The Second Grade Scoop
September 16th, 2016
Hello 2nd Grade Families,
Thank you to everyone who came out for Back To School Night! It was really nice to officially meet you all and have a chance to talk. Also, thank you to anyone who sent in kid scissors for class projects. I appreciate it! Please read all about our exciting week below.
Hope you have a great weekend,
Miss Rossi
2R's Book Tasting: Reservations Only
When the students entered the classroom after lunch this Monday, they were surprised to see that our classroom had been transformed into a café, complete with table cloths and jazz music, all for our special "Book Tasting" event. Each table had a stack of a different genre of books. The students were instructed to look at the front and back cover of each book and read just a few pages to get a "taste" for it. The students recorded their thoughts on "book menus" and they wrote down titles they did not want to forget on their new bookmarks. The students had a chance to rotate to each of the five tables in the classroom so that they could get a taste for each genre. The genres we learned about were fiction, non-fiction, fairy tale, graphic novels and mystery. The students loved getting to read so many new and different books. We can't wait to have another book tasting later in the year!
Guided Math Centers
This year, math instruction will be done in small groups as students rotate between four centers each day. This allows the students to participate in activities and practice that is specifically tailored to their readiness levels. On Thursday, we kicked off the start of math centers! The students did an excellent job moving quickly and quietly to their centers, getting started right away and staying focused. The students practiced filling in a 100 chart with their buddies on the SMARTboard during the "Math With Technology" center, played Number Line Squeeze during the "Hands-On" center, strengthened their number sense skills during the "Independent" center and worked with me at the "Teacher" center. It is nice to see the students having fun while learning math.
Math With Technology
For one of our centers, students used the SMARTboard and teamwork to fill in missing pieces of a 100 chart.
Playing Number Line Squeeze
We Soar With Daily 4
Friday marked the first day of The Daily 4 for our class. All week, we have been practicing the individual parts of The Daily 4 in order to prepare for the big day. Students travel to four centers each day. The centers are Read To Someone, Read To Self, Teacher Time and Word Work/Work On Writing. The Daily 4 engages students in meaningful literacy tasks and allows me time to meet with learners in small groups in order to develop personalized goals. The students did such a great job traveling to the different centers! Spelling Scrabble (a Word Work activity) and writing letters to friends (a Work On Writing activity) were big hits.
Read To Someone
Students learn how to coach their Read To Someone partner if he/she ever gets stuck on a word. We have some great coaches in 2R.
Super Scientists
On Friday, we took our first trip to the school Science Lab. The students were so excited! Our first unit is on soil. The students closed their eyes and imagined themselves playing in the dirt, sand or a garden. They shared what it would feel like, look like and if they could picture anything growing in those locations. Before we could actually look at any soil, the students had to make a prediction on what they thought they would find in it. They had a lot of great ideas! Finally, it was time for the students to work in pairs to investigate the soil up close. They were very excited to have a chance to use the magnifying glasses to do this. They found that the soil was made up of very small pieces and even some little bugs. It was a great first exploration!
Snack and Lunch
We will have a snack every morning. Please send a small snack in a separate bag from lunch. Lunch bags get sent to the cafeteria in the morning and will not be accessible in the classroom at snack time. Please make sure to bring a snack for the half days.
Second grade has recess and lunch from 11:50-12:40. We play first; then eat in the cafeteria. Students can purchase or bring lunch. The lunch menu and information about ordering meals can be found on the Tatem website.
Please don't forget to label all backpacks and lunchbags.
Need To Contact Miss Rossi?
If you ever have any questions or concerns about your child, please do not hesitate to reach out to me! It is best to contact me by email. I will respond to you as quickly as I can.
Email: srossi@haddonfield.k12.nj.us
Website: srossi.haddonfield.site.eboard.com
Phone: 856-429-0902