Welcome!

Welcome!

This blog will be your source for classroom information, quick links, and
fun posts about our day. I will always send an email when there is a new
post to read.
I hope you enjoy and find it useful.


Thank you!

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Another fun week!

Reading Workshop-we are continuing to read series books with the choices being refreshed every week or so. Additionally we  are now reading independently.   To read independently a reader needs to be the boss of their own reading.  





There is a large selection of poetry books in the classroom.  
Reading poems makes us better writers of poems.


 


Speaking of poetry, our writing unit is going very well.


We experimented with different line breaks to create musicality in our poems.






One day we made lists of topics we could write about...

the next day with the help of a partner we zoomed in on those topics to get more specific.

 



  


Here are some works in progress:



Second Step-this week we focused on how we can control our anger when we are really upset.  Ask you child about this photo and the video we watched that tells the story.



When conflict happens and we get really upset we need to remember to stop, name our strong feeling and calm down before we act on our feelings.  We can be assertive with our words to solve the problem,  The person who we are speaking assertively to also has a job-they need to listen and help solve the problem.

Math-learning to subtract double digit numbers before using the traditional algorithm.  The algorithm will be taught in later grades.  In second grade we want children to learn strategies that build their sense of number and place value.

There are three strategies that we practice.  
Here is what they look like:









Four Winds-learning about animal tracks.
Thank you to our volunteers!



Big Change Round Up-thanks to all who helped out!

 









 

































Saturday, March 9, 2019

Welcome back!

We are starting a new writing unit on poetry.  
First we started off listing what we already know.
Then we began to practice seeing the world through our poet's eyes.   
Before we can write poems, we need to excercise this muscle.

 
 



Some mentor poems:




And our core ideas from this week:

More measuring work in math:



Fostering a Growth Mindset and Second Step go hand in hand!


When we are feeling anxious or nervous, we can stop, name our feelings and calm down.  
Learning to use positive self talk is an important step. 
The girl in this photo is nervous that her volcano project will not work.
Ask your child what she could say to herself in this moment. 

We made our own Positive Self Talk Shields that are hanging around the room just like our stop signs.  Whenever our thoughts go negative, we can turn them around!









 




If you haven't, read the Scholastic News with your child about this classic book.  
I learn something new every week when we read this amazing magazine.  
Huge thanks to the PTO for funding that for Michelle and I every year:)


Another birthday celebration: