Storypath and Writer's Workshop have been coupled together as we study the Coral Reef. We kicked off our unit of study with a "trip" to the Great Barrier Reef. Students enjoyed receiving their boarding pass and seeing the classroom transformed into an airplane. Once we "landed safely" in the Great Barrier Reef, students were paired with a classmate from the Austin/Mast class to research a particular animal. By learning how to read nonfiction texts carefully, students have been working alongside their partner to gather information on their specific animal. They have been learning important skills such as paraphrasing, note-taking, and how to use nonfiction text features like captions, diagrams and labels in order to record the information in a graphic organizer. As the 2nd graders finish up their researching, they will begin the drafting process for their coral reef research books which they will share with you during our Coral Reef Museum in March.
We have just started a new unit in Reader's Workshop that focuses on the skills needed when reading longer books. We will study things like fluency, literary language and holding onto key parts of stories. We have just started working on fluency and we've been encouraging students to notice how they read and how the author might be encouraging them to read with expression through the use of dialogue and tone. Fluency is a critical component as we grow as readers and while we continue to work on our fluency in class, it is important for your child to work on this at home. Please encourage your child to read out loud as they complete their nightly reading.
Word Study: Students will receive their new sorts this week.
Math: We have just wrapped up Unit 3 of Math. End of Unit assessments came home in your child's communication folder on Friday. Please review, sign and return both the purple letter and yellow assessment. Our next unit in math will focus on identifying and sorting data with common attributes. Students will learn to record their data by using bar graphs and line plots.
Service Learning: Last week, we had our first visit with InReach since returning from the holiday break. We had a wonderful time playing Valentine Bingo and making Valentine cards. This Thursday we will travel to the Metro School and Covenant Presbyterian for our Service Learning with InReach. Thanks to all our parent volunteer drivers!
ImaginOn: The snow days prevented us from taking our scheduled visit to ImaginOn. We look forward to checking out lots of good reads during our next visit on February 8th.
Jungle Book: The second graders are hard at work and anxiously awaiting their production of The Jungle Book on February 15th at 2pm. Students will soon be asked to bring in their costumes and we will have several additional practices to make sure we are ready for our performance!
Reminders for the Upcoming Month:
Be sure to put these on the calendar as there is A LOT going on in 2nd grade during the month of February!
- Thursday, February 8th: ImaginOn visit
- Tuesday, February 13th: SeaLife Museum at Concord Mills Aquarium
- Wednesday, February 14th: Ash Wednesday Community Chapel (note: this chapel will replace our Friday Community Chapel for this week only). We will also have a Valentine exchange. Children are welcome to bring in Valentines. Please do not send in candy or food.
- Thursday, February 15th at 2pm: The Jungle Book performance with a celebration afterwards
- Friday, February 16th: Half-Day and N.U.T.S day! Dismissal at 11:30am
- Monday, February 19th and Tuesday, February 20th: No School; enjoy your long weekend! Monday is Presidents' Day (School and TED closed) Tuesday is a professional day (School closed but TED open)
- Wednesday, February 21st and Thursday, February 22nd are our designated days to paint the coral reef on our windows. This is a cherished event in 2nd grade and if you haven't seen it before you are in for a special treat! Be on the lookout for more information about volunteering to help paint the windows!
That's all for now! Stay warm and well out there!
