The Last Week of the First Quarter

                                                                                    October 10, 2016

Dear Second Grade Parents,

Here we are in Week 9 (our last week of the first quarter), I can't believe how fast this first quarter has gone.  It seems like just yesterday we were enjoying our first day of second grade!  

In any event, with the close of the first quarter, it's time to start scheduling Parent Teacher Conferences.  Our official Parent Teacher Conference is Friday, November 4th  but some of the conference times will drift into the following week.  An official sign up was sent out via email (Sign-Up Genius) by the end of this week.  Please be sure to respond promptly as you will be scheduled on "first come first serve basis".  I look forward to visiting with you all soon!

Here's the happenings of 2nd grade in a "nutshell"...

Math

 

Part of the 2nd grade math standards include adding and subtracting within 1,000 using strategies base on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.  With that said, students practiced another strategy for adding called Partial sums.  This strategy looks like this...

            3 6  →  30 + 6         1.  Show the first addend in expanded form.

        +  4 2  →  40 + 2         2.  Show the second addend in expanded form.

            7 0       70  + 8        3.  Add the tens then add the ones.

               8                          4. Add the partial sums--70 + 8.

            7 8

Partial difference

           5 6  →  50 + 6      1.  Show the minuend in expanded form.  

• - 3  2  →  30  + 2     2.  Show the subtrahend in expanded form.

            2 0       20 + 4     3.  Subtract the tens and ones.

• +    4                     4.  Add the partial differences (tens and ones)

            2 4                  to get the difference.                                                                                                                                                        

We realize that these strategies are very different from the traditional algorithm that we all learned but knowing these strategies helps to deepen the mathematical understanding of adding and subtracting.

Homework

Mon.  Worksheet--Partial Sum (2 digit numbers)

Tues.  Worksheet--Partial Difference (2 digit numbers)

Wed.  Worksheet-- Partial Sums and Differences (2 digit numbers)

Thurs. No Homework--Enjoy your Fall Break!!

Language

We finished up our work with irregular past tense verbs last week.  Second graders will be revisiting nouns as we review singular and plural nouns and learn about collective nouns.  Collective nouns name a group like a pod of whales or a class of students.

Writing

The writers of Room 17 are completing their 2nd writing piece that has gone through the entire writing process.  Based on the read aloud book, Gooney Bird Greene, students are writing their very own "absolutely true" stories.  These narrative pieces have been very fun to hear while meeting to edit and revise.  They should be up on the outside bulletin boards to enjoy during parent conferences.

Projects

Last week we finished our Civics Project with the presentation of our Tribes Puppet Shows.  We appreciate the parents that were able to come and enjoy the puppet shows.

With the end of one project is the beginning of another project.  The second graders started their next project--Everything Matters with a scavenger hunt at Venturacci Park for objects with certain properties (hard, soft, smooth, rough, bendable, etc,).  

      

Remember the week of October 17th will be Fall Break week for Oasis Academy.  Miss Garcia and myself wish everyone a restful and fun break.  We will see you all on Monday, October 24th!!

Sincerely,

Anne Bloomfield

and

Miss Garcia

Reading Information from Mrs. Loop…

Hello Second Grade Families,

All second graders have completed their second week of spelling tests.  They are introduced to their spelling words on Monday of each week and a list will be sent home with them to practice.  In class during the week they will be required to complete two spelling activities of their choice that will encourage them to practice writing their spelling words correctly.  All students will be assessed on their spelling words on Thursdays.  Students need to continue practicing their challenge words as most of them are having no problem spelling the one syllable words correctly but when more than one syllable is added many are having trouble.  Hopefully your child has been talking to you about the various syllable types that we have been learning about in class.  We have learned 6 of the 7 syllable types.  This week we are focusing on breaking words into syllables and identifying the open, closed, and vowel-consonant-e syllable types. Please continue to have your child read aloud to you nightly to help them improve their reading fluency.  Students will also be assessed on reading fluency each week.  They need to be able to read 100 words per minute by the end of 2nd grade.

This week I will not be meeting with students in reading groups as I will be completing report card assessments as the end of the quarter is at the end of the week.  Your child will be choosing books from our classroom library to take home to read each night.  Please sign their reading log each night this week so that I know that they are taking the time to practice their reading at home.

Happy reading,

Mrs. Loop