This week our class learned all about contractions.  To help them better understand the concept, they became surgeons and performed surgery on words.  For example, the students took two words such as do not.  They removed the o from not and bandaged them back together.  This left them with the word don’t with a bandage as an apostrophe.  Be sure to ask your child what words they operated on at school.

Most of our Flat Stanleys have returned and it has been so exciting to read about all of his adventures. He has traveled all around the world and has been to many different urban, suburban, and rural communities.  Our students have been able to learn so much about the world from this activity.  Thank you for your cooperation and support.

This week we are reading non-fiction stories in Language Arts.  Feel free to pick up a non-fiction story to read at home with your child.  Make sure to ask about all the non-fiction text features we discussed in class.

Spring MAP testing will be:

Math- Wednesday , April 25

Reading – Wednesday, May 2

It is so exciting to see all of the wonderful places Stanley has visited.  He been to rural Wisconsin, the suburbs of New York City, and even right here in downtown Chicago.  He has gone  from coast to coast and comes back with exciting stories to tell.  We can’t wait to see where else he has been.  Hopefully all the Stanleys  will return by this Friday, March 16.  The children are so excited when their Stanley has returned.

Welcome Home,  Stanley!

This past Wednesday, February 29, 2012 was Leap Day. The second graders had a great day participating in various Leap Day activities in each classroom.   In Ms. Koerber’s room, they read Leopold’s Long Awaited Leap Year Birthday and asked questions about the story.  In Mrs. Greenberg’s  classroom, they discussed the number 4 and things that come in 4’s.  They also skip counted by 4’s on a 200’s chart.  In Ms. Levin’s room, the students thought about where they would be on the next Leap Day and wrote a paragraph about what they would be doing. In my classroom,  the students made frogs out of paper bags and construction paper.  All in all they had a great time!

Our Flat Stanley project is underway.  We are hoping to get more pictures in everyday.  If you have not yet sent out your Flat Stanley, please do so as soon as possible.  We are beginning to receive some back and are hoping that all will return safely by March 16, 2012.

Happy travels to Flat Stanley!  Looking forward to seeing where you have been.

Happy Valentine’s Day to All!

Thank you so much for sending in the yummy treats.  We will enjoy them this afternoon when we have our class party.  Everyone has red on and it looks awesome!

Just a reminder about the school schedule for this week:

Wednesday , February 15 – Noon Dismissal.  Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thursday ,February 16 – Noon Dismissal.  Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday,  February 17 – No School for the children – Institute Day for Teachers

Monday, February 20 – No School – President’s Day

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  Thank you for your support.

Warmest regards,

Sara Bader

This evening the second grade class did a fantastic performance for their family and friends.  I am so proud of everyone.  The show was amazing – thank you to all of the parents for their support and wonderful children!

Since the beginning of January, the class has been busy learning various reading strategies and center expectations.   The whole grade has been working on implementing “The Daily Five”  into our classrooms. This program fosters literacy independence in elementary classrooms. Students are learning how to “Read to Someone” while checking for comprehension. They are also focusing on “Listen to Reading,”  “Work on Writing,” and “Word Work.” The students are gaining more independence in their reading abilities as they “Read to Self.” A huge factor in the success of The Daily Five is reading “just right” books.   The success of each student in reading is to find the just right books and I believe we have made great strides in this area..  We have begun implementing this program in our guided reading block and I am happy to report it is wonderful.  The children are engaged and wonderful learning is taking place.
This week in Language Arts we are reading Annie’s Gifts, a realistic fiction story about a young girl trying to find out her special gift, which is different from her siblings.  The Daily Five Centers will be utilized during guided reading instruction.  There will be a spelling test, as well as a grammar, phonics, and skill test on setting this Friday.
In Math, we are working our way through Unit 3. Students will learn how to play Collect 50 cents.  Later in the week we will investigate place value.  Rocket Math will continue as always.
In science, the class will wrap up our electricity unit and begin our second social studies unit after conferences..

** Parent-Teacher Conferences       February 15 and 16
This is a half day for students.  Dismissal is at noon.
No school for students – February 17(Friday)  and February 20(Monday)

Please continue to dress your child for the weather.  It has been a mild winter, but the playground can still be very cold and wet.

Best regards,

Sara Bader

Happy New Year to all!  I hope you enjoyed Winter Break, even though there was no snow.  What a mild winter we are having!  I hope for the children that we get snow.  They would LOVE it!

We are back in full swing of second grade!  Vacation is over and we are all working hard.  Back to spelling contracts, reading logs, and rocket math!  Routines are wonderful~

In Language Arts, we are reading the non-fiction story Rainforest Babies. This is a non-fiction story about rainforest animals.  The students will become aware of  non-fiction components – diagrams, captions, headings, and other features found in non-fiction books.  There will be a spelling test on Friday and the spelling contract is due Thursday.

We are learning various reading strategies and center expectations.  The class in the early implementation stages of “The Daily Five” which fosters literacy independence in elementary classrooms.   Students are learning how to “Read to Someone” while checking for comprehension.  We are also focusing on “Listen to Reading” and “Work on Writing”.  The students are gaining more independence in their reading and abilities.  A huge factor in the success of The Daily Five is reading “just right” books.

In Math, we have begun Unit 3.  This unit revisits addition and subtraction story problems.  The strategy that is being learned is how to break apart the numbers (tens and ones) and add them together.  Please ask you child how to solve a problem.  As always, three parts are necessary in answering the problems – a number equation, showing their work, and a label to answer the question.

In science, we are experimenting with magnets!  Ask the children about fishing and if a magnetic force can travel through water.  I hope you enjoy the pictures of their ’static’ balloons.

REMINDERS:

Monday, January 16, 2012 – No school – Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 – No school for students – Contract Day

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 – Winter MAP testing – Reading

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 – Winter MAP testing – Math

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 – Second Grade Program 6:15 p.m.

As always, thank you for your support~

Sara Bader

I would like to wish all of you a very happy holiday season.  Enjoy your children – they are all very special.

I hope you take the time to listen to their favorite Winter Memory podcast.

Winter Memories

Looking forward to next year.

Warmest Regards,

Sara Bader