Hello Second Grade Families,

This week we will have our first emergency practice drill. You have already received an e-mail from the Office notifying you of the date and time. Right before and immediately after, you will receive another set of e-mails. Please take some time this week to discuss with your son/daughter what to do in the event of an emergency. This way, we are all prepared and on the same page.

In class, we are busy as ever!

Math: We continue our unit on addition and subtraction facts, now turning our attention to strategies and shortcuts. The students have already learned the “turnaround rule” and the +9 shortcut. Next we will focus on addition strategies that use doubles facts, subtraction from addition and fact families. On Tuesday, I will be sending home a sheet with fact family flashcards for you to practice at home at your leisure. Is is not homework that should be turned in so much as an extra resource for your studies.

For homework, please complete the following IXL skills:

K.3 Fact Families

E.14 Complete the addition sentence

E.16 Balance addition equations

Word Work:  The students continue to make steady progress in their spelling and word work groups. As you practice this week, keep in mind that the goal of our spelling program is not memorization but rather for students to be able to spell other, similar words by applying the spelling rule. One great way to study is to sort your words by common features ~ vowel sounds, spelling, etc. This is primarily how we practice in class. Our next test is scheduled for Friday.

Reading: Yesterday we talked about how to be flexible when approaching tough words. Students should be able to use more than one strategy at a time. The rest of the week will be dedicated to reading beginnings and endings in a snap as well as the middle. Finally, we will discuss strategies for figuring out brand-new words. As you read with your child at home, ask him/her what strategies are being employed to get through those tough words. Resist the urge to just tell your son or daughter the word. Instead, encourage them to use the tools in their toolboxes!

For fluency, please make sure that you are practicing your passage every night. It only takes a minute and is time well spent. Many students feel ready to tackle harder books, but their fluency and accuracy bogs them down. Repeated reads with a grown-up working side-by-side is a great way to build these very necessary reading skills.

Writing: We continue to mine mentor texts for craft moves. This week is all about revising in meaningful ways. As you read together, take some time to notice parts of a text that are especially moving or powerful. Maybe they are funny, sad or playful. Discuss how the author does this and how student writers can do the same! “How could you do something like this in your writing?”

Science: Our class garden is well underway! We are growing broccoli, radishes, carrots and sunflowers in the kinder yard as well as lima beans in the classroom. The students have begun to take “field notes” as we record our observations, too! This week we will return to the science lab for an exercise in observation as applied to fruit.

Religion: This week we will finish the family life unit with lessons on community. We will discuss connections with our families large and small as well as parish families, too.

Have a great week!

Best,

Ms. Espinosa