reading and R.A.C.E with Mrs. Valanty- this post is lengthy but a very worthwhile read to see how we’re making connections in reading and writing! Please spend a few extra minutes to read in its entirety! Thank you!
Over the next few weeks (and for the remainder of the year) you will see R.A.C.E strategy graphic organizers coming home. You may be asking yourself “how will this resource help my child write text dependent responses?”
Well…here is the answer!
The thought of writing a thorough text analysis can be overwhelming for young students. However, with simple scaffolds, this task can be mastered with practice. Students thrive when they are given concrete memory devices that simplify complex concepts. We are using the acronym R.A.C.E to break the process down into a basic 4-step procedure. With repeated practice and modeling, students can begin answering text dependent questions independently with greater confidence and success. If you haven’t already done so, please encourage your child to share their knowledge of R.A.C.E with you!
Here is an example of how your child can answer a question using the R.A.C.E. scaffold appropriately.
FICTION EXAMPLE:
Question: How can you infer Sam feels at the end of the story?
R- Restate the Question
At the end of the story I can infer Sam feels…
A- Answer in your own words
Happy. I know this because…
C- Cite the Evidence
The story says “the apple rolled back to Sam and he ate the apple. It was delicious.”
E- Explain your answer
I know when someone solves their problem they feel happy.
NONFICTION EXAMPLE:
Question: Why are pet dogs often such devoted family members?
R- Restate the Question
Pet dogs are often such devoted family members…
A- Answer in your own words
because their pack instinct is so strong . I know this because…
C- Cite the Evidence
In paragraph 4, the author states “The dogs in the pact obey the leader. This instinct is one reason that pet dogs are such devoted family members.”
E- End or explain your answer
A dogs instinct may seem odd to us sometimes but they were once wild and their instincts are what help them survive.
Your child has been taught how to make one complete sentence from letters R and A!
Math with Mrs. Reif
We will then move on to learning to tell time. Watch this video to learn how I will be teaching the kids to tell time!
Assessments on telling time are TBD - watch your email for more information as we start our unit next week.
Grammar and Science with Ms. Kyser
{Grammar}
We, briefly, expanded our grammar knowledge to include adverbs (words that describe verbs), and now we're on to prefixes and suffixes: chunks added to the beginning or end of words that can change its meaning. Here's what we covered: pre (before), re(again), dis (not), un (not), mis (wrong), non (not), er ( a person who), less (without), able (able to ), ness (being) and ful (full of). Prefixes and suffixes are not the most natural thing for 2nd graders to discover. So, let's beef up their knowledge and get them ready to ACE the SAT's by trying this simple game at home. Draw a tic tac toe gameboard. Put a prefix or suffix in each space. In order to claim the space, the player must say what the prefix or suffix means.
{Science}
Things are going to the stars in science, as we learn about astronomy! We'll cover the following AKS in science (see below), but if you've got a Discover channel bound scientist, enrich their learning with the following links/activities:
Astronomy AKS
Describe the universe including moon (including the shape of the moon at various phases), sun, and planets
What is gravity?
Investigate the position of the sun and moon throughout the year and how this affects the length of day and seasons
Determine how shadows change throughout the day
Astronomy links/activities (please monitor your child on the internet, although the sites are for kids they may contain affiliate links, advertisements, and/or other content)
Writing and Social Studies with Mrs. Smith
Social Studies
Jackie Robinson – We will learn how he helped to integrate baseball, and students will also be able to cite examples of how he demonstrated the positive character traits of honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, civility, and good sportsmanship.
Writing
We are still working on opinion writing (introduction – state opinion, body paragraphs with reasons and examples, and conclusion with a call to action). They will continue to practice informational and narrative writing as well.