"Let's do this!"
Week #7 October 8-12, 2018

What a fun week we had, and we love to learn!  "Let's do this!" became our theme this week as we tried new tasks, learned new information and completed our jobs as students.  One of our classmates said this on Monday morning and we hung on to it all week.  Here are some highlights:

Chromebooks:  We had an introduction to our typing program, Typing Quest, and eagerly began our steady work towards acquiring accurate, efficient keyboarding skills.  We also learned about Read/Write google tools to support our work in google docs as we type, dictate and listen to our own creative narratives.

Science:  We began our science unit on Matter to learn about solids, liquids and gases.  Next week, we'll test reversible and irreversible changes in matter.

Math:  We completed our Unit 1 math assessment that focused on addition and subtraction within 20, math fact strategies, odd/even numbers and beginning word problems.  Look for this assessment to come home soon with additional information.

Farm to School:  We learned about bees; what amazing creatures!  Here are some interesting facts we learned:

• Bees are responsible for pollinating 1/3 of the food we eat in the world.
• Bees are furry everywhere--even their eyeballs!
• Bees can smell in 2 different directions.
• Bees have an extra stomach for the purpose of carrying nectar.
• It takes 2 million flowers to make 1 jar of honey.

We were able to enjoy 2 foods thanks to Bees.  We sampled 2 different types of apples and honey with mindful eating. Here are some pictures of us enjoying the Blondies and Macintosh apples.

Finally, we made a pledge with Miss Meg:

I pledge to be:

The keeper of the bees;

To plant more natural plants and trees.

And to be kind and gentle

With my needs.

Fun Run:  We began Friday morning enjoying our whole-school fundraiser.  We cheered for grades K, 1 , 4 and 5 before we shared "the track" with grade 3.  What a fun way to enjoy our time together and work hard as a group!

Other things to ask your child about this week:

*Fire Safety session with SB Firefighters

*Using Fireflies as a mentor text to revise our writing to include precise words, comparisons, interesting font types and dialogue

*Guidance with Mrs. Wheeler using "the mat" to solve problems with peers

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Hock

Success All Around!
Week #6 October 1-5, 2018
We've had another fantastic week in room 14!  We were successful in many aspects of our 2nd grade world this week; so successful that we filled our Marky Mark bin for the third time and finished the week with a celebration.  We made slime!  Here's a picture of some students with a goofy face showing off their slime creation:

It was great to see so many families at Open House on Thursday evening.  The students were enthusiastic and independent as they shared their work with you.  They have been working hard, and it made me smile to see their pride as they showed the results of their efforts and toured our classroom.  Thank you for taking the time to visit our room.

Our 2nd grade assembly on Friday morning was also a success and we received great feedback from other teachers in our school.  The focus of our assembly was to share our Peter Reynolds author study and how it related to our R, M, C and S.  Each of the 60 second graders was able to participate in some aspect of this event.  Students chose to be a writer, reader, speaker, singer or leader to have a role in our assembly. 

Other things to ask your child about this week:
*Hyposthesizing, testing, observing and recording like a scientist with our ultra-violet beads
*Guidance lesson with Mrs. Wheeler about cooperation
*Math fact strategy sort
*Our second week of practicing word study routines
*Number Corner math about groups of 5 minutes and patterns in our calendar pieces (leaf types, leaf color, odd/even, orientation)

Enjoy the weekend!
Mrs. Hock

Readers Grow Like Beanstalks
Week #5 September 24-28, 2018

We enjoy reading and discovering books in our classroom library!  We officially began our first unit of reading entitled:  "Second Grade Reading Growth Spurt".  Research shows that second grade is an amazing period of growth for readers.  We are learning that now that we know how to read, we will grow stronger as readers and make many more decisions about our reading.  We learned to think about HOW we read texts, to give ourselves an introduction to books, and to read for meaning with a partner.  Did you hear that we read common text (There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly) in different ways?  We read the words as a song, as a reporter, as a sad person, and some of our peers used Italian and British accents!  Other objectives of this unit will include:  making sure our reading makes sense, and increasing our stamina.

Not only are we readers, we are writers as well.  We have many stories to tell!  Our objectives this week were related to how to get ideas for writing stories and how to plan our stories.  We know our best stories come from our own heart so we created "Heart Maps" of people, places and big feelings for topics and ideas for our narrative writing.  We also used inspiration from Stella Tells a Story to plan and organize our topic before we even begin writing.

Other things to ask your child about this week:
*google slides and google classroom
*Battling Bugs and Find the Difference math games
*the similarities and differences between 3 math models:  number racks, bead strings, number lines
*morning meeting activities:  Coseeki, Down by the Banks, Tossed Salad, Is There Another Way?
*Whole-school assembly led by 4th grade about Cooperation

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Hock

Welcome Chromebooks!
Week #4 September 17-21, 2018

We have our own chromebooks!  We are fortunate in SBSD to have 1:1 devices for students in grades 2-12.  Our beautiful, new chromebooks are not only touchscreen, but can also act like an ipad and fold on to themselves.  This week we learned all about the features of our devices by: completing a scavenger hunt, typing our own usernames & passwords, and bookmarking sites we'll use frequently.  We also altered personal settings and navigated parts of the keyboard.  Next week we'll learn about our google classroom and explore google slides.  Thank you for returning your child's "Chromebook Responsibility Agreement".

We completed our amazing author study of Peter H. Reynolds.  We read So Few of Me, Rose's Garden and The North Star.  We have thoroughly enjoyed his messages of hope, perseverance and appreciating one's own talents, and also his illustrations.  Our own art projects inspired by his work are equally inspiring!  We look forward to sharing them with you at Open House on October 4.  Look for the large 2nd grade display in our hallway.  Here are a few samples of our flowers and stars from this week as well as an image of us painting the background for our mural:

 

Other topics to ask your child about this week:

*Guidance with Mrs. Wheeler

*"Hot Blue Dude" and "I have, who has..."

*Math Menu (see the letter on green paper about Math Menu that went home in red folders today)

*Writing 2 true stories (Mrs. Hock wrote about when a horse fell on her and when she played hide 'n go seek in the neighborhood when she was in 2nd grade)

*Whole-school assembly about M for Mindful

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Hock

Meet Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss

Free event September 23, 2018 2:00!  Come meet these amazing children's book phenoms who have collaborated on a new picture book called Good Rosie!--Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss (a parent of an SB alum).  Use this link to register and find information about the event which includes a book signing.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-kate-dicamillo-harry-bliss-tickets-48896424522

International Dot Day
Week #3 September 10-14, 2018

Make your mark!  Happy International Dot Day!  Our Peter Reynolds author study continued this week, culminating in our celebration of Dot Day by embracing our own creativity and confidence, and enjoying the day with all 2nd graders at Oakledge Park.  We rotated through five stations with students from each of the classes to explore the treehouse, create art, listen to a story, play and work together.  We were able to capture a picture of our whole 2nd grade in front of City Market's moose mural (in honor of our mascot, Marky Moose), and also assembled as a human dot. Here are two pictures to share:  1) the 2nd grade classroom teachers wearing their Dot Day t-shirts and 2) an image of our human dot we made together (yes, there really are 60 children in that "dot").

You may also enjoy singing and watching The Dot Song by Peter Reynolds and Emily Arrow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_I43cxDQ-o

Book orders were sent home this week.  You are not required to purchase anything.  If you would like to purchase any items, please complete the form(s) and return to me by Friday, September 21, 2018.  Please make checks payable to Rick Marcotte Central School. Do NOT send cash. If you prefer to order online, my class code is: 121VT at www.scholastic.com.

Other things to ask your child about this week:

• Farm to School
• Math Menu
• STEM challenge with index cards and dot stickers
• Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen

Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Hock

Busy Week #2
September 4-7, 2018

What a busy week we've had!  Not only did we continue to learn and practice our classroom expectations, we had many special events this week as well.  These special events included:  Picture Day, Gumfy Day, Elvin's birthday, a school-wide assembly led by 5th grade, a visit from Mrs. Wheeler and a practice emergency "secure the school" drill.

We began our Peter Reynolds author study by reading 4 of his books.  We thoroughly enjoyed his messages of encouragement; we are exploring and celebrating our creativity!  Ask your child about The Dot, Ish, Sky Color and Happy Dreamer.  We look forward to learning from his work for another week and celebrating at Oakledge Park next Friday, September 14 8:45-12:15.  A home lunch will be needed for this trip and no chaperones are needed at this time.  Here a few images capturing our work related to Peter Reynolds:

As mathematicians this week, we worked as "inventory specialists".  We counted not only items in our classroom, but also collections for Mrs. Jensvold, and our new math curriculum supplies that arrived this week.  We know that mathematicians need to consider many points when counting.  We don't just count by ones, we organize and keep track of our count, we record our counting, and recount to check our accuracy.  The math standards for end-of-the year second graders is to understand the place value of 3-digit numbers and to count within 1000 (including skip counting).  We will be counting large quantities of items often this year!

Other things to ask your child about:

• Help Harry
• Roll a Topic
• Making shapes out of 4 triangles
• Choosing the "best place to read"
• Second grade outdoor community games

Enjoy the weekend!
Mrs. Hock