There's a wonderful way we begin each school day and it's called Morning Meeting! Morning Meeting usually takes between fifteen and twenty minutes. Each morning, we gather in a circle. We begin by greeting each other. Every day, your child hears his or her name spoken by a classmate in a friendly and cheerful manner. Next is sharing. There are five goals of sharing. Students will develop and practice the skills of caring communication, such a empathetic listening, to help children know others and be known, to encourage habits of inquiry, to give opportunities for children to practice speaking in a strong individual voice, and finally to develop children's vocabulary and language skills. After sharing, there is an activity for the whole class. We might sing or recite a poem or play a game. The activity time helps the class feel united as a group, reinforces academic skills, and helps the children learn how to cooperate and solve problems. Finally, we read the morning message chart, which helps students think about the day ahead. Sometimes, I use this time teach a reading, punctuation, or math skill. Every day, Morning Meeting lets children know that school is a safe place where all children's feelings and ideas are important. We'd love to have you visit a Morning Meeting. You'll see for yourself why we're so excited about this start to our day.
We wrapped up our Peter Reynolds author study by reading Rose's Garden and The North Star. In Rose's Garden, Rose plants flower seeds in a neglected corner and waits patiently for them to grow. In The North Star, Peter Reynolds encourages readers to observe, to wonder, and to consider taking a new path - to pursue their dreams. Students created their own flowers and stars which will be added to a second grade hallway garden display.
Our first unit in Reading Workshop is titled Second-Grade Reading Growth Spurt. Students are learning that growing up doesn't just mean getting taller; it also means growing to be stronger readers. Stronger readers make lots of decisions as they read; they decide how their reading will sound, how much they will read, and how to make sure their reading makes sense. This week we practiced building our reading stamina. We were able to read independently for 25 minutes each day this week!
Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~Before you speak...THINK (Is it true? helpful? inspiring? necessary? kind?
~Wonderous Word Jar
~3 ways writers get ideas for stories
~Changing the background on Chromebooks
~Count & Compare Two's
Have a great weekend!
Katie
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