Tuesday's Tidbits :)

We have had a great first two days of our third week of school - I can't believe we are already 3 weeks in!!! :)    We have had conversations in our classroom about outside school activities that we are in (football, baseball, piano, etc.), and I enjoy being able to watch the kiddos doing these activities.  Please send me schedules or recital dates, etc. and I will try my best to get to everything that I can.

In math, we have been working hard on using different strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems (examples of these are listed in the blog post in the last post (August 26).  On Friday, the kiddos will show us what they know about these strategies on an assessment during math.  This week in math we have also got logged into and started playing games on ST Math.  The games that the students play are reinforcing what we are teaching in second grade.  This was started at the end of your child's first grade year - so your child was familiar with it. :)  Two or three times a week, ST Math will be a math station that they rotate through. If your child is interesting on playing ST Math at home they can login at home and play!

Homework will "officially" start next week.  Here is an example of what your child's homework will look like. Your child will have one sheet of homework for the entire week. Students are required to read at least 15 minutes, and complete a short math activity each night.  What is nice about the math activity is that your child can choose which activity that is done on which night.  The different activities include a math game, fact practice, and 2 sections where the student has to solve problems.  Here are the directions for homework.  I will be sending home additional information about homework in Friday Folders and next week when homework starts, but I wanted to start providing you with information so that you have a chance to review and I can answer any questions that you have!

Almost everyone remembered to bring their library books back today!  If your child forgot - just send them with their books tomorrow. :)

Have a wonderful evening!!

2nd Week of 2nd Grade!! :)

We have had an INCREDIBLE 2nd week of 2nd grade!!  The kiddos have done an incredible job of establishing classroom routine and expectations.  This week we have started diving further into our learning objectives and I am so super impressed with how well they have done!

Math
This week in math, we reviewed different strategies that can be used to solve addition problems.  These different strategies are: drawing a quick picture (with circles), tally marks, part-part-whole, number bonds, tens frames, number line, and the commutative property of addition (the idea that you can flip-flop the two addends and the answer is still the same).  Mrs. Ross & I were super impressed with how much the kiddos remembered how to apply these strategies to solving addition problems!  We also worked on solving and writing our own addition word problems!  Below are some examples of some the strategies we practiced this week. :)

Example of part-part-whole

Example of number bond

Example of a tens frame

Example of a number line

Next week in math, we will learn about different strategies to solve subtraction problems.  These strategies will be: picture, number line, part-part-whole, and fact families.

Reading

In reading, we started talking about a character's physical traits (what they look on the outside) versus their character traits (their personality or how they are in the inside).  We read The Recess Queen which was about Mean Jean the Recess Queen and made a "T Chart" to make a list of Jean's character and physical traits.

We also got to start our first chapter book read aloud on Thursday.  We are reading How to Eat Fried Worms!  We have extended our character trait conversation into our read aloud.  Next week, we will continue to talk about character traits in books that we have read.  The kiddos are 

Writing

This week, we talked about what a small moment story is.  The kiddos had a chance to write a small moment using all their knowledge from 1st grade.  Then, they selected a new topic to write about.  Next week, we will be starting think about the beginning of our story by writing a descriptive setting.

Fun Friday

Today was our first Fun Friday Afternoon!!! :)  

• Science: First, we completed a fun science experiment to teach the kiddos about the Scientific Method.  Our experiment was titled "Dancing Raisins."  Be sure to ask your child what made the raisins "dance" in the soda.  We learned about carbonation in the soda and that the bubble "attach" to the raisins.  The bubbles make the raisins float to the top of the soda and then pop as they fall back down.We also tested it with Craisins and dried blueberries to find out they had the same results.  We discussed making a hypothesis and that you base your hypothesis on things you already know.  We also discussed how the goal of the experiment is to answer a question.  Our question today was "What happens when you put raisins in  clear soda?"  You can check out the pictures here.  
• Social Studies: We started our first unit today over maps.  We read a book called Gingerbread Man, Loose in the School, about a  class who went off and left a gingerbread man all alone, and he then went on a tour of the school to find his class.  Then we went on a tour of the school and filled in a map of what RBE looks like.  We had a discussion about what made filling out a map easy or difficult.  Next week, we will continue our conversation about what is a map and what needs to be included in a map.

Math Wizard

We took our 2nd math wizard test this week.  The graded test is in your child's Friday Folder.  This is our weekly fact practice test.  They have 3 minutes to complete at least 46 problems correctly.  We encourage the students to practice their facts at home.  It is important for them to know their facts "in a snap."

Library Checkout

We had out first library checkout this week.  They are allowed to check out any books that they wanted.  We had a conversation about the importance of having at least 2 of the books that they check out to be books that they can read independently.  We talked about one of the books can be a a book to be read with someone at home, if they would like, so it could be a little harder.  Please help your kiddo remember to bring his/her library books back to school of Tuesday.!  :)

Pizza Party Money

Thank you to everyone who has sent in their money for our 2 trimester pizza parties.  If you haven't sent in your money, just a reminder, it is $5 and that covers both trimester parties.  Also, thank you to everyone who has volunteered to send in fruits, chips, drinks, or cookies for the parties! :)

Friday Folders

The kids did an awesome job bringing their Friday Folders back this week.  Thank you for signing them and getting them back to your child.  The folders are in your child's backpack again this week.  Please take the time to go over the papers inside.  Some folders have important papers that need to be signed & returned to the office.  Also, there are some RBE Chicken BBQ paperwork inside also.  This is our big PTA fundraiser for our school - so please look through some of the different ways that you can help to support our school.

PE
We have PE on Monday and Friday next week - so make sure your kiddo is wearing his/her tennis shoes!

Have a wonderful weekend!

I hope that your family had a wonderful weekend!  We had a fabulous Monday & I know that the rest of our week will be just as great! :)

Snack

• As a reminder, we have an individual snack each day around 9:30.  If your child would like a snack, please send in one with them.  Last week, I provided a snack for kiddos who forgot, but I am not able to continue to do this throughout the school year.  A family has sent in some extra snacks but several kiddos did not have snack today, which caused these to dwindle down.  Please try to establish a routine that works best for your family so that your child has a snack.  There are a few families that put 5 snacks in the backpack on Sunday night so that they don't have to remember each day, and other families add an extra item to their child's lunchbox each day.    If you are needing assistance with snack please let me know.

PE

• Tomorrow is PE - so remember to have your kiddo wear his/her tennis shoes!!

Library Checkout

• Tomorrow will be our first library checkout of the school year.  I know that the kiddos are excited!  Please help your child to remember to bring his/her library books back every Tuesday.

We started getting into our full routine today!  I have listed below the fun things we will be working on this week!

• Math: We started learning different strategies to solve addition problems today.  We will be working on number lines, counting on, tally marks, pictures, number bonds, part-part-whole and tens frames.  We will also be using these strategies to solve word problems.
• Reading: We started reading stations today!  The kids did so great!!! :)  We have 5 stations that we complete during reading.  This week we have a fiction, nonfiction, response, word study (spelling) and a writing station.  Today we wrote another reading response in our notebook about one of the books that we read (Maurleen, Maurleen the Queen of Mean or The Recess Queen).  We will start working on character traits on Wednesday.  We will discuss the difference between physical traits and traits that describe the character's personality.
• Writing:  Today we completed our Heart Map (all the things that we love and know about that we can write about).  Tomorrow, we will start our first writing unit, which is personal narratives.  The stories are called "small moment" stories which means that they only take up a small amount of time, but it allows the writer to give a lot of good details in their writing.  
• Science: On Friday, we have a fun experiment for the students called "Dancing Raisins."  This will help us introduce the scientific method to the students.
• Social studies:  On Friday, we will learn about the importance of maps and then create a map of the school.

Study Hall

• We will are starting Study Hall this week.  This occurs during the first recess and is used as a time for students who didn't complete their homework or didn't complete their work at school.  
• If students do go to study hall, they will still have their lunch recess, so they will have a recess during the day.

Homework

• The kiddos are wondering when homework will be starting.  I am not starting homework until after Labor Day.  I really want to make sure that all of our classroom routines are well established and that everyone is used to the "school routine" before adding homework into the mix.
• Our homework looks a little different that first grade, but similar to what third grade uses.  More information will be coming soon! :)

From Eileen Sharp (our new music teacher at RBE)

I’ve had a blast meeting all of our students at RBE! I am so impressed with their positive attitudes and overall sweetness!  Below is the link to my blog.  Thank you so much!

http://mrssharpmusic.blogspot.com/

I hope that your family has a wonderful evening!  

Fantastic Friday & First Week!!

We have had an amazing first week together!!  We have worked extremely hard to build our classroom community and learn about each other.  Yesterday, we met with Mrs. Ross's class & talked with a partner in her class.  We then wrote about them and drew a picture.  These pictures are hanging on our bulletin board outside of our classroom.

In math, we completed a Figure Me Out paper about all the numbers that make us.  The kiddos represented this information using number sentences, tally marks, tens frames, or skip counting.  These papers are hanging on our t-shirts outside of our classroom.

In reading, we have several book options in our book bags.  Today we learned how to fill out a bookmark to show that we are "book worms."  The kiddos will be earning a "book worm" for every book that they complete.

If your child has not filled up & brought back his/her Me Bag - please help your child think about things that s/he would like to include in his/her bag & return on Monday. :)

Your child is bringing home a white folder that will be used as a Friday Folder this year.  There is a Return Me side and a Keep Me side.  There are lots of beginning of the year paperwork that are coming home this week.

• Return Me: 
• Friday Folder Checklist: Please always keep the green Friday Folder sheet in the folder.  This is what I will use for weekly communication.  There is a place for you to sign at the bottom of the front page (under the Work Habits section).  All I need are your initials so that I know you saw the checklist & read the comments on the back.
• Pizza Party Donation: We will be having 2 pizza parties as a trimester celebration this year.  We are asking for a $5 one time donation for your child's portion of pizza.  If you would be willing to provide a drink, healthy side or chip for the pizza party there is also a place to mark that on the form.  
• RBE Sportswear Order Form: If you would like to order RBE Sportswear for your family there is a form to fill out & return.  The first order is due August 29.  There are some really cute shirt options!! I've already ordered mine!! :)
• Keep Me:
• Introduction Letter: I have included a letter that introduces myself to let you know a little more about me.  Please do not hesitate to contact me about any questions or concerns that you have.
• Calendars: I have included a hard copy of the CPS School Year Calendar, the Specialist ABCD Calendar, and the RBE Activities Calendar.  Also, all of these resources can be found on the schedule tab of our blog
• Student Work Papers: I only have 2 student work papers coming home this week.  One of the papers was working on tally charts & bar graphs.  The other paper is a Math Wizard test.  We will be taking this timed test weekly.  There are 50 problems and your child has to solve 46 correct in 3 minutes to move on to the next test.  There are 2 addition tests, 2 subtraction tests, and 1 mixed test.  If your child passes all 5 tests then they are a Math Wizard.  We make a BIG deal of being a Math Wizard by getting your picture taken.  Also, for each test that your child passes s/he will receive a Brag Tag!  Please review this test with your child and start practicing these facts with your child.  Knowing your facts in a "snap" will be so beneficial for your child throughout life,

Almost every week, we will have a VIP of the Week.  This person can bring in pictures of things to share about themselves during the week.  Be looking for papers coming home when it's your child's week.  These are going in number order (just to help me stay organized) so this week is number 1, next week will be number 2, and so on.

Also, we have classroom stuffed animal friends that get to visit people in their homes over the weekend.  We draw numbers for who will take home Cleo of Tbone (Clifford's Friends).  This week Lexi is taking home Cleo.  We can't wait to hear about all the fun adventures that Lexi & Cleo have over the weekend!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

2nd Day in 2nd Grade!!

Wow!  I could not ask for a better second day in 2nd grade!! We are trying really hard to establish solid routines that we will use throughout the school year.  I am really proud of how hard everyone is working throughout today!

Our Schedule:
On Meet the Teacher Night a copy of our schedule went home.  If you don't have this hard copy readily available you can always use our blog as a resource.  There is a schedule tab that has a list of different resources.  You can find the CPS Calendar, ABCD Specialist Calendar, our Classroom Schedule, and the RBE Activities Calendar.

This What We Did Today:

• Morning Work: This morning we established routines for arrival each day.  The kiddos did an amazing job brainstorming what needs to be done each morning to establish a routine that works well for them.
• Math: Today we started talking about graphing by choosing our favorite pizza topping.  We made a human bar graph, and then we turned our data into a tally chart and a bar graph together on the SMART board.  The kiddos then worked independently to answer questions about the data on the graph.

This is our human bar graph!!

We are turning our data into s graph.

• RBE 3: Today we focused on how to be safe at school.  We read the book How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe? and then we listed expectations of how to be safe in our school.  The kiddos then got to write expectation and color a dinosaur.  All of our dinosaurs are grouped together with our expectations and will be hung up in our classroom.
• Flexible Seating: We talked a lot today about strategically choosing a spot in the classroom that works well for each student and understanding my expectations of what those spots looks like and sounds like.  Each student signed a Flexible Seating Contract that they will use the options the way they were designed, that they will learn and work at the spot that they choose, and that they realize that I can move their spot if they are distracted/distracting others or not working.  I am so proud of them because they are truly figuring out which spots work well for them and which spots are not as good for them.  Below are a few pictures of the kiddos working in some different flexible seating spots.

• Reading:  Today we talked about what reading will look like and sound like.  We had a great discussion that most of us need quiet and not be around people who were going to distract us.  Then we started discussing the different sections of our classroom library.  Today we looked specifically at our picture book section and how the books are organized so that the kiddos know how to put them away.  Today they got to choose 2 pictures to put in their book bag and then the kiddos read independently around the classroom.  The kiddos were also excited to meet our Reading Buddies that LOVE to be read to.  These small stuffed animal friends came out today and got to hear some great stories. :)

  

• Writing: Today we set up our Free Writing Notebooks.  These notebooks we will be using throughout the school year.  We talked about all the different kind of writing that can be included in them and my expectations of their writing.  The kiddos then had 20 minutes to write in their new notebook.  I loved being able to read all their great stories today!

A Great First Day!!!

We had an great first day of 2nd grade together!!  Thank you for sharing your child with me this year!  I am so excited to grow and learn along side your kiddo this year!!

We started the day off reading First Day Jitters.  We talked about all the different feelings that we had this morning and that all those feelings are okay.  The kiddos drew a picture and wrote about their feelings this morning.  They also enjoyed a cup of "Jitter Juice" to take away any of the "jitterness" that they are feeling.

This week is a lot about getting to know each other and building a great classroom community.  We learned about each other by playing Friend Bingo and Would You Rather.  I found out some really interesting things today about places where they have traveled, about siblings, what they like to do for fun, etc.!!  

We also learned about the Brag Tags that we will be using throughout the year to politely "brag" about our accomplishments.  The kiddos were very excited about their first tag they earned for being "Super Second Graders."  Below is a picture of them showing off their brag tags.

Our day ended with us writing about our first day and important information.  This sheet is coming home today.  We brainstormed ideas and then they had 40 minutes to fill out the sheet.  Please review this sheet with your kiddo.

Your kiddo is coming home with a small gift from me - a "Welcome to 2nd Grade" goodie bag.  Some of the items I had them keep at school but most of the items are coming home.  There are a few pieces of candy that they can eat when it is okay with you.

I hope your child had a wonderful first day of 2nd grade!! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for Coming! :)

Thank you so much for coming to Meet the Teacher Night tonight! It was so great to meet you.  I am SUPER excited to share this school year with you!!!  I am looking forward to school starting on Tuesday.  Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful last weekend of summer!

Yay! You Made It To Our Blog!!!!

Welcome to our wonderful blog!  This is where I will post all the fabulous things happening in our classroom.  I will post pictures and weekly (sometimes more often than that!) updates for what we are doing in the classroom. I will also post reminders for upcoming events.  If you were unable to sign up for email updates at Meet the Teacher night, please go to "Follow By Email" on the homepage of the blog, then confirm your email by checking your email and you will then receive email updates from blog.  If you have difficulty signing up for blog email updates, please contact me.  Looking forward to spending this school year with your student!