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!

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

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!

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!