Second Grade Newsletter 4.28.23

Reminder:

Please send a water bottle with your child every day. 

Dates: 

May 1: Optional “My Family’s Story” packet due

May 5: No School

May 8: "Lincoln" poem recitations

May 17: Fine Arts Night

May 23-26: Half Days

Conversation Starters:

Tell me 2 interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty.

What was the miracle at Zuckerman's barn in Charlotte's Web?

How many lines does it take to draw a cube?

What are some items in your home which would be attracted to a magnet?

What are the 2 meanings of “excuse”?

Tell me an imperative sentence. What type of end mark should it have?

Academics:

Math: 

Our Singapore math book content is complete for the year, so students will review the year’s worth of content for the remainder of the quarter. First up is a focus on fact knowledge. Perhaps help your student practice addition and subtraction through 20 (i.e., 9 + 2 = 11 or 15 – 6 = 9 ), and multiplication facts (x0 through x5) at home to support this developing skill.

Science:

We will learn more about magnetism this week. Students will determine if objects with magnetic fields can be moved through objects, identify parts of a magnet, and observe a compass to learn about the magnetic pulls in the earth.

History:

Studies of Immigration continue with lessons on becoming a citizen of the United States.  We will focus on our basic rights and responsibilities as a citizen, learn about voting and the importance for all citizens to have this right and responsibility, and hear Senora De Cossio share her story about when she became a United States citizen. This is a highlight of our year, and we are grateful she will be joining our class to discuss this with our scholars.

Spalding:

As we have a short week, we will have 10 words only. Then, the final two weeks of Spalding, all words will be written in cursive for the homework and the test and scholars will be given a letter formation grade (penmanship/cursive grade) on the final two tests in addition to their regular grade for spelling accuracy. Please check for accuracy of letter formation on their Spalding homework. Thank you!

Grammar:

Scholars will review the parts of speech including pronouns, prepositions, and adjectives. They will also review commas as we are preparing for the end of the year grammar test. Scholars will continue to practice their “Lincoln” poem to prepare for recitations on May 8^th .

Literature: 

We will read chapters 14-16 this week in the classic, Charlotte's Web. As we read, scholars will work on identifying the main idea of chapters and use visualization to help them comprehend the story.

We hope you have a fantastic weekend! 

Warm Regards,

The Second Grade Team

Second Grade Newsletter 4.21.23

 

Dear Parents,

As you may have seen in a communication that Archway Chandler sent on Wednesday, April 19th, we are working together with the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) on a research project regarding a universal screening for social challenges designed to be implemented in public schools. Every student in 2nd and 4th grade at Archway Chandler will be screened by their teachers in two weeks, unless their parent or guardian chooses to opt out of the screening.

Please read this letter from Christopher Smith, Vice President and Director of Research at SARRC, for more information about the screening, and read the answers to frequently asked questions which are available here.

Please note that your child’s identifying information will not be shared with SARRC. If additional evaluations are suggested after the screening, we will contact you for permission to share your contact information. If you wish to opt out of the screening, please complete the form here.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Important Dates:

April 26 – Math 2-D and 3-D Shapes Assessment

April 27 - Science Simple Machines Assessment

May 1 – History optional My Family’s Story project due

May 5 - No School

May 8 – “Lincoln” poem due for recitation

May 17 - Fine Arts Night

News:

Scholars brought home a "My Family's Story" project this past Thursday along with an information letter. This project is optional. If you have your scholar complete the project, it will need to be turned in on Monday, May 1st. This project coincides with our history unit on immigration and citizenship. 

Conversation Starters:

• Why is Abraham Lincoln someone who we remember? 
• Name one reason immigrants came to the United States. 
• Was Wilbur successful at making a web? Why not?
• What is friction?
• How many ways can you divide a rectangle into equal fourths? (Draw as many ways as you can!)
• What is the difference between “to”, “two”, and “too”?

Studies:
Grammar: Scholars will complete narration, copy work, and dictation exercises by using passages from the book A Child’s Geography of the World. We will also review interjections, synonyms and antonyms, conjunctions, and reinforce quotations. Scholars will also review the four types of sentences.

Math: Scholars will review and practice concepts from our 2-D and 3-D shapes unit before taking an assessment on Wednesday. We will then explore heuristics problem solving, and then end the week with a review and assessment of addition facts on Friday.

History: In history, we will continue learning about immigration and citizenship by recognizing the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom, exploring Ellis Island to understand the process immigrants took to come to America, and learning about the different jobs immigrants had once in America.

Literature: Scholars will continue reading Charlotte’s Web, chapters 11-14. We will practice summarizing by composing a newspaper article, identify character talents, and learn about personification. Please sign up to volunteer for Reading Groups!

Science: Scholars will finish our unit on simple machines with an assessment on Thursday, April 27^th. Please help them prepare by using the green study guide at home. We will then begin our unit on magnetism with scholars identifying what magnets are and which objects magnets are attracted to. Our classroom caterpillars are undergoing tremendous changes within their chrysalides. The scholars are waiting expectantly for what will come next!

Enjoy a marvelous weekend,

The 2^nd Grade Team

Second Grade Newsletter 4.14.23

 Dates:

April 18: Civil War Assessment

April 27: Simple Machines Assessment

May 5: No school

May 8: “Lincoln” recitation due

May 17: Fine Arts Night

Conversation Starters: 

How have our classroom caterpillars changed? What do you expect to happen next?

What does Wilbur think about the way Charlotte gets her food?

How many sides does a pentagon have? How many vertices does it have?

Give a synonym for “cold”. What is an antonym?

What is the difference between “guessed” and “guest”?

What was Clara Barton’s nickname?

Reminders:

Friday Folders – Expect your child’s Friday Folder to come home most Fridays. Check through your student's Friday Folder papers. Sign and return the papers that are stamped (usually assessments), keep the other papers at home, sign the inside of the folder, and send it back to school with your child the next school day.

Reading Logs – Students receive a homework completion grade for their Reading Logs. Each day must be signed by a parent or adult. We prefer that the student fill out the rest of the log. These are due weekly. If your child doesn’t turn in their Reading Log when it’s due, make sure they turn it in the next school day in order to receive half credit. Diligence with Reading Logs is an important skill that is also expected in 3^rd grade.

Next Week's Academics:

Math: 

Students will continue to learn about shapes. Students will learn names and attributes of 2-D and 3-D shapes. Students will also practice partitioning 2-D rectangles into equal squares.

Grammar/Writing: 

Scholars will complete narration and copy work exercises by using excerpts from a poem called, “The Duel.” They will continue to learn to recognize and use synonyms and antonyms. Scholars will receive their next poem, “Lincoln,” on Monday. Recitations will be due on May 8^th.

Literature:

We will continue Charlotte’s Web with chapters 6-10. Scholars will practice identifying main events and character descriptions. We will also discuss the idiom, “back to the drawing board.”

Spalding: 

We will have a normal week of Spalding words. Scholars will now have 5 words in cursive and 5 words in manuscript on Monday through Wednesday.

History:

Students brought home their Study Guide as well as a Lee/Grant Venn diagram. Please review these with them so they are prepared for their Civil War assessment on Tuesday, April 18^th. We will review in class on Monday as well. Later in the week, we will begin our unit on immigration. On Thursday, scholars will bring home a “My Family’s Story” packet along with a letter regarding this project. Please read the information and if you have any questions, please contact your scholar’s teacher.

Science:

Our caterpillars grew quickly and are now moving into position to form chrysalides. The students are very excited about their development! This week we will learn about pulleys. Scholars will complete their simple machines study guides for home study use.

We hope you enjoy a lovely weekend.

Warm Regards,

The Second Grade Team

Second Grade Newsletter 4.6.23

 

Greetings parents and guardians,

 

Dates:

April 12: Data Analysis Test

April 18: Civil War Assessment

May 5: No school

May 17: Concert

 

Conversation Starters: 

What happens when Wilbur escapes?

Tell me about Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.  Why were they important to the Civil War?

What is a fulcrum?

Fill in the blanks: I like to ride my bike ___________ the _______________. Which word is the preposition?

 

Next Week's Academics:

Math: 

Students will review types of graphs and will take a test covering data analysis on Wednesday. Our next unit will cover geometry and students will start by recalling different shapes and reviewing 2-D shapes.

Grammar/Writing: 

Scholars will listen to excerpts from “The Story of the Greeks” during Writing With Ease lessons and will complete class summaries and copy work. In grammar, we will learn about synonyms and review prepositions.

Literature:

We will read chapters 4 and 5 this coming week. We will discuss figurative language, such as the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover," and students will learn to recognize the main points of the chapters.  We will also discover a new friend for Wilbur. (Charlotte!) If your child does not have their Charlotte’s Web book at school yet, please send it with them Monday.

Spalding: 

Scholars will write 4 words in cursive each day of new word dictation. Currently, we are working on correctly connecting our cursive letters.

History:

We will continue to discuss the two generals, Lee and Grant. We will also learn about Clara Barton, an important female figure of the Civil War. Students will bring home their Study Guide on Thursday; please review with them so they are prepared for their assessment on Tuesday, April 18^th.

Science:

Next week, we will continue our study of levers, and then learn about wheels and axles and gears.

 

We hope you have a marvelous long weekend!

 

Warm Regards,

The Second Grade Team