Showtime!

Well kids, it's almost showtime. So your teachers put together a little song and a dance for you to get us all into the spirit. Now sit back and enjoy!

Singing Teachers

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dancing Teachers

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Combinations Club News

This year, we will be focusing on becoming fluent with addition combinations up to 10+10. In second grade, students learn these combinations over the course of the year. Combination sets include:

• Make Ten - combinations of 10 with two numbers (ex.: 8 + 2)
• Plus 1 - any number plus one (ex.: 1 + 8)
• Plus 2 - any number plus two (ex.: 3 + 2)
• Doubles - any number plus itself (ex.: 5 + 5)
• Near Doubles - any number close to a double (ex.: 5 + 6)
• Plus 10 - any number added to 10 (ex.: 3 + 10)
• Plus 9 - any number added to 9 (ex.: 3 + 9)

Students will learn these combinations through frequent and repeated practice. In school, we will be playing various games that help students learn particular combinations. Students will play some of these games for homework, such as Plus 1 or 2 Bingo and Make 10.


We will also be using “Combinations Cards” to help students practice. In addition to using combinations frequently, students will focus on the numbers and relationships involved. That way, if students forget combinations, they can still solve the problem quickly and efficiently. For example, as a clue to help solve 5 + 8, your child might write, “think 5 + 5 + 3”.

When your child has mastered a set of Combinations Club cards, a new set will be sent home. Please add the new set of cards to the previous set of cards, and keep practicing. Write any clues on the front of the cards that may help remember the combinations. Along with that, your child will get to sign his/her name onto the Combinations Club Graffitti Wall. So go ahead and ask your child which brick he/she has signed thus far.

What's All This About Sorting Words

Sorting words as a way to learn how to spell might be new for some and for others, a routine assignment that has been practiced by your child since the beginning of the Kindergarten. We would like to share with you the hows and whys of sorting words in hopes that you will support your child at home with their word study.



WHAT IS IT
Word sorts are highly effective in teaching students to find patterns that make decoding easier. Word sorts are used extensively to teach concepts from elementary word families to more sophisticated language concepts. Word sort exercises enable students to more easily recognize word families, which helps in decoding new words with similar patterns. (Source http://www.literacyconnections.com/WordsTheirWay.php)

Students are engaged in hands-on learning activities involving a select group of words that follow certain spelling patterns, or rules. By analyzing and grouping these words in different ways, students should begin to develop an understanding of the rules of spelling for the English language.

HOMEWORK RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Demonstrate an ability to sort words into word families by identifying word patterns
2. Practice reading words in the word family sort accurately and fluently
3. Spell words in the word family sort correctly
4. Record your sorts
5. Find the patterns within the word by, first, finding the vowels. Look at the consonants around the vowels to identify patterns. For instance, this week’s pattern is CVC. (C = Consonant, V = Vowel, C = Consonant)
6. Word Chunks: Find the word chunk in your word (if there is one). If you can spell that word, what other words can you spell—using that same letter pattern? Write them down. Do this for each of your words. (e.g., “bat” – cat, hat, sat, acrobat)
7. Sort the words by phonics- short a, short e, etc.
8. Word Frames: Draw a letter frame around each letter in your word. Pay attention to the tall letters, short letters and letters with tails.
9. Acrostic Spelling: Write your words in one column. On the lines next to them, write words that start with each letter in your word. (For example: shoe = sale, hat, old, end)
10. Word Building: Take the root word of your word and add prefixes and/or suffixes to the word to build a new word. (For example: write: overwrite, writing, writer, writes, rewrite, etc.)
11. Make a set of flashcards to help study your words.
12. Write your words using one color for vowels and another color for consonants.
13. Write each word in special letters. (Bubbly, squiggly, block, etc.)
14. Write a letter to a friend using all of your words.
15. Write a rhyming word for each word.
16. Design a bookmark and write your list of words on the bookmark.
17. Write your words inside different shapes.
18. Classify words using parts of speech.
19. Put your words into question or exclamation sentences. (One word per sentence) Watch your punctuation!
20. Write each word neatly in cursive 2 times (Only after we have learned all the cursive letters
21. Write your words 3 times each
22. Write your words in alphabetical order
23. Write your words in reverse alphabetical order
24. Illustrate your words (write the word under the picture)
25. Divide your words into syllables
26. Rainbow write your words (please use colored pencils)
27. Get CREATIVE! Create a way to practice your words and bring us proof!

Happy sorting!

Open House

What an awesome open house we had this year. The turn out was fantastic and the students had a wonderful time showing off their work. Thank you for coming!
Mrs. Chant, Mrs. Wallace, & Ms. Hawas

First Week of School

Wow! What an amazing first week of school we had. On the very first day, upon entering the building, the students were greeted by the sounds of live string music in the foyer. The day was filled with activities that included an assembly with music by KTG Musical Entertainment. This was followed by a school tour and a reintroduction to the rituals and routines that help us succeed.

As the week continued, new students to our school fostered friendships and returning students became reacquainted with old pals. Without skipping a beat, the students seamlessly jumped into showing off their knowledge by completing a math and science diagnostic. These results will be used to guide our instruction. We were also joined by Ms. Hawas, from the University of North Florida. She will be joining our instructional team for a few months.

The week ran smoothly due in part to the help and support of our extraordinary room mom, Mrs. Van Der Snick. She has been alongside of us not just this week, but most of the summer, helping us with anything and everything to make this the best year ever for our students. We so love and appreciate you and are very grateful.

Mrs. Wallace, Ms. Hawas and I have had an amazing first week with all of our students and are so excited about this year.

Want to see what we have been up to? Check out the pictures below and if you wish to leave a comment, please DO NOT sign your name. You may add your initials, however.

Welcome Back Super Stars!

We can not wait to see all of you tomorrow morning. The day promises to be full of fun and exciting events.

Props Needed For An All-Star Show

Hello second grade super stars! We hope that you are enjoying your summer holiday. While you're enjoying the sun and fun, keep in mind that it's just about time to do some shopping for school supplies. Several of the items listed on this year's supply list will be on sale soon so check the newspaper or Internet for weekly sales. We do ask that you purchase all school supplies, as soon as possible. If you are unable to purchase school supplies, please let us know as soon as possible. Please do not label any of the supplies with your child’s name as they will be part of community supplies.

All of the supplies can be brought to school as early as the morning of our orientation on August 21st, at 8:00 A.M. Items may be deposited in the labeled baskets that will be set up in the hallway right outside of our classroom so that we can begin to prepare student folders over the weekend.

Second Grade Supply List - Each child should bring:

• 2 packs wide-ruled notebook paper
• 2 packs sharpened pencils
• 6 three prong, 2 pocket solid color PLASTIC folders in the following colors: orange, red, green, yellow, purple and blue (Plastic folders are available at Target for $.77 & Walmart for $1.50)
• 2 packs white copy paper 8 1/2 x 11
• 2 black and white composition notebooks
• 2 packs of glue sticks
• 2 highlighters
• 1 pack of 16 or 24 crayons
  
• 1 fabric recycle bag
  

Boys – box of tissues, hand sanitizer, gallon size Zip-Lock baggies, 8160 and 8163 labels (Both available at Office Depot)

Girls – hand soap, non-bleach wipes, page or sheet protectors (Office Depot), quart size Zip-Lock baggies

Optional Teacher Wish List:
Card stock 8 1/2 x 11
Index cards
Post-It notes
Black sharpies

Well, that's all for now but stay tuned for more exciting updates!