Go Cats Go!

Dear Families,

We've had a wonderful week of learning in second grade.  This week we continued our unit of measurement by informally exploring the concept of proportions.  Using Jim and the Beanstalk, students used pictures of "giant" sized objects to measure other objects such as a rake, ladder, and door.

Wednesday's field trip to the UVM Women's Basketball game was a lot of fun.  The children were so well behaved and were great fans!   Children who attended the game were given a journal, courtesy of VSAC!

Today your child is bringing home their writing folder from our Nonfiction writing unit.  Inside you will find their published nonfiction book.  Enjoy looking through all the wonderful writing!

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~How Tall is the Giant's Door?
~Reading at a just-right pace
~Writing about more than one part of a book
~Our guest teacher, Miss McMorrow:)

I hope you all have a wonderful vacation.  See you in March!

Katie

Happy Hearts!

Dear Families,

Many thanks to all who contributed in some way to our Valentine's Day pancake breakfast!  It was a wonderful way to begin our Valentine's Day!

Wednesday, February 20th we will join all the other RMCS students and staff to attend the UVM Women's Basketball game.  We will be eating lunch at the basketball game, so please send your child with a lunch from home or they may purchase a bag lunch from the cafeteria. 

On Friday, March 8th the four second grade classes will attend Rosie Revere, Engineer at the Flynn Center.   Chaperones are not needed for this trip. 

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~Drinking mint tea in Farm to School
~Gathering new opinions by looking at pictures
~Capture the Clock
~Iris and Walter
~Using meaning to read fluently

Have a great weekend!

Katie

100 Days of Second Grade!

Dear Families,

It's hard to believe we have been in school for 100 days! 

Reading:  We began a new unit in Reader's Workshop.  This week the children learned strategies for building reading fluency. Reading with fluency is one of the most important skills for second-grade readers, because reading fluently helps you understand what you're reading.   Strategies that were taught were; reading aloud to help in-the-head reading voices, scooping up words into longer phrases, and reading dialogue tags to help read dialogue with expression.

Writing:  This week the children began writing opinions about our reading.  Students chose a character from a book they love, that they have a strong opinion about.  Then they

Math: This week students learned how inches, feet and yards are related and used yard strings to measure objects in the classroom that were about 1 yard, exactly 1 yard and longer than 1 yard.

Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  We will be celebrating by having a pancake breakfast and passing out valentine cards to classmates. If your child chooses to participate, there was a class list in their folder last week.  Please make sure they include one for every classmate.

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~A day in the life of a city child and country child in Japan
~Measuring in yards and Twelve Snails to One Lizard
~Quick facts in Number Corner

Have a great weekend!
Katie

Inches & Feet

Dear Families,

We had a slight case of cabin fever due to being inside so much this week, so hoping for warmer temperatures next week!  Thanks to all the acts of kindness completed this month, we filled our class Marky Mark jar!  Students are invited to bring in a toy (non electronic) from home, for a 'toy' celebration on Monday. 

This week we continued our measuring unit in math. We began the week by using non-standard units to measure distances and lengths in our classroom.  We read Jim & the Beanstalk and used giant feet to measure distance.  Then students cut a piece of string to match the circumference of their head.  Next, students used their head string to estimate the length of other objects around the classroom, and then measured each object with color tiles.  Students then made inchworm rulers and measured things in the classroom that were shorter than, longer than, and the same length as a foot.

We began our opinion writing unit this week by reading Stella Writes an Opinion.  The students learned how to state an opinion, two reasons that match their opinion and a closing.  If you received a letter from your child in their take home folder and would like to write back, that would be wonderful!

Our wonderful room mothers are planning a pancake breakfast for Valentine's Day!  If you are available to volunteer in the classroom from 7:45 - 9:00, please let me know!

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~Our class read aloud, Gooseberry Park
~Final character book project
~Habitat stations
~Susan Laughs and changing perspectives in Guidance

Have a great weekend!
Katie