Mrs. Tabor’s 2^nd Grade Weekly News

12/14 – 12/18

Dear Families,

 

            Greetings!  It is hard to believe we have only five more days of school until winter break!  I know this will be a fun and exciting week for the students and I am excited to share it with them.  Thank you so much for all of your generosity in sending in items for our classroom’s Husky Helping House child.  I know the students are excited to wrap the presents and help to make someone else’s holiday special.  Please be sure to see the “Other Information” section at the bottom of the newsletter.  It contains important information for this week. 

 

Related Arts for Next Week:  Music

Daily Lunch Time:  10:43 – 11:08 am

 

Daily Homework:

-          Read 15 minutes each night and record title in student agenda.

-          Word Wall Words:  face, dog, food, happy, sat

-          Homework Notebooks due on Friday. 

 

Reader’s Workshop:

How should the character’s voices sound?

-          This week students will conclude Unit 3 and begin Unit 4.  In Unit 4, The Wild West, students will read a variety of tall tales.  We will study the characteristics of folktales, compare and contrast different versions of the same story, and write our own tall tales.  To build the student’s schema about tall tale characters and to practice fluency, we will read several Reader’s Theatre scripts this week based on the characters Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Johnny Appleseed, and Slue Foot Sue. 

 

Word Work:

-          Word Wall Words:  face, dog, food, happy, sat  

-          Word Work patterns:  None this week.

 

Math Workshop:

How do I skip count? How can skip-counting help me when counting money?

How do I count combinations of coins? 

What equivalent combinations can I make? 

How do I find a total?

-          This week we will practice counting coin combinations and finding equivalent combinations (different ways to make the same total).  At the end of the week students will pretend they are Holiday Shopping in order to practice creating a budget, finding a monetary total, and making change.

 

Social Studies:

What holiday traditions are important to Israel? Germany? Mexico? England? Italy? Me?

-          This week we will learn about winter holidays in other parts of the world.  With each country we will read a book, complete a craft, and fill in a pretend passport explaining what we learned. 

 

Writer’s Workshop:

What is alliteration?

What is a haiku? 

How can I create a shape poem?

How can I write free form poetry?

-          This week students will continue what we learned about the elements of poetry in reading workshop last week to now create their own poetry. 

 

Other Information:

 

-          I am looking for sales flyers from the Sunday newspaper (preferably Wal-Mart, Meijer, and Target).  If you have any you do not need, please send them in at the beginning of this week.  We will use them to pretend we are doing some holiday shopping during math workshop. 

-          Our school sing-a-long will be the afternoon of December 17^th.  Due to limited space and fire regulations, this event is for students only.  The second graders are welcome to bring in a Santa hat or holiday/festive hat to wear during the sing-a-long.

-          Thursday, December 17^th is also a school-wide Polar Express Pajama Day!  Students may wear their pajamas this day.  However, please do not allow students to wear slippers or robes. 

-          Our class party will be on Friday, December 18^th from 9:30-10:40.  Students are encouraged to bring in a drink and snack of their choosing for the party. Parents are welcome to attend. 

-          Winter Break begins December 21^st.  School will be back in session on Monday, January 4^th.     

Mrs. Tabor’s 2^nd Grade Weekly News

December 3, 2015

Dear Families,

            Welcome back from Thanksgiving break! I hope everyone had a restful few days and enjoyed spending time with family and friends. We go outside each day unless it is raining so please make sure your child has a heavy coat, gloves, and a hat when needed.

            I’m so excited our school is continuing the wonderful tradition of Husky Helping House. This is a great opportunity to help out a family in need here in Oldham County. Please view the link below if you wish to sign up and donate an item. Please make sure all donations are turned in by December 11^th. www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0A48ABAD29AAF94-tabor

Related Arts for Next Week:  Art

Daily Lunch Time:  10:43-11:08 am

Daily Homework:

• Read 15 minutes each night and record title in student agenda.
• Word Wall Words: students should be able to recognize and spell the following words by Friday, December 11^th : change, almost, room able, become 
  • Word sort words will also be tested as well.
• Please check agenda and take home folder nightly. Sometimes assignments will come home to be corrected, completed and returned.
• Homework Notebooks due every Friday.
• Parent Homework: Please read and respond to your child’s reflection and return the folder on Monday.

Reader’s Workshop:

What are the features of poetry?

• We will explore a variety of poems that have alliteration, repletion, rhythm, rhyme, show feeling, and use sensory words. We will continue to focus on identifying the main idea of the texts we read.

Math Workshop:

What are addition and subtraction strategies can help me be a more fluent mathematician?

• Students will use different algebraic thinking tools to solve addition and subtraction problems. They will use frames and arrows and in and out tables. These tools encourage students to use different counting patterns. We will end the week by reviewing coins and adding different coin amounts.

Science:

Matter

• This week we will continue our 2nd science unit which focuses on the solid and liquid states of matter.  
  
  

Writer’s Workshop:

How can I write a multi-paragraph report?

What animal do I want to learn more about?  

What can I learn about my animal?  

How can I describe its physical appearance? 

How can I describe my animal’s diet?

• Students will continue researching an animal of their choice. They will then write a report about their animal. We will focus on separating ideas into different paragraphs. Along with having an introduction paragraph and closing paragraph.

Important Dates:

-December 9^th- 2^nd Grade Field trip to Stage One. We will leave school at approximately 9am and return at 12:15. Please pack a lunch for your child on this day and we will eat once we return to the school.

- December 11^th: Book Fair Shopping- The book fair will be here all next week (12.7-12.11) and at Donut’s with Santa. Our class is shopping on the 11^th.  

- December 12^th: Donut’s with Santa

- December 21^st-January 1^st: Winter Break

Mrs. Tabor’s 2^nd Grade Weekly News

11/16-11/20

Dear Families,

 

            Happy Monday! The weather is getting colder. Please make sure your child has a coat each day. The second graders are very excited about our service project for the food drive. All the second graders will be in charge of collecting cans from each hallway and sorting them. They will also be making posters in class next week to display in the hallways to encourage their fellow peers to support the cause! This is an awesome way to help the community and give back. My family will be volunteering at the Tri County Ford Building in Buckner on December 10^th from 6-8 to help sort all the food coming in. I encourage as many families and kids to come on this day and help out too! If your family is interested in volunteering please contact bobbiestoess@bellsouth.net or 314-1088.

 

Don’t forget! Early Release Wednesday is this week.

 

            Calling all 2^nd Grade Boys and Girls for a fun afternoon! If your child is interested in signing up for the Boy or Girl Second Grade Party please visit the following link.

Girls’ Party: November 23 http://vols.pt/nQ4vMS

Boys’ Party: November 24 http://vols.pt/FBXUL9

 

Related Arts for Next Week:  Enrichment on Monday/Art next 5 days

Daily Lunch Time:  10:49-11:14 am

 

Daily Homework:

-          Read 15 minutes each night and record title in student agenda.

-          Please practice the following words: party, friend, seen, warm, fall along with last week’s words that go with their spelling patterns.  A great place to practice is spellingcity.com. 

-          Please check agenda and take home folder nightly. Sometimes assignments will come home to be corrected, completed and returned.

-          This week we have a Turkey in Disguise for homework! See your child’s take home folder for information.

-          Parent Homework: Please read and respond to your child’s reflection and return the folder on Monday.

 

Reader’s Workshop:

How does questioning help readers understand a story? What are thick and thin questions? What is the main idea of a multi-paragraph text?

-          In the current ELA Unit, A Season for Chapters, students will practice asking questions while reading. They will learn different question starters. The 5W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why and also the 1H: How. We will learn that while thin questions can be answered by a simple yes or no, thick questions are better because they cause deeper understanding. Thick questions force you to think harder, require answers with evidence, and can have multiple responses. We will then switch gears to reading multi-paragraph texts and using all of our thinking strategies to determine the main idea. During evening reading stop your child after each paragraph or page and ask them what the main idea was.

Word Work:

-           Word Wall Words: paragraph, continent, November, addition, subtraction 

-          Additional Ten Words to know by Friday, November 20^th

o    Short u/Long U: drum, use, tube, tune, June, club, rude, flute, put, hunt

o    Short i/Long i: might, quick, why, white, twice, quite, quit, flight, write, right

Math Workshop:

What are addition and subtraction strategies that can help me be a more fluent mathematician?

-          Students will learn different strategies each day that will build their understanding and fluency with addition and subtraction problems. At the start of the week they will learn KEY words for adding and subtracting. Ask your child to tell you the KEY words.

Social Studies:

What are the important landforms in the continent I’m researching?

-          Students will wrap up their research on the continent they’ve been assigned to. They will then work on sketching and creating a physical map that shows the landscape of a country within their continent. If anyone has any extra cut cardboard or play-doh it would be greatly appreciated!

 

Writer’s Workshop:

How can I write an informative paragraph?

-          Students will write an informative paragraph about either the culture, landforms, landmarks, animals, or climate of their continent. They will then use technology to publish and share their writing.

 

Other Information:

 

I look forward to seeing parents this coming week at conferences on November 17th or 19^th!

-          November 17^th and 19^th are Parent Teacher Conferences.

-          November 25^th – 27^th is Thanksgiving break. There will be no school.

 

Mrs. Tabor’s 2^nd Grade Weekly News

11/9-11/13

Dear Families,

            We have three big events coming up: Parent-Teacher conferences, the Boys’ Party, and the Girl’s Party.  If you haven’t had a chance to sign up yet, here is the information:

Parent-Teacher conferences:  November 17 & 19   http://vols.pt/DuDdag

Girls’ Party: November 23 http://vols.pt/nQ4vMS

Boys’ Party: November 24 http://vols.pt/FBXUL9

Related Arts for Next Week:  Monday: Art  Tuesday-Friday  Music

* Daily Lunch Time:  10:43-11:08 am

Daily Homework:

• Read 15 minutes each night and record title in student agenda.
• Word Wall Words: students should be able to recognize and spell the following words by Friday, October 16^th : pick, great, fly, during, ball 
• We will assess only the word wall words at the end of the week.
• Please check agenda and take home folder nightly. Sometimes assignments will come home to be corrected, completed and returned.
• Homework Notebooks due every Friday.
• Parent Homework: Please read and respond to your child’s reflection on Friday. Return the folder on Monday.

Reader’s Workshop:

What are story elements?  How do I retell the beginning, middle and end of a story?

• We will use texts such as Poppleton, Henry & Mudge, and Clifford to identify and describe story elements (Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution) and to recognize that good stories have a beginning, middle and end.
  
  

Word Work:

•  Word Wall Words: pick, great, fly, during, ball

Math Workshop:

What do I know about bar/pictographs and 2-D and 3-D shapes? 

Students will be assessed on these skills

How do addition and subtraction strategies help me be fluent with my addition and subtraction skills? 

We will learn strategies that help our math fluency: adding doubles (i.e. 3+3=6), adding neighbors (i.e. 3+4=7), turnaround facts (i.e. 3+4=7, 4+3=7) and fact families (i.e.  3,4, &7  3+4=7, 4+3=7, 7-3=4, and 7-4=3)

Social Studies:

What are continents?  How can I tell about their unique characteristics?

• Each student will work with a group to determine the physical, cultural and other man-made characteristics that identify a particular continent.  The research will culminate in a project that they will present to the class.
  
  

Writer’s Workshop:

How do I write a How-To piece?

• We all know how to do or make something.  In this writing unit, students have the opportunity to share their knowledge with others by writing a step-by –step explanation for others to follow.

Other Information:

If you are not able to attend a conference on November 17th or 19^th, please let me know. We can make alternative arrangements. My goal is to meet with everyone!

• We go to the library every Tuesday, please help your student remember to bring in their library books so that they can get new ones to read!
• The School Design Team is working on decorating and improving our front office and hallways.  They are asking for donations of the following items… 
  • Old mirrors
  • Old frames-- not just picture frames but also frames that contain artwork that could be repurposed
  • Old lamps
  • End tables
  • Someone to sew a couch slip cover or who can sew new pillows.
    If you have any of these items and are willing to donate, please drop them off in the front office. Thank you in advance!

Important Dates:

• November 18^th is our next Early Release Day.
• November 17^th and 19^th are Parent Teacher Conferences.
• November 25^th – 27^th is Thanksgiving break. There will be no school.

Mrs. Tabor’s 2^nd Grade Weekly News

11/2 – 11/6

Dear Families,

 

            Last week, we certainly had a lot of activities with Red Ribbon Week, and the Pumpkin Parade.  I’m glad to say, this week will be rather uneventful! 

Please read below to learn how to sign up for the Parent-Teacher conferences, the Boy’s Party and the Girls Party.

 

Related Arts for Next Week:  Art

* Daily Lunch Time:  10:43-11:08 am

 

Daily Homework:

-          Read 15 minutes each night and record title in student agenda.

-          Word Wall Words: students should be able to recognize and spell the following words by Friday, October 16^th : yellow, children, place, seven, eight 

-          Everyone will work with the same word work as last week.  We will assess at the end of the week.

-          Please check agenda and take home folder nightly. Sometimes assignments will come home to be corrected, completed and returned.

-          Homework Notebooks due every Friday.

-          Parent Homework: Please read and respond to your child’s reflection on Friday. Return the folder on Monday.

 

Reader’s Workshop:

How do characters respond to major events and challenges?

What are similes and metaphors? How can I use similes and metaphors?

-          The students will finish up analyzing challenges and problems that characters face. We will be discussing different solutions, using evidence from the text to support our answers. Problems can stem from nature, themselves, or another character in the book.

-          In the current ELA Unit, Building Bridges with Unlikely Friends, students will explore different metaphors. We will read about, listen to, discuss, and create our own metaphors.

 

Word Work:

-                       Word Wall Words: yellow, place, children, seven, eight

 

Math Workshop:

How do I create a graph? 

-          We will continue to explore creating graphs, like bar graphs and pictographs, and we will create questions that can be answered through our graphs.

 

Social Studies:

What can I learn from a map? How do I identify geographic features on a map? What geographic features are present in my state? My country?

-          We spent last week learning about maps and globes. We spent some time exploring maps and making sense of them. This week, we will continue to work with maps and learning from them. We will be looking at the map features, and symbols for geographic features. We will spend time learning about our city and state, then building out to our country, continent, and then our planet.

 

Writer’s Workshop:

What is my purpose in writing?

How do I use similes and metaphors?

-          We will finish up our writing for different purposes. These purposes include persuasion, informative, and to entertain. We will start to work on including similes and metaphors in our writing. We will be using similes to describe ourselves, pets, other people, and experiences.

 

Other Information:

Parent Teacher Conferences: We're using VolunteerSpot (the leading online Sign-up and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming Sign-ups.

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our Sign-Up on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/DuDdag

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on VolunteerSpot.

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

If you are not able to attend a conference on November 17th or 19^th, please let me know. We can make alternative arrangements. My goal is to meet with everyone!

Boy’s Party: We're using VolunteerSpot (the leading online Sign-up and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming Sign-ups.

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our Sign-Up on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/FBXUL9

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on VolunteerSpot.

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Girl’s Party: We're using VolunteerSpot (the leading online Sign-up and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming Sign-ups.

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our Sign-Up on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/nQ4vMS

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on VolunteerSpot.

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

-          We go to the library every Tuesday, please help your student remember to bring in their library books so that they can get new ones to read!

-          The School Design Team is working on decorating and improving our front office and hallways.  They are asking for donations of the following items… 

o   Old mirrors

o   Old frames-- not just picture frames but also frames that contain artwork that could be repurposed

o   Old lamps

o   End tables

o   Someone to sew a couch slip cover or who can sew new pillows.

If you have any of these items and are willing to donate, please drop them off in the front office. Thank you in advance!

 

Important Dates:

-          There is no school on November 3^rd due to Election Day. 

-          November 18^th is our next Early Release Day.

-          November 17^th and 19^th are Parent Teacher Conferences.

-          November 25^th – 27^th is Thanksgiving break. There will be no school.