February News Letter
Mrs. Swidzinski's Second Grade Class
A Message from Mrs. Swidzinski
I am excited to bring to you my first newsletter. It is hard to believe that we are at the 100th day of school. We are working harder than ever to gain skills that are outlined in the Common Core State Standards. Something that I am working on this year is to minimize paper usage and waste so many of the skills we practice in class are done on whiteboards, using manipulatives or on the computers. You may also see paper that is repurposed as we use it to glue our sorts to or do some other writing activity on the other side. Your child does not need to do the activities on the other side. You may also be wondering where is the homework papers. Only students who need extra practice with certain skill will get extra work. Everyone else has daily reading and other work mentioned in the homework section of this newsletter. I have shared with you the many online resources our district has available to your child. All students have received log-in information to these sites. I check the sites regularly and have been surprise that these free resources are not used as much as they should be. If you lost any of the log-in information please let me know.
Reading
- February reading logs are due this week for free pizza certificate.
- Reading log sheets for Great America tickets will be due soon. If your child is reading 20-30 minutes each day they can participate in both reading incentives.
- We have been working on an author study on Tomie dePaola. The students have been enjoying the many books that this author has written as read alouds and during independent reading. We have discussed the features of these books and compared the adventures of the character. Ask your child to tell you about his or her favorite characters.
Math
- The students have been learning about measurement using inches and centimeters. We have been using rulers, yardsticks and tape measures. Estimating the lengths and units to measure an object was a bit tricky for some students.
- During our math station students continue to practice double digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping. Students needing extra practice in these skills have received number cards to make their own equations to solve. IXL or Moby Max should be used daily to become proficient in the basic math skills.
- We started working with money. Please give your child different groups of coins to practice with.
Writing
- Students have been working on extended responses to what they are reading. Students also responded to different types of poetry that we have read in class.
- After reading a story about a boy who was struggling to find ideas to write about we discussed how everyday activities can become great stories. Some students came back to school with amazing written stories to share!!
- We continue to focus on good punctuation, capitalization and correct spelling as we edit our work.
Social Studies and Science
- In social studies students learned about community leaders and the qualities of good citizens. We learned about the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of equality for all people.
- In science students are learning what the earth is made. Students are using their senses and hands on experiences to find out about soil and rocks. We are reading about changes to the earth's surface that happen through erosion and weathering
Homework
- Reading 20-30 minutes every day
- Practice basic addition and subtraction math facts for accuracy and speed (Goal: 50 addition and subtraction problems within 20 in less than 5 minutes for now but will be 2 minutes by the end of the year)
- Spelling practice of sort words and word wall words
- Counting money