Second Grade News
Week 30: April 8 - 12, 2019
Birthdays
What are we learning?
Reading/Humanities: Landforms, Making Maps, Grapevine
Landmarks, & the Types of Communities (rural, suburban
& urban)
Writing: Friendly Letter
Science: Finishing Magnets & beginning Moon Phases (Night Sky Patterns)
Spelling Concept: "Cat King" and the 4th Nine Weeks' In a Snap Words (in binder)
***Spelling Test over "Cat King" words on Friday, April 12.***
NEW "In a Snap" Words
Last week, students received a new 4th Nine Weeks "In a Snap Word" list. Please practice these words nightly along with your child's weekly concept list. The "In a Snap" word list can be found inside your child's binder. Thanks!
300 High-Frequency Words
Your child received a list of words to study at home. Students need to be able to read these words quickly without having to use decoding strategies. Write the words your child continues to miss on index cards and practice these words daily. Thanks so much for partnering with us to inspire strong and independent readers!
Can't find the list that was sent home? No problem!
Click the link below to print a new list from home.
Reminders
STAAR Testing: No Visitors or Volunteers
Our building will be closed to visitors the week of April 8 and the week of May 13. STAAR Testing will take place on the following dates this school year:Tuesday, April 9
Fourth Grade STAAR Writing
Fifth Grade STAAR Math
Wednesday, April 10
Fifth Grade STAAR Reading
Monday, May 13
Third Grade STAAR MathFourth Grade STAAR Math
Tuesday, May 14
Third Grade STAAR Reading
Fourth Grade STAAR Reading
Wednesday, May 15
Fifth Grade STAAR Science
Please remember that we cannot have any visitors or volunteers (for any grade level) in the building during these weeks. This includes during lunch. Thank you for helping us abide by our state regulations.
Why in today’s day and age – with calculators and computers – do our kids really need to memorize their basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts? Isn’t this just ‘old school’? There are many important reasons why students still need to learn their basic math facts. The following will provide you with information you can use to support the development of these vital skills with your child. Research has shown that long-term success in mathematics is closely tied to strong number sense, including fluency with basic facts. The sooner your child becomes fluent with his or her facts, the better!
What do we mean by math fact fluency?
Math fact fluency refers to the ability to recall the basic facts in all four operations accurately, quickly, and effortlessly. When students achieve automaticity with these facts, they have attained a level of mastery that enables them to retrieve them from long-term memory without conscious effort or attention. Brain imaging studies have shown how the progression from effortful processes, such as finger counting, to automatic retrieval is associated with actual changes in the regions of the brain involved in mathematical computation (Rivera, Reiss, Eckert and Menon, 2005).
So why focus on math facts?
- Math facts fluency leads to higher order mathematics. Through automaticity students free up their working memory and can devote it to problem solving and learning new concepts and skills (Geary, 1994). Quite simply, a lack of fluency in basic math fact recall significantly hinders a child’s subsequent progress with problem-solving, algebra and higher-order math concept. Instant knowledge of these facts is key as your child moves on in mathematics and learns multi-step computation, fractions, and decimals.
- Fluent math facts mean less confusion. Math facts are important because they form the building blocks for higher-level math concepts. When a child masters his/her math facts, these concepts will be significantly easier and the student will be better equipped to solve them faster. If the child spends a lot of time doing the basic facts, he/she is more likely to be confused with the processes and get lost in their calculations.
- Math fact automaticity affects performance in all subjects. In later elementary, students have longer and more complicated computations to complete to check their understanding of various concepts. At this stage, if a student does not have his/her math facts committed to memory, he/she will spend a disproportionate amount of time figuring out the smaller calculations and risk not completing tasks. This not only affects their performance in math class, but will also in other subjects, such as science and geography.
- Less math anxiety Math can be compared to languages in some ways. Just like you have to learn to combine letters into words and words into sentences – and we have strategies like phonics and sight words to help kids to learn to read - math facts are the foundation blocks for learning the next level of mathematics. There is rote learning involved in both language and math mastery. Math anxiety starts when children fall behind and can’t keep up. To avoid these anxieties, students’ early elementary years should focus on learning the foundation math skills needed for later years – math facts are among those important math skills.
How can you help your child become fluent?
- Support their instruction. Your child will receive instruction on math facts that are grade level appropriate in school. By ensuring your child practices their facts regularly, you will support the development of these critical skills.
- Build on what they already know. Your child does not need to memorize hundreds of facts! If he/she knows 3 + 4, then he also knows 4 + 3. If he knows 3 x 4, then he also knows 4 x 3. Talk with your child about the relationship between facts.
- Provide the supplies needed for your child to practice saying and writing facts. Paper and pencils, chalk, wipe-off boards, or even electronic devices can all be used for your child to practice writing their facts. Writing them repeatedly is just a start. It is important that they say each fact they write our loud for it to become automatic.
- Put Facts in A Visible Place. Post a fact of the week on your refrigerator. Find times during the day to ask your child that fact. Challenge your child by sometimes asking: What fact is on the refrigerator this week?
- Practice Facts. as You Do Everyday Things Help your child to see math facts in the world around them. "There are 4 things in our grocery basket. We need to buy 3 more things. How many things do we need to buy?"
- Make Flash Cards. Buy as set of flash cards at a dollar store, or use index cards or sticky notes to review facts and identify the ones that need additional work. Make a separate pile of the facts your child cannot recall and work with him to devise strategies to remember those facts.
- Play Games. There are many games that are age/grade appropriate for your child that involve numbers. Card games and dice games are excellent ways for students to practice number facts.
Pop Tabs for Ronald McDonald House
The Pirate CFO Future Exploration class is collecting pop tabs to help benefit the Ronald McDonald house in Fort Worth. The money that is collected at the recycling center from the tabs is an amount that is a huge benefit to the Ronald McDonald house! Did you know from just the "pop tabs" collected in our area, the Fort Worth Ronald McDonald house receives between $5000-$6000 to help support the needs at the house? The aluminum tabs do not have to be only from "pop" cans. They can come from any aluminum can! Thank you for helping our Future Exploration students in supporting our community members!
Thank you for your help & support!
Aimee Vinten & Jessica Martin
OCT's 2nd Grade Team
Mrs. Ashley Duncan
Mrs. Julie Lee
Ms. Ashley Pettit
Website: https://oct.gcisd.net/resources/second_grade
Location: 5300 Pool Road, Colleyville, TX, USA
Phone: 817-305-4870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OC-Taylor-Elementary-School-361871583888299/