After speaking with many of you at parent/teacher conferences, I realized that we would all benefit from extra resources to help our children succeed in math. As you may have already noticed on the homework that has been coming home, the students are learning math skills in a different way than how you may have learned them in elementary school. I have also had to reteach myself to understand a different way of thinking because the Common Core curriculum expects children to be able to break down a problem, and explain how they reached an answer. So do not be deterred by not being able to understand your child's homework, there are ways we can work together to help each other.
A website that we focus on for our lessons in math is Learn Zillion. If you search for this website, you will find videos, lessons, and resources that will help you understand the strategies that we are focusing on in the classroom. A few key concepts that we have been working on is decomposing numbers, hundreds chart adding and subtracting, and open number lines. If you were to search for these topics on the Learn Zillion website you will find the different addition and subtraction strategies that your child is being asked to complete on their homework. I am making an effort to add examples on the top of each homework page, as well as, sharing anchor charts that we create in class via Remind 101. Please be sure that you have subscribed to our classroom, or contact me for information on how to subscribe.
I am confident that if we work together to help our children succeed we will have marvelous mathematicians by the end of the school year!
https://learnzillion.com/ << Click for direct access to the website.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Natural Resources
In science we have been discussing Natural Resources and how humans use and interact with these resources. Thus far we have discussed water, air, and soil; next week we will be moving on to plants. The students have really enjoyed discussing our Earth's natural resources and how they view and interact with them on a daily basis. We actually performed an experiment last week where we observed potting soil and sandy soil, and the difference between the two. We added water to both types of soil to see how they would react to the water, and what the new form of soil would look like.
Yesterday in science class we talked about how the types of natural resources we have been talking about in our text books would relate to the world that we live in. We worked as a class to create a fall scene that included real life natural resources that humans depend upon and interact with. The students were very engaged in this conversation and I was very impressed with the academic language that they were applying when talking to their peers, and conversing as a class. Below you will first see the picture that we generated as a class based upon student input and discussion. Students were then asked to make their own scene including natural resources that were detailed and labeled. As you may notice, a lot of the student's work resembled our class example, but I was proud of their ability to create a piece of their own and recognize these natural resources by use of labels.
You can talk to your students about natural resources as you enjoy the many activities of fall. Start a conversation about why the leaves are falling and how the trees are changing; what do humans do with the leaves that fall? What happens to the leaves that do not get collected for disposal? Why are the leaves falling off the trees? This is a great way to integrate the academic language that we are using within the classroom at home. Happy fall!
Yesterday in science class we talked about how the types of natural resources we have been talking about in our text books would relate to the world that we live in. We worked as a class to create a fall scene that included real life natural resources that humans depend upon and interact with. The students were very engaged in this conversation and I was very impressed with the academic language that they were applying when talking to their peers, and conversing as a class. Below you will first see the picture that we generated as a class based upon student input and discussion. Students were then asked to make their own scene including natural resources that were detailed and labeled. As you may notice, a lot of the student's work resembled our class example, but I was proud of their ability to create a piece of their own and recognize these natural resources by use of labels.
You can talk to your students about natural resources as you enjoy the many activities of fall. Start a conversation about why the leaves are falling and how the trees are changing; what do humans do with the leaves that fall? What happens to the leaves that do not get collected for disposal? Why are the leaves falling off the trees? This is a great way to integrate the academic language that we are using within the classroom at home. Happy fall!
Monday, October 20, 2014
A is for Effort!
And so begins another week...
I am very sorry that I was not in school today. It was an unplanned absence, but I am positive that the students did what was expected of them and that i'll receive and outstanding report tomorrow. I do have to attend a Literacy workshop on Thursday, so I will not be in school that day, as well. I am always available to to contact via email, and I do check it regularly.
On another note, the end of the quarter is quickly approaching! I cannot believe that how fast this first quarter is going by. It feels like only yesterday I was meeting everyone for the first time. I am very proud of the progress that each student has individually made, and I could not be more thrilled with how we have progressed as a class. I have noted that some students have not been turning in there work on a regular basis, whether that be homework or classwork. It is important to emphasize to your child how important it is to put their best foot forward and to 'Bee their best everyday'. The children know that I don't expect perfection from them and that mistakes are OK, but what means the most to me is that they just try something and complete it. As I remind students of this in the classroom, it is important that this is reiterated at home by making sure that your child is completing their homework. I greatly appreciate all your help and assistance outside of the classroom!
As you may have noticed via your child's homework, we have been trying a new format of teaching math in second grade. This style of teaching allows for a more student directed approach where the students engage in an educational/academic conversation. It is important to us that we improve the children's math fluency and their ability to quickly identify numbers, answers, and strategies. You can help your child improve this a home by practicing basic addition and subtraction problems with them. This could be as simple as sitting down with them for 5 to 10 minutes each night and reviewing math facts, and asking them to explain how they reached their answer. We are also working to solve our math problems in multi-step word format, that emphasizes the use of diagrams, pictures, and models to reach an answer. To help you better understand this method, I have included a video from LearnZillion. You can set-up a profile for your student on this website to assist in their understanding of concepts within the classroom. Please let me know if you would like me to send you more information in regards to how you can help your child in their road to success!
LearnZillion Math Lesson
I am very sorry that I was not in school today. It was an unplanned absence, but I am positive that the students did what was expected of them and that i'll receive and outstanding report tomorrow. I do have to attend a Literacy workshop on Thursday, so I will not be in school that day, as well. I am always available to to contact via email, and I do check it regularly.
On another note, the end of the quarter is quickly approaching! I cannot believe that how fast this first quarter is going by. It feels like only yesterday I was meeting everyone for the first time. I am very proud of the progress that each student has individually made, and I could not be more thrilled with how we have progressed as a class. I have noted that some students have not been turning in there work on a regular basis, whether that be homework or classwork. It is important to emphasize to your child how important it is to put their best foot forward and to 'Bee their best everyday'. The children know that I don't expect perfection from them and that mistakes are OK, but what means the most to me is that they just try something and complete it. As I remind students of this in the classroom, it is important that this is reiterated at home by making sure that your child is completing their homework. I greatly appreciate all your help and assistance outside of the classroom!
As you may have noticed via your child's homework, we have been trying a new format of teaching math in second grade. This style of teaching allows for a more student directed approach where the students engage in an educational/academic conversation. It is important to us that we improve the children's math fluency and their ability to quickly identify numbers, answers, and strategies. You can help your child improve this a home by practicing basic addition and subtraction problems with them. This could be as simple as sitting down with them for 5 to 10 minutes each night and reviewing math facts, and asking them to explain how they reached their answer. We are also working to solve our math problems in multi-step word format, that emphasizes the use of diagrams, pictures, and models to reach an answer. To help you better understand this method, I have included a video from LearnZillion. You can set-up a profile for your student on this website to assist in their understanding of concepts within the classroom. Please let me know if you would like me to send you more information in regards to how you can help your child in their road to success!
LearnZillion Math Lesson
Monday, October 13, 2014
Falling into great reading!
I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend! I loved hearing all the children's stories this morning about all the great fall activities that they did this weekend: football games/practice, soccer games/practice, picking pumpkins, hayrides, corn mazes, and enjoying time with friends and family. Even though there was some rain this weekend, I took the opportunity to explore D.C., specifically Georgetown. I got some great cupcakes on Saturday, and Miss Hapach(first grade teacher) and I went kayaking on the Potomac river this Sunday. It was a lot of fun!
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This month I really would like to take the opportunity to focus on our reading. We have been working really hard in the classroom to summarize and retell stories. You can help your students at home with this comprehension skill by ensuring that they are using important details when completing the summary portion of their Reading Log. Be sure that your child is including the key terms: first, next, then, last/finally. These terms help your child to retell the stories that they are reading in sequential order. It is very important that children know which events in the story come before others because it will help them further in the year when we begin working on cause and effect. I have been looking closely at these sections in their reading logs to see who needs additional aide to develop their summarizing skill, and who is on the right track to becoming an Eagle Scholar! You can practice this at home with your child by listening to them read, having them close their book after about 10 minutes of reading, and verbally describe to you what they just read. If you have any questions or need any additional clarification or resources to help your child I would be more than happy to help!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Weekend Assignments
I hope that everyone is having a great weekend!
Since school began we have been working on place value, skip counting, and greater than/less than/equal to in math. As you are probably already aware based on your child's homework, we will be having a test on Monday in math to wrap up Unit 1. Your child will be assessed on how well they can identify the place value of a number, their ability to write a number in its different forms(standard, expanded, word, place value), understanding skip counting patterns, and a few other related concepts. The students completed an interactive review in class on Thursday, and the review packet that they are completing for homework will also help them prepare for the test.
Please also note that their first Study Island assignment is due on Monday. All students have been given their login information, it can be found on the inside cover of their agenda book, or inside their yellow folder if they do not have an agenda book. If a child noted that they did not have internet access available at home, they received a paper packet to be able to complete the assignment. This is also a good time to remind you that if your child does not yet have an agenda book, you can send in $7.00 at any time with them so that they can receive one.
All students took home a spiral notebook with them this weekend to complete their Writer's Workshop assignment of personalizing their notebook. The journal should have pictures, magazine pictures, drawings, or anything else that will help generate ideas for writing. This assignment is to be completed no later than Wednesday, and the journal should be brought back to school with them. The students were also instructed to purchase a 1 inch 3 ring binder for their Writing Workshop artifacts. This will allow us to keep their notebook, brainstorming artifacts, rough drafts, and concepts maps all in one place. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email so that I can provide some clarification.
Since school began we have been working on place value, skip counting, and greater than/less than/equal to in math. As you are probably already aware based on your child's homework, we will be having a test on Monday in math to wrap up Unit 1. Your child will be assessed on how well they can identify the place value of a number, their ability to write a number in its different forms(standard, expanded, word, place value), understanding skip counting patterns, and a few other related concepts. The students completed an interactive review in class on Thursday, and the review packet that they are completing for homework will also help them prepare for the test.
Please also note that their first Study Island assignment is due on Monday. All students have been given their login information, it can be found on the inside cover of their agenda book, or inside their yellow folder if they do not have an agenda book. If a child noted that they did not have internet access available at home, they received a paper packet to be able to complete the assignment. This is also a good time to remind you that if your child does not yet have an agenda book, you can send in $7.00 at any time with them so that they can receive one.
All students took home a spiral notebook with them this weekend to complete their Writer's Workshop assignment of personalizing their notebook. The journal should have pictures, magazine pictures, drawings, or anything else that will help generate ideas for writing. This assignment is to be completed no later than Wednesday, and the journal should be brought back to school with them. The students were also instructed to purchase a 1 inch 3 ring binder for their Writing Workshop artifacts. This will allow us to keep their notebook, brainstorming artifacts, rough drafts, and concepts maps all in one place. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email so that I can provide some clarification.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Welcome to our hive!
I am so excited to have your child in second grade this year! I have many goals that I know that we will accomplish this year, and I am looking forward to seeing your child grow and progress by June 2015.
This year in Language Arts and Reading we will be working with Wonders which is a text developed by the McGraw-Hill company. This text was developed specifically for the Common Core State Standards that combines research-based instruction with other tools to provide the best education for your child. If you would like to learn more about the curriculum please feel free to visit their website at Wonders Curriculum.
We will be working in Math on extending your child's knowledge of the base-ten system. By the end of this year your child should be able to understand multi-digit numbers written in base-ten notation up to 1,000. We will also be striving to obtain fluency in addition and subtraction up to 100, and developing their understanding further to solve problems up to 1,000. We will also be working with concepts of place value, money, time, and interpreting data.
I know that the Common Core State Standards(CCSS) might still be new and unfamiliar to some of you, so below you can view a video that helps in visualizing exactly how Common Core is benefiting your child. In my training I found that this was the best representation for me to explain on a visual level how this teaching is effective withing the classroom. Please feel free to direct any of your comments or concerns my way and I will do my best to answer them. If I cannot answer them, I will be sure to find you an answer.
Let's have a great year buzzing through second grade!
Click on the link for the video>>> Common Core Video
This year in Language Arts and Reading we will be working with Wonders which is a text developed by the McGraw-Hill company. This text was developed specifically for the Common Core State Standards that combines research-based instruction with other tools to provide the best education for your child. If you would like to learn more about the curriculum please feel free to visit their website at Wonders Curriculum.
We will be working in Math on extending your child's knowledge of the base-ten system. By the end of this year your child should be able to understand multi-digit numbers written in base-ten notation up to 1,000. We will also be striving to obtain fluency in addition and subtraction up to 100, and developing their understanding further to solve problems up to 1,000. We will also be working with concepts of place value, money, time, and interpreting data.
I know that the Common Core State Standards(CCSS) might still be new and unfamiliar to some of you, so below you can view a video that helps in visualizing exactly how Common Core is benefiting your child. In my training I found that this was the best representation for me to explain on a visual level how this teaching is effective withing the classroom. Please feel free to direct any of your comments or concerns my way and I will do my best to answer them. If I cannot answer them, I will be sure to find you an answer.
Let's have a great year buzzing through second grade!
Click on the link for the video>>> Common Core Video
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