Second Grade Newsletter 1.27.23

 Hello parents and guardians!

Kingdom Day: 

Just a reminder that you child may be building/creating a castle in preparation for our next Kingdom meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 1st. Please do not send in items prior to the meeting date. Thank you!

Great Hearts Day:

Great Hearts Day is just around the corner! On February 14th, we will be celebrating each other’s virtues. Our 2nd Grade Great Hearts Celebration will be from 11:45am – 1:05pm. Please do not send store bought cards or candy. All store- bought cards and candy will be sent home with your child that day. It would really dampen our spirits to have to disappoint a child in this way. We have other fun and thoughtful ways to celebrate the day. Rather than focusing on goodies and merchandise, each student will focus on their minds, bodies, and hearts. 

The students will write a friendly letter and deliver their Great- Hearted cards via a reenactment of the Pony Express. Students will learn to Square Dance after reading about the dance at Grandpa's in the book, Little House in the Big Woods. We will also celebrate Arizona's birthday with a fun craft. Thank you to all of those families that donated materials for this event.

 

Important Dates:

Feb 1: Kingdom Meeting Date (send in upcycled materials)

Feb. 3: 12:30 Dismissal; Teacher In-Service

Feb. 4: Father-Daughter Dance

Feb. 6: The Preamble Recitation

Feb. 9: Galileo Testing

Feb. 14: Great Hearts Day

 

Conversation Prompts:

What do cells group together to form? (Cells group together to form tissue.)

What was Christmas in the Big Woods like? (The Ingalls had their relatives over, they made snow pictures, heard a story, Pa played the fiddle, they opened presents, Laura received a rag doll, they ate pancakes.)

What is one cause of the War of 1812? (The impressment of American sailors was one of the causes of the War of 1812. Another was the British aid of Native Americans groups such as leader, Tecumseh. Lastly, the War Hawks convinced many Americans to go to war.)

When do you use quotation marks?

Which would you use to measure a book, centimeters or meters? Why?

“What’s the difference between “there”, “they’re”, and “their”?

Academics:

Math

Students will finish up learning about the customary system by measuring objects in yards. We will then compare and order units in the metric system and customary system. Lastly, we will solve word problems involving measurement, remind your child to annotate a word problem, draw a bar model, write an equation, solve, and write a complete sentence to properly answer a word problem.

Literature

This week students will read about Laura’s life and what she may and may not do on Sundays. Pa helps her understand by telling her a funny story about Grandpa and his sled. The weather warms but then cools and Laura learns about sugar snow. To celebrate the abundance of maple syrup Grandpa hosts a dance! To follow along this is chapter 5-7, happy reading!

Grammar

We will continue to work on memorizing the Preamble, with recitations being due Monday, 2/6. Narration and Dictation Exercises will continue with excerpts from "The Hare That Ran Away". Students will also learn the difference between a direct and indirect quotation.

History

This week we discussed the causes of the War of 1812. Next week, we will discuss key individuals, such as James and Dolley Madison. We will also learn about the National Anthem and an important military vessel, "Old Ironsides."

Science

Next week, we will begin learning about the digestive system. Students will observe how teeth, along with saliva, break down food before our tongue pushes the food down. We will also learn about taste buds and the esophagus and their roles in digestion.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Your Second Grade Team

 

Second Grade Newsletter 1.19.23

Hello Parents and Guardians! 

January reading month continues! Students had a great time at our Reading Under the Stars event and visiting the Book Fair. Don't forget to log all those reading minutes on your Kingdom tracker to earn points for your kingdom!

Reminders:

We have moved from using the planner to a reading log for tracking reading homework. Each Friday, your child will receive a new reading log. Your child should read aloud for 20 minutes, retell what they read, write the total minutes read, and the title of the book on the log. Your child should then ask for your signature. They will maintain this log in their yellow folder until the next Friday when they will turn it in for reading credit. Please note that you no longer need to sign your child's planner. Please reach out to your homeroom teacher if you have questions. Thank you!

Important Dates: 

· Picture Day: January 24th

· Half Day: February 3rd 

· Father-Daughter Dance: February 4th 

· The Preamble Recitations: February 6th

· Galileo Testing: February 9th

 

Conversation Starters: 

What document is known as the “Law of the Land”? (The Constitution) 

What types of things did Anton van Leeuwenhoek look at with his microscope?

What did you look at using Mrs. St. John’s microscope?

How can you compare length using the words "longer than" and "shorter than"?

In the book “Little House in the Big Woods”, what was the voice Pa heard in the Big Woods when he was a little boy? (An owl) 

What does a complete sentence need? (A subject, verb, capital letter at the beginning, end mark, expresses a complete thought)

 

Academics: 

Math: Students will learn how to compare length and use both the metric and customary system. They will learn how to measure in meters and centimeters, as well as feet and inches this week. Encourage them to measure objects at home or compare them by using the phrases "longer than" and "shorter than," i.e. the sofa is longer than the coffee table.

Grammar:  For poetry recitation, scholars did a wonderful job reciting independently, "The Hayloft." Up next, they will memorize and recite The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. Recitations will begin February 6th. Students have now begun writing their own original narrations! We are excited to see the creativity, robust vocabulary, writing mechanics, and independence. We will continue to talk about direct quotations and the five parts of a complete sentence-capital letter, end mark, subject, verb, and complete thought. 

Literature: We will continue to read Little House in the Big Woods focusing on main idea and details. Scholars will then write a paragraph of their own, narrating a main idea with supporting details. Please consider volunteering for reading groups using the links on the left sidebar (click the hamburger menu at the top to access.)

History: We will begin our new history unit on the War of 1812. Scholars will learn which nations participated in the war as well as the causes of the war. In addition, scholars will understand the jobs of the three branches of government.

Science: We will learn about the different types of cells in our bodies and the jobs they do. Students will then learn how cells group together to form tissue, how tissue groups together to form organs, and how organs group together to form systems.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Second Grade Newsletter 1.13.23

Hello Parents and Guardians! 

Thank you for your understanding during the unusual power issues this week. Despite those challenges, students presented their insect report and artwork this week and did a wonderful job demonstrating their learning.

Book Fair!

Archway Chandler will host a book fair in our library this month as part of January Reading Month. Students previewed the books available today. They will have a chance to purchase the books next week. They may bring cash, check (made out to Archway Chandler), or have money loaded onto their Scholastic E-wallet account (see link below for details). The fair will also be opened before school and after school if a parent would like to bring their child in (Tuesday-Friday from 7:40-7:55am, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 11:05AM – 1:05PM and 3PM – 3:30PM, Wednesday 12:30PM – 1PM). Each classroom will also have a wish list bucket if you would like to purchase a book for the classroom. Happy Reading!

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/greatheartsacadchandler

Scheduled Visits to the Book Fair by Class

Tuesday 1/17

2A 8:55 - 9:15

2B 10:35 - 10:55

2C 11:45 - 12:05

Thursday 1/19

2C 10:15 - 10:35

2B 11:45 - 12:05

Friday 1/20

2A 11:45 - 12:05

 

Important Dates:

Monday, January 16th: No School-Civil Rights Day 

Tuesday, January 17th: "The Hayloft" Recitations 

Wednesday, January 18th: Math Test

Tuesday, January 24th: Class Picture Day

 

Conversation Starters: 

When would you use a comparison bar model?

What is a conjunction?

What would you propose as a solution to the US Government to help solve the frustrations the soldiers returning from the American Revolution were experiencing? 

What would the world be like without microscopes? 

How did the Ingalls prepare for winter?

 

Academics:  

Math 

Students reviewed two-step and two-part word problems this week. They learned how to use bar models to help them correctly solve a challenging word problem. We will continue to review these concepts before our unit test on Wednesday. Our next unit will be on measurement. Students will learn about the standard units of measurement including the metric system and customary system. 

History  

Students are learning about what it means to compromise and will continue to learn about the Constitution and be introduced to the Bill of Rights. Students will be given a copy of the Preamble to memorize. They will complete a Constitution quiz on Friday, January 20^th.

Science 

This past week students reviewed the difference between living and non-living things. We focused on the fact that all living things are made of cells. On Tuesday, a parent volunteer will demonstrate how to use a microscope and students will have the opportunity to view prepared slides. Then we will begin learning about cell structure.

Literature 

Students began the classic, The Little House in the Big Woods. They met Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, and Baby Carrie. They also learned how the family prepared food for winter. Next week, we will read chapters 2-4 and students will learn more about the Ingalls family and their life in the Big Woods.

Please sign up for reading groups if you are available, the children love reading with you. (See hamburger menu at top of page for reading group sign up by class)

Grammar 

The poem, "The Hayloft" will be recited the week of Jan. 17th. This week, students learned about conjunctions. We have now learned about nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, interjections, and conjunctions as we work towards defining and identifying all eight parts of speech.  Next week, students will learn about quotation marks and how to use them to write direction quotations. They will also learn about a basic sentence diagram.

 

Wishing you a wonderful long weekend!

Your Second Grade Team

Second Grade Newsletter 1.6.23

 Second Grade Newsletter 1.6.23

 

Hello Parents!

 

News: 

In preparation for third grade, Second Grade is moving from agendas/planners to a reading log to record daily reading practice. It is a colored paper that was sent home in your child's yellow folder. Each day your child should read aloud for 20 minutes and retell. Then, your child will correctly write the title of the book on the reading log paper. Parents will sign the reading log paper daily. The students will turn the reading log in on Friday and receive another log for the next week. In order for your child to receive credit for their reading homework, the title of the book (not the name of the book series), minutes read, and signature are required. Students will continue to write their daily assignments in their agendas/planners. Please reach out to your homeroom teacher with specific questions. We are excited for our second graders to grow in their independence and responsibility!

Thank you:

We appreciated your kind cards and gifts in December. Thank you, also, to those who donated items or volunteered in the classrooms for our Winter Celebration. If your kettle has not been returned to you, please let us know. 

Important Dates:  

Saturday, January 7th: Read Under the Stars Event

Monday, January 16th: No School-Civil Rights Day

Tuesday, January 17th: "The Hayloft" Recitations 

Wednesday, January 18th: Math Test 

Tuesday, January 24th: Class Picture Day

Conversation Prompts: 

What is a hypothesis?

What does it mean to "get a taste of your own medicine"?

Which two punctuation marks often follow an interjection? (a comma or an exclamation mark)

What was Shay's Rebellion? 

Academics: 

Math 

Students will continue to practice drawing bar models and using addition and subtraction to solve word problems. We will delve more deeply into solving two-step and two-part word problems. There will be an assessment this week over unit 4.

 

Grammar 

his past week, we reviewed parts of speech and capitalization rules. We also learned about a new part of speech, the interjection. Next week, we will then learn about conjunctions and write based on passages from The Midnight Ride. Students received the poem, "The Hayloft" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The first memory check for stanza 1-2 will be Tuesday, 1/10. The poem in full will be recited the week of Tuesday, 1/17.

Link to poem: https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/59/a-childs-garden-of-verses-selected-poems/4721/the-hayloft/

 

History 

This week, we have started the foundation for our unit about Making the Constitution.  We discussed what happened when the colonists came home from the war and Shay's Rebellion. Next, we will learn how the colonists united together to form laws which were fair and wrote the constitution we still use today.

Science 

This week students will learn about cells, the smallest unit of life. They will also discover how a microscope helps us observe tiny objects. 

*Parents please note that this week we will read Cells are Us by Dr. Fran Balkwill and there is a brief note on reproduction. The book will teach us this in order to introduce the idea that two cells join to make more cells. We will not be fielding any questions on the topic of reproduction, instead we will inform them that the topic will be covered in fifth grade and leave it to your discretion. 

Also, students will present their insect artwork to the class while reading the paragraphs they wrote about their insect.

Literature 

Students will begin their read of the classic, Little House in the Big Woods, on Monday. Thanks to those families that have already sent it in! Students will meet Pa, Ma, Mary and Laura. They will read about the family’s preparation for winter and how the family survives in the Big Woods. *Reading Groups will begin again, a volunteer sign up will be sent out shortly.