SWR Week 5

Hot Shot All-Star Lunch 9.25

On Friday we had our Hot Shot All-Star lunch.  Students who earn a Hot Shot All-Star lunch eat with Ms. LaRose and enjoy a special healthy treat. To earn a Hot Shot All-Star you need to be a Hot-Shot four weeks in a row.  Students become a Hot-Shot when they hand in their homework and go all week without taking a break OR if they take a break they lived their plan through. These students worked very hard for the past month!

Our Week in Review 9.21 - 9.25

W.A.L.T. Board

We have a new whiteboard in our classroom that we quickly put to you.  This new whiteboard is our W.A.L.T. board.  W.A.L.T. stands for We Are Learning To ….  For each subject the objective of the lesson is then written next to it.  For examples yesterday in math we were learning to use the <.>, = symbols to record comparisons of numbers.  The W.A.L.T. board is used to help students better understand the learning objective of each lesson.  In addition, I will be tweeting a picture of each day’s W.A.L.T. board so you can ask your child specific questions about what they learned to do each day. 

Kindness Bubbles

When you first walk into our classroom you would notice our kindness bubbles.  Kindness bubbles are used by students and adults in our classrooms. When someone notices someone else doing a random act of kindness that person writes down what they saw. The kindness bubbles have helped us to recognize when others are doing kind acts.  It is also a great way for peers to be reward for their random acts which makes for a safe and caring classroom community! When a student sees a random act of kindness they write down what they saw on one of the bubbles. Once our kindness bubbles are full we read them aloud as a class.  After all the random acts of kindness have been read they are erased and we start all over again. Below are our kindness bubbles from this week. 

Our Week in Review 9.14 - 9.18

Our First Mystery Skype

Yesterday we had a very exciting day in second grade.  We had our first "Mystery Skype" of the school year. Well, actually we had two Mystery Skypes in one Day! At 9:00 we joined our buddies from Ms. Warren's class and the room was filled with excitement! We skyped with Ms. Vela’s 2^nd grade class located somewhere unknown to us. The goal of our Mystery Skype was to ask yes/no questions to help us determine what state Ms. Vela’s class was located in. Based on the answers to our questions, we figured out that Ms. Vela’s class is located in Texas!  This afternoon we skyped with Ms. Fransworth 2^nd grade class.  After asking yes/no questions we found out their second grade class is located in Oregon.  We learned interesting information about each state.  In Texas they are famous for BBQ and in Oregon they have the deepest lake in the United States. Below are some photographs from yesterday's Mystery Skype. For more information about Mystery Skyping click here.  

Character Unit -- What We Know About Characters

Today we began our unit of study on Characters. As a class we discussed what we know about characters and what characters we know from books, movies, TV shows, etc. Below is a list of our brainstorm.

Dot Day

Today  we celebrated International Dot Day in our classroom.  We started off the day by reading the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds.  As a class we discussed the “big idea” of the book – never give up! After the Read Aloud each student colored in their own dot.  It was wonderful to see students working together, placing their dots on the floor, open the Quiver app and watched their Dot come to life (3-D).  Students then (with the help of a buddy) took a screen shot of their 3-D dot and uploaded the photograph of their 3-D dot to their own blog!  What amazing 2^nd graders!!  

 Next week we are going to connect with classrooms all over the world and comment on their dots.  For more information on International Dot Day click here.  We can’t wait to comment and learn about other classrooms thanks to International Dot Day!  Click here to see our dots! Student will need to log in using their 8 digit birthday password. 

SWR Week 3

This week our SWR skill is reviewing short vowels.  Today in SWR we reviewed what each short vowels says and then brainstormed lists of words with short vowels in them.  Below are some examples of our work today in SWR. 

Our Week in Review

Mystery Number Skype

On Friday, our friends from Ms. Warren's class joined us and we had our first Mystery Number Skype post! We Skyped with Mrs. King’s 2nd grade class in Indiana. Instead of trying to figure out what state Mrs. King’s class was in, we were trying to figure out their mystery number! In addition, Mrs. King’s class was trying to figure out our mystery number. Our mystery number was 38. To figure out Mrs. King’s class’ mystery number we asked a variety of yes/no questions. Some of the questions we asked were:

Is your number odd?
Is your number greater than 50?
Is your number a multiple of 5?
Does your number have a 9 in the ones place value?
Does your number have a 3 in the tens place value?

Every student had a 100s chart and marked off numbers on their hundreds chart when Mrs. King’s class answered one of our questions. After a lot of hard work and collaboration we figured out Mrs.King’s class mystery number was 22! We are planning on scheduling more Mystery Number Skypes this year!

 

SWR Week 2: Hard and Soft G and C

This week our SWR (spelling, writing, reading) skill focuses on hard and soft letters (particularly the letter g and c) We learned that a soft c takes the sound of the letter s and a hard c takes the sound of the letter k. A soft g takes the sound of the letter j and a hard g takes the sound of the letter g. During our lesson we sorted various words based on if they had a hard or soft letter. Below are a few videos of us sorting words.


 

Our Week in Review 8.31 - 9.4

ABCs of 2nd Grade

ABCs of Ms. LaRose’s 2nd Grade

2015 – 2016

A

Arrival - School begins promptly at 8:10 a.m. Students arriving before that time need to report to the back playground.  Students must be in the classroom by 8:10 to avoid being counted tardy. If your child arrives after 8:10 please be sure to sign them in at the front desk so that they are not counted absent.  If your child is going to be absent please call Sheila in the front office at 264 - 5920.

B

Birthdays - Birthday treats are welcome (please follow the healthy birthday treat policy). Your child will be allowed to share them during our snack time (at the end of the day).  Please do not send birthday invitations to school unless there is an invitation for every child.

Classroom Blog - Our classroom blog is: http://larose2ndgrade.blogspot.com/ (click here to be directed to the classroom blog). The classroom blog is a great way to stay connected and to learn about what your child is doing in school. The classroom blog contains photographs from each week, classroom news, important dates and educational sites your student uses in school.

Student Blogs - Each student in our classroom has their own blog!  The link to student blogs is: http://kidblog.org/LaRose2ndGrade/ (click here to be directed).

C

Communication - One thing I enjoy about teaching (besides, of course, the students) is the relationships I have built with parents.  The best way to contact me is via email.  My email address is: natalie.larose@colchestersd.org .  I will make every effort to get back to you within 24 hours.

Conferences - We have two scheduled parent-teacher conferences over the course of the school year.  However, I am happy to meet with you at any time to discuss your child's progress or any concerns you may have. We can also hold phone conferences.   Just send me an email or note to set up a time.

D

Dismissal - School ends at 2:45 each day.  If there is any change in where your child should go after school or their method of transportation please send in a note or call the front office.

E

Email -  Email is my preferred method of communication because of the quick turn-around. If you have an Email address that you check regularly please provide it to me to maximize our communication.

F

Folder – In an attempt to “go green”, each Monday I will be sending out an email with attached fliers/notes from the week.  Information that needs to be completed by parents will be sent home in your student’s Homework Folder (on Monday). If you would prefer a paper copy of the notices to be sent home in addition to the Email please let me know.  

G

Grading - All report card grades are based on year-end standards. Regular progress reports will be sent home to parents.

H

Homework – Homework will be sent home on Monday night in your child's Homework Folder.  Homework needs to be returned on Friday.  Each week your child will receive a math packet.  Your child should complete one page a night; each page should take no more than 10 minutes.  Students are also expected to read for 10 minutes a night and complete a Reading Log.  If your child needs the weekend to complete their homework or something came up and your child didn't get a chance to finish their homework, no problem!  Just send in a note.

I

Independence – Independence is a goal for students in 2nd grade because it builds self-esteem. 2nd graders are very capable of doing work on their own, and I will encourage them to do so in the classroom.  Your support at home regarding independence in doing homework would be beneficial.

J

Journals – We love to write in 2nd grade.  Journals are used in science as Science Notebooks.  The 2nd grade science curriculum provides students with real life scientist experiments and their notebooks are a wonderful way to document their new learnings and experiments.

K

Keep Reading - Please encourage your child to keep reading.  Students need to read each night for at least 10 minutes, but encouraging them to read more will go a long way. Reading to your child is a wonderful way for students to be introduced to new vocabulary and work on comprehension.

L

Lunch and Lunch Money – We have lunch each day from 12:25 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.  You can access your child's lunch account by going to www.mylunchmoney.com to check their balance or to add funds.   

Library - We have library on Tuesday.  Every Tuesday your child will check out a book to take home for that week.  Please be sure your student returns their library book each Tuesday so they can check out a new book.

M

Money – Please make sure that any money sent to school is in an envelope or baggie with a note telling me what the money is for (field trip, lunch money, photographs, etc.)

N

News- For the most up-to-date news from our classroom please subscribe to our classroom blog.  For information that is time sensitive I will send an Email to parents/guardians directly.

0

Open Door - You are always welcome to come into the classroom.  Whether that is in the form of reading, helping out with a project, sharing a special treat or sharing your expertise on a topic.

Our Week In Review: Each week I compile photographs from the week to create an “Our Week In Review” video.  This video will be available on the classroom blog.

P

Physical Education - We have Physical Education on Tuesday and Wednesday each week.  For your child’s safety, please make sure s/he wears gym shoes on these days. On non-PE days, we go outside for recess, so if your child likes to run or play on the playground equipment, it would be beneficial for them to wear sneakers daily.

Q

Questions - Instead of asking your child, “What did you do in school today?” ask, “What book did you read during independent reading?” or “What did you learn in math?” or “Tell me what you wrote about during Writing Workshop!” Show that you’re interested, and ask specific questions. Most likely, your child will respond positively and more openly.  

R

Report Cards – Report cards are sent home every nine weeks. Please be sure to sign and return the envelope that your child’s report card is sent home in.

S

Snack – We have breakfast each morning from 8:25 - 8:45 and a full snack at 2:30.   When healthy snack choices are made, they provide the nutrients and calories kids need for growth, good health and energy to get through the day. Please pack your child a healthy snack to enjoy on a daily basis.  

Snack Share - Each day during math we have a working snack.  The food provided during the working snack is part of our classroom “snack share”.  Snack share is made possible by families donating a small snack to our classroom at the beginning of the month.  By everyone having the same snack it promotes less distraction during our working time in math.  Items that I appreciate families bringing in for snack share are: granola bars, peanut butter and crackers, goldfish, animal crackers, cheeze-its.

T

Toys – Please be sure your child does not bring toys into school.  Toys can be distracting and can cause conflicts if they get lost. If your child would like to bring in a toy to share during Morning Meeting I will keep it in a “safe place” throughout the day and give it back to your child at the end of the day.

U

Unique - I believe each child has unique learning differences; therefore, I may be providing instruction to your child that may be different than their peers. What is fair does not always mean equal.

V

VOLUNTEERS and VISITORS – Volunteers and visitors are welcome!  There are many opportunities for you to be involved in the classroom this year. If you would like to volunteer please see me for a “Calling all Volunteers” sheet.  When you arrive at school to volunteer or visit, please sign in at the office and pick up a badge before coming to the classroom. This policy is for the safety of our children. Before anyone can volunteer in the classroom they need to complete a Volunteering Sheet (click here).  This sheet will be sent home in the “1st day of school packet”.

W

WATER BOTTLES – Please feel free to have your child bring a water bottle to class. I prefer the reusable, aluminum water bottles with tight fitting lids (fewer spills). Please encourage your child to bring their water bottle home regularly to wash it.

WISH LIST – We have various supplies that need to be replenished throughout the school year.  These items are on the on the classroom Wish List and can be viewed on our classroom blog.

X, Y, Z

It is EXCEPTIONALLY important for your child to have a successful second grade YEAR. I will do my best to make learning fun and exciting – you can expect a lot of growth in so many different areas. The 2015-2016 school year will ZOOM by!

Writing Workshop: Personal Narratives & What We Can Write About

On Monday we began our first Writing Workshop unit of study: Personal Narratives. The first part of this unit focuses on studying the masters for inspiration and ideas. The second part of the unit is on Author’s Crafts: studying imagery, tension and literary language in Owl Moon. The unit wraps up with students studying their own authors. Our first lesson focused on discovering small moments that generate ideas for writing. Students learned that not just any story is worth telling – but meaningful stories stand out. As a class we read the first page in Owl Moon and The Leaving Morning. We discussed how in Owl Moon the author, Jane Yolen, felt that the one small moment when her husband and daughter went on an owling trip was worth sharing. We also discussed how The Leaving Morning is an unusual way to describe a moving day. Many students agreed that Angela Johnson, author of The Leaving Morning, most likely has moved in her real life. We wrapped up the lesson with students brainstorming small moments from their lives that are worth writing about. Below are the stories we brainstormed.

playing with my sister

going to South Carolina

going to Florida

going to the fair

going to Pizza Putt

how I got Stella

seeing my friends at the fair

going to New Hampshier

going to Maine

my birthday

going to Mass.

going to the bumper cards

going to Skateland

going to the Cape

my little sister’s birthday

going to the haunted train

going to Turks and Caicos

having my birthday

playing with my brothers

First Library Class!

Today we had our first library class with our new librarian, Mrs. B. We learned that we can checkout 2 books at the worm computer! We also decorated our library cards. Mrs. B read the book, I.Q. Goes to the Library to us. We learned about how we can find a variety of books in our library. After we checked out our books we all found a cozy spot in the library and shared our books with each other.