Dear families,
We all know that we have been given orders from the state to close all public schools beginning Monday, March 16th.....
That being said today is not a easy day to be a teacher, telling students that we will be out of school for a month!
The district is in the process of making packets to send home with students today. The packets will be used for at home instruction. Parents are being reminded to use your child's i-ready account to continue working on math and reading. Everyday math games are also accessible from home using your child's everyday math account that was given to you in September.
In reading workshop today we continued to read from our book club books and we have been working on noticing things about the main characters in our books.
I am allowing students to pick books to take home for use over the long period at home. I am writing down the titles of books your child is bringing home. Please help your child take care of the books and return them when we are back to our regular school schedule.
I will truly miss being here in room 105! I will miss each child and am sad that we have to say good-bye... but it is just for now.
I will be here, ready to begin again when we return. Please be in touch, your child is welcome to write me letters and email me!
Take care of your families!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, March 13, 2020
Friday, March 6, 2020
Writing Celebration
We wrote opinion on our favorite books! Then we shared our papers and posters with fellow second graders!
Week of March 9-13
Hello families!
We are starting many new units this week!
In social studies we are beginning our unit about how things are made. We will begin by reading the book The Hat seller and the Monkeys. We will learn about producers, Consumers and resources. We will sort producers and consumers to reinforce the idea of what each means.
In writing we will begin a new unit on Poetry. We will begin by examining objects using our "poet's eyes" to see them in a whole new way. We will hear poetry from authors and notice their techniques. We will try out writing down our observations.
In reading, we will begin book clubs. Students will sample books and choose three books that they are interested in reading. I will put each student into a book club based on their top three book choices. Your child will be given time in class to read. Students may need to bring their book home to complete their reading. Please help your child by asking questions about what they need to do to prepare for their book club discussions! We will begin meeting and discussing books using the same ideas we learned in our strategy groups.
We completed unit 6 in math, the test will come home on Monday. Please review with your child any problems they missed. Students can also practice more on i-ready to help them firm up their math concepts. Use flash cards to solidify facts 0-10 for addition and subtraction. Next week we will begin unit 7, Whole number operations, Measurement and Data. A family letter will come home today that will explain more about the new unit.
In spelling/phonics we will further our study of soft c and g. We will learn how soft c and g with silent e at the end works! Students will work with a partner to read a book about camouflage, remembering to try the soft sound first when they find a word ending in ce or ge.
A few upcoming dates:
3/6 - PTA stake night at Bonaventure
3/18 - half day for students
3/26 - Second grade musical Stone Soup
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
We are starting many new units this week!
In social studies we are beginning our unit about how things are made. We will begin by reading the book The Hat seller and the Monkeys. We will learn about producers, Consumers and resources. We will sort producers and consumers to reinforce the idea of what each means.
In writing we will begin a new unit on Poetry. We will begin by examining objects using our "poet's eyes" to see them in a whole new way. We will hear poetry from authors and notice their techniques. We will try out writing down our observations.
In reading, we will begin book clubs. Students will sample books and choose three books that they are interested in reading. I will put each student into a book club based on their top three book choices. Your child will be given time in class to read. Students may need to bring their book home to complete their reading. Please help your child by asking questions about what they need to do to prepare for their book club discussions! We will begin meeting and discussing books using the same ideas we learned in our strategy groups.
We completed unit 6 in math, the test will come home on Monday. Please review with your child any problems they missed. Students can also practice more on i-ready to help them firm up their math concepts. Use flash cards to solidify facts 0-10 for addition and subtraction. Next week we will begin unit 7, Whole number operations, Measurement and Data. A family letter will come home today that will explain more about the new unit.
In spelling/phonics we will further our study of soft c and g. We will learn how soft c and g with silent e at the end works! Students will work with a partner to read a book about camouflage, remembering to try the soft sound first when they find a word ending in ce or ge.
A few upcoming dates:
3/6 - PTA stake night at Bonaventure
3/18 - half day for students
3/26 - Second grade musical Stone Soup
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Week of March 1-6 and Valentine party pictures!
Hello wonderful families!
We are officially into the month of March!! Spring cannot be far away now!
This week in room 105, we will be wrapping up our unit on Opinion writing. Students have selected one book to write a paper about and present to fellow second graders on Friday, March 6th. We will send home details tomorrow... students are allowed to dress as a character from their chosen book! This is optional. Please discuss at home what your child would like to do!
In reading workshop last week we formed "goal groups". Students selected a reading goal in the area of: fluency, comprehension or literary language. Groups formed a plan for meeting and discussing progress. We will discuss this week how to give a compliment or a suggestion and how to help your group hold a discussion.I am excited to see how the students take this on!
In math, we have reached the end of Unit 6. On Monday we will have the last unit 6 lesson. Students will bring home study guides. The study guide is due on Wednesday, March 4th. We will have the test on Thursday, March 5th. Sorry for the change, due to the snow day and a half day Tuesday I had to push back the unit 6 test!
I will send home the unit 7 family letter which outlines the next unit of math.
In phonics we will learn about hard and soft G and C. We will learn a song to help us remember when the C and G makes a soft sound (before E, I and Y). We will do some sorting in our rug groups and learn about the words that sometimes can be tricky with soft C and G.
In Social Studies, we hope to begin the unit on the history of Walled Lake!
Remember, Tuesday, March 3rd is a half day. Students are dismissed at 12:25 pm.
Also, keep the date for March 26th - the Second grade musical: Stone Soup! Ben is getting his "villager outfit" together, we can't wait!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Scheck
We are officially into the month of March!! Spring cannot be far away now!
This week in room 105, we will be wrapping up our unit on Opinion writing. Students have selected one book to write a paper about and present to fellow second graders on Friday, March 6th. We will send home details tomorrow... students are allowed to dress as a character from their chosen book! This is optional. Please discuss at home what your child would like to do!
In reading workshop last week we formed "goal groups". Students selected a reading goal in the area of: fluency, comprehension or literary language. Groups formed a plan for meeting and discussing progress. We will discuss this week how to give a compliment or a suggestion and how to help your group hold a discussion.I am excited to see how the students take this on!
In math, we have reached the end of Unit 6. On Monday we will have the last unit 6 lesson. Students will bring home study guides. The study guide is due on Wednesday, March 4th. We will have the test on Thursday, March 5th. Sorry for the change, due to the snow day and a half day Tuesday I had to push back the unit 6 test!
I will send home the unit 7 family letter which outlines the next unit of math.
In phonics we will learn about hard and soft G and C. We will learn a song to help us remember when the C and G makes a soft sound (before E, I and Y). We will do some sorting in our rug groups and learn about the words that sometimes can be tricky with soft C and G.
In Social Studies, we hope to begin the unit on the history of Walled Lake!
Remember, Tuesday, March 3rd is a half day. Students are dismissed at 12:25 pm.
Also, keep the date for March 26th - the Second grade musical: Stone Soup! Ben is getting his "villager outfit" together, we can't wait!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Scheck
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Week of February 24-28
Hello families!
I hope you had a wonderful mid-winter break with your family! I enjoyed spending time with my sons and had fun taking Ben to a few special places (his older brothers were in school!). Brad and I got some projects done at home and even had a night out! Overall, a successful break!
In reading workshop this week we will be continuing to amp up our reading power! This week we will learn how to pick a goal based on the fluency, comprehension or literary language. Students will decide a goal on which they feel they need to work. Then I will form "Goal Groups." The groups will decide on a club plan together. They will determine tools they need for the group and steps to work toward their goal. I am excited to see how this comes together!
In writing, we have been working hard on our opinion writing letters. We have selected books that we feel are so good they deserve an award. We will work this week on creating an outline for an opinion writing paper. We will begin writing our papers and preparing a poster to go with the paper. Our final opinion writing unit will wrap up in the next two weeks!
In phonics, this week we will work on letter combinations in which the first letter is silent - kn, gn, wr and mb (climb). We will practicing sort words with those letter combinations and reading the words with a partner.
In math, we are working on partial sums addition and how to add two digit numbers. We will spend a lesson doing "explorations" to prepare for the next unit. At the end of the week I will send home the Unit 6 study guide. Students will take unit 6 math test next week on Tuesday, March 3rd.
Soon we will begin our next unit of Social Studies. We will be learning about the history of Walled Lake. We will take a look at the past and create a time line of events for the area. We will begin learning about the amusement park that was once in downtown Walled Lake.
Continue to send the necessary snow clothes this week... I see some snow in the forecast (boo!!).
Have a great week!
Mrs. Scheck
I hope you had a wonderful mid-winter break with your family! I enjoyed spending time with my sons and had fun taking Ben to a few special places (his older brothers were in school!). Brad and I got some projects done at home and even had a night out! Overall, a successful break!
In reading workshop this week we will be continuing to amp up our reading power! This week we will learn how to pick a goal based on the fluency, comprehension or literary language. Students will decide a goal on which they feel they need to work. Then I will form "Goal Groups." The groups will decide on a club plan together. They will determine tools they need for the group and steps to work toward their goal. I am excited to see how this comes together!
In writing, we have been working hard on our opinion writing letters. We have selected books that we feel are so good they deserve an award. We will work this week on creating an outline for an opinion writing paper. We will begin writing our papers and preparing a poster to go with the paper. Our final opinion writing unit will wrap up in the next two weeks!
In phonics, this week we will work on letter combinations in which the first letter is silent - kn, gn, wr and mb (climb). We will practicing sort words with those letter combinations and reading the words with a partner.
In math, we are working on partial sums addition and how to add two digit numbers. We will spend a lesson doing "explorations" to prepare for the next unit. At the end of the week I will send home the Unit 6 study guide. Students will take unit 6 math test next week on Tuesday, March 3rd.
Soon we will begin our next unit of Social Studies. We will be learning about the history of Walled Lake. We will take a look at the past and create a time line of events for the area. We will begin learning about the amusement park that was once in downtown Walled Lake.
Continue to send the necessary snow clothes this week... I see some snow in the forecast (boo!!).
Have a great week!
Mrs. Scheck
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
February 3-7
Dear families,
We began reading workshop this week working on learning to read longer, more complex stories and to use strategies to hold on to the meaning of the story. Students each have a same book partner. Partners are reading the same books and helping each other by asking these questions:
What is happening so far?
What is it mostly about?
How is the character changing or not?
What is the character learning? What's the lesson?
This will prepare the class to begin book clubs next.
We worked today on determining the most important part of a chapter. Instead of focusing on small details we discussed and practiced writing down the most important part at the end of a chapter. This will also help students when they have to do a written retelling of a story!
In writing, we are working on making our opinion letters longer and stronger. We are using direct quotes from the book to back up our evidence. We are writing more than on section of a letter and trying to find at least three examples or reasons why someone should read that book!
Our phonics focus this week is on breaking words with -le at the end (cable, title, scramble). We learned to break them before the consonant le. We worked on writing words and we played red light, green light. Students enjoyed this fun game!
In math, we had our unit 5 math test on Tuesday. Wednesday we started Unit 6. We began today with making a picture graph and a bar graph. We will continue to work on two digit addition. We practice measuring in centimeters
In social studies this week we read The Wartville Wizard. This story teaches students about caring for the environment. We worked on learning these 4 types: desert, forest. plains and ocean. We discussed the word ecology. We will read the book Letting Swift River Go this week and learn how mankind can have a positive or negative effect on the ecology of an area.
Wixom Elementary participated in Global Play Day! Today from 3:00-3:30 we got out board games, puzzles, stuffed animals, legos, lincoln logs and operation! We played with classmates and enjoyed some free time!
I hope you are having an awesome week!
Mrs. Scheck
We began reading workshop this week working on learning to read longer, more complex stories and to use strategies to hold on to the meaning of the story. Students each have a same book partner. Partners are reading the same books and helping each other by asking these questions:
What is happening so far?
What is it mostly about?
How is the character changing or not?
What is the character learning? What's the lesson?
This will prepare the class to begin book clubs next.
We worked today on determining the most important part of a chapter. Instead of focusing on small details we discussed and practiced writing down the most important part at the end of a chapter. This will also help students when they have to do a written retelling of a story!
In writing, we are working on making our opinion letters longer and stronger. We are using direct quotes from the book to back up our evidence. We are writing more than on section of a letter and trying to find at least three examples or reasons why someone should read that book!
Our phonics focus this week is on breaking words with -le at the end (cable, title, scramble). We learned to break them before the consonant le. We worked on writing words and we played red light, green light. Students enjoyed this fun game!
In math, we had our unit 5 math test on Tuesday. Wednesday we started Unit 6. We began today with making a picture graph and a bar graph. We will continue to work on two digit addition. We practice measuring in centimeters
In social studies this week we read The Wartville Wizard. This story teaches students about caring for the environment. We worked on learning these 4 types: desert, forest. plains and ocean. We discussed the word ecology. We will read the book Letting Swift River Go this week and learn how mankind can have a positive or negative effect on the ecology of an area.
Wixom Elementary participated in Global Play Day! Today from 3:00-3:30 we got out board games, puzzles, stuffed animals, legos, lincoln logs and operation! We played with classmates and enjoyed some free time!
I hope you are having an awesome week!
Mrs. Scheck
Monday, January 27, 2020
week of January 27-31
Hello families,
Wow, we are at the last week of January!
Second graders this week are working on learning more about how to read longer words. Last week we practiced breaking words at the consonant to solve them. We also learned to break off endings (s, es, ing, ed, er). This week we will continue to learn strategies for reading longer words. We will discuss keeping digraphs together (ch, sh, th, ph, gh). We will learn a song about keeping gh together!
In reading we are continuing to notice ways that authors play with words. Last week we read the book When Sophie Gets Angry. In the story the author compares Sophie to a volcano. We looked for and noticed comparisons and talked about how to know what is being compared. This week we will discuss these ways authors play with words using: comparison, alliteration, time-passing words, and repetition.
In writing, students are having so much fun writing letters to friends, teachers and other classes about their favorite books! We have been receiving letters from other second grade friends too. This week we will use a check list to set goals for ourselves as writers. I will introduce paragraphing, modeling how to skip a line and indent the first line of a new paragraph. When we write about a book we want to recommend we refer to the book for these reasons: to spell the title and author, to remember the story, to retell a favorite part, to uncover new details and to develop new ideas and opinions.
In math we will work this week on change to more number stories. We will use a diagram to help us organize word problems. We will use a part, part, total diagram to solve both addition and subtraction problems. We will be at the end of unit 5 this week. I will send a study guide home on Thursday, it is due on Monday, February 3rd. Test will be Tuesday, February 4th.
In Social Studies we are wrapping up our mapping unit making our pirate maps. We hope to have them completely finished this week!
Reminder - Wednesday, January 29th is a half day. Please share any changes in your child's normal dismissal routine.
Have a wonderful last week of January!
Mrs. Scheck
Wow, we are at the last week of January!
Second graders this week are working on learning more about how to read longer words. Last week we practiced breaking words at the consonant to solve them. We also learned to break off endings (s, es, ing, ed, er). This week we will continue to learn strategies for reading longer words. We will discuss keeping digraphs together (ch, sh, th, ph, gh). We will learn a song about keeping gh together!
In reading we are continuing to notice ways that authors play with words. Last week we read the book When Sophie Gets Angry. In the story the author compares Sophie to a volcano. We looked for and noticed comparisons and talked about how to know what is being compared. This week we will discuss these ways authors play with words using: comparison, alliteration, time-passing words, and repetition.
In writing, students are having so much fun writing letters to friends, teachers and other classes about their favorite books! We have been receiving letters from other second grade friends too. This week we will use a check list to set goals for ourselves as writers. I will introduce paragraphing, modeling how to skip a line and indent the first line of a new paragraph. When we write about a book we want to recommend we refer to the book for these reasons: to spell the title and author, to remember the story, to retell a favorite part, to uncover new details and to develop new ideas and opinions.
In math we will work this week on change to more number stories. We will use a diagram to help us organize word problems. We will use a part, part, total diagram to solve both addition and subtraction problems. We will be at the end of unit 5 this week. I will send a study guide home on Thursday, it is due on Monday, February 3rd. Test will be Tuesday, February 4th.
In Social Studies we are wrapping up our mapping unit making our pirate maps. We hope to have them completely finished this week!
Reminder - Wednesday, January 29th is a half day. Please share any changes in your child's normal dismissal routine.
Have a wonderful last week of January!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, January 17, 2020
January 20-24
Hello wonderful families!
This has been a great week in Second grade! We are moving right along and back into the swing of things after the Winter Break!
In reading, we have been working on making reading sound more fluent. We read the book Mercy Watson Princess in Disguise and used the book to change our voices to sound like the characters. We also noticed how the book changes moods.
In phonics we worked on breaking and blending longer words by working methodically from beginning to end. We will work next week on breaking words into parts between two consonants in the middle of a word. For example, breaking the word problem into two parts: prob/lem then putting the parts together to read the word as a whole. We will work on breaking off endings. We will start with common endings: ed, ing, s, es, er.
In writing, we are working on writing opinion letters to a friend or another class. We are using some on our favorite books and characters to help us. This week we learned to write a letter that focused on the character such as Mercy Watson. We retold a favorite part to help the reader become more interested. We discussed favorite pictures, and we wrote with an audience in mind.
For a fun project we read the book The Day the Crayons Quit and we wrote about our favorite colors!
In math, we have begun unit 5. This week we worked on counting coins, making change and we played beat the calculator. Students are working on counting the coins in various combinations. We will continue to practice. Work at home on helping your child count coins and make change for extra support.
We have been in working on mapping skills in Social Studies. This week we used a map of the U.S.and practiced finding things using the compass rose for directions. Students will begin making pirate treasure maps for a fun culminating projects this week!
We read the book Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King! and discussed the life of this famous civil rights leader. We wrote about the dreams we have for our own future.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
This has been a great week in Second grade! We are moving right along and back into the swing of things after the Winter Break!
In reading, we have been working on making reading sound more fluent. We read the book Mercy Watson Princess in Disguise and used the book to change our voices to sound like the characters. We also noticed how the book changes moods.
In phonics we worked on breaking and blending longer words by working methodically from beginning to end. We will work next week on breaking words into parts between two consonants in the middle of a word. For example, breaking the word problem into two parts: prob/lem then putting the parts together to read the word as a whole. We will work on breaking off endings. We will start with common endings: ed, ing, s, es, er.
In writing, we are working on writing opinion letters to a friend or another class. We are using some on our favorite books and characters to help us. This week we learned to write a letter that focused on the character such as Mercy Watson. We retold a favorite part to help the reader become more interested. We discussed favorite pictures, and we wrote with an audience in mind.
For a fun project we read the book The Day the Crayons Quit and we wrote about our favorite colors!
In math, we have begun unit 5. This week we worked on counting coins, making change and we played beat the calculator. Students are working on counting the coins in various combinations. We will continue to practice. Work at home on helping your child count coins and make change for extra support.
We have been in working on mapping skills in Social Studies. This week we used a map of the U.S.and practiced finding things using the compass rose for directions. Students will begin making pirate treasure maps for a fun culminating projects this week!
We read the book Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King! and discussed the life of this famous civil rights leader. We wrote about the dreams we have for our own future.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, January 10, 2020
January 10, 2020
Happy New Year!
We are back in the swing of things this week in Room 105...
We began a new unit of Reading Workshop this week called Bigger Books Mean Amping Up Reading Power. We kicked off this unit with a realistic fiction story called Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts. In the story a girl named Sierra plays soccer but is sad because her auntie who cares for her full time can't come to any soccer games because she has to work. We read the book several times and worked on retelling the story. We did a thinking routine with the book and discussed the character trait: optimistic! We wrote a color, symbol and image that represented the main ideas in the story. Next week we will focus on reading with fluency. We will rehearse reading out loud using our best reading voice. We will try to "scoop up words into phrases" and notice dialogue tags.
Our new writing unit is called Writing About Reading. We began this week by writing a letter to another classroom about a book we think that class would enjoy. We focused on including these parts in our letters: stating an opinion, evidence or reasons for our opinion and an ending. Students will spend next week adding more to a letter by retelling a favorite part. We will rehearse out loud what we want to write in our letters. We will get a chance to give a letter to a fellow second grader!
We have just completed Unit 4 in math. Unit 5 will be centered around addition and subtraction. We will review and extend concepts about money. We will learn how to use a change diagram and a parts-total diagram. Look for a family letter to come home next week with more details about Unit 5.
This week we began a new social studies unit all about maps. We made a map of the classroom together. We read the book Mapping Penny's World. We learned how to put symbols and a map key on our maps. Students worked on a map scavenger hunt looking for symbols, places and a map title. We know how to match the symbols and colors in our key to the map. A mapping assignment went home Thursday and is due in one week on January 16th.
In Phonics this week we worked on using everything we know about phonics to read longer words. Some strategies we learned are: start at the beginning of the word and read it part by part. Try the vowel sound another way. Reread and ask "does that make sense?" Students practiced the skills with a partner using animal fact cards. We will continue to work on strategies to read longer words next week.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
We are back in the swing of things this week in Room 105...
We began a new unit of Reading Workshop this week called Bigger Books Mean Amping Up Reading Power. We kicked off this unit with a realistic fiction story called Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts. In the story a girl named Sierra plays soccer but is sad because her auntie who cares for her full time can't come to any soccer games because she has to work. We read the book several times and worked on retelling the story. We did a thinking routine with the book and discussed the character trait: optimistic! We wrote a color, symbol and image that represented the main ideas in the story. Next week we will focus on reading with fluency. We will rehearse reading out loud using our best reading voice. We will try to "scoop up words into phrases" and notice dialogue tags.
Our new writing unit is called Writing About Reading. We began this week by writing a letter to another classroom about a book we think that class would enjoy. We focused on including these parts in our letters: stating an opinion, evidence or reasons for our opinion and an ending. Students will spend next week adding more to a letter by retelling a favorite part. We will rehearse out loud what we want to write in our letters. We will get a chance to give a letter to a fellow second grader!
We have just completed Unit 4 in math. Unit 5 will be centered around addition and subtraction. We will review and extend concepts about money. We will learn how to use a change diagram and a parts-total diagram. Look for a family letter to come home next week with more details about Unit 5.
This week we began a new social studies unit all about maps. We made a map of the classroom together. We read the book Mapping Penny's World. We learned how to put symbols and a map key on our maps. Students worked on a map scavenger hunt looking for symbols, places and a map title. We know how to match the symbols and colors in our key to the map. A mapping assignment went home Thursday and is due in one week on January 16th.
In Phonics this week we worked on using everything we know about phonics to read longer words. Some strategies we learned are: start at the beginning of the word and read it part by part. Try the vowel sound another way. Reread and ask "does that make sense?" Students practiced the skills with a partner using animal fact cards. We will continue to work on strategies to read longer words next week.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, December 20, 2019
Happy Holidays!
Dear families,
Wow, It is hard to believe we are already here! Winter break begins tomorrow, Dec. 21st. The students will be on break until January 6th. The time has been flying by!
So far we have had a great year. I hope you enjoy your holiday with your family and treasure the time spent... they only stay little for so long!
When we return in January we will begin a new unit of reading and writing.
In reading we will begin a new unit called Series Books. We will read books in a series and notice how characters behave. We will study character traits and development. Students will be in book clubs based on their choice of books.
In January we will have our second I-Ready assessment. I will inform parents when it will be taking place.
In writing, we will also start a new unit on Opinion writing. This unit fits well with Series Books, we will use the books we read to write opinion letters about them. We will be working on this unit for the next few months!
In math, we are going to complete unit 4 after the break. We have covered measurement to the inch. We will wrap up the last few lessons on place value, telling time and units of measurement.
We have completed our Air and Weather science unit. We reviewed the ABC's of air and weather and wrote what we knew in our All about the Weather books!
Social Studies will begin again after the break. We will be working on communities, mapping and the history of Walled Lake!
Thank you for sending your children to me each day, I feel so grateful to have such a wonderful, kind, caring class! Your children are so special and they give me a wonderful sense of purpose every day!
See you in 2020!
Mrs. Scheck
Wow, It is hard to believe we are already here! Winter break begins tomorrow, Dec. 21st. The students will be on break until January 6th. The time has been flying by!
So far we have had a great year. I hope you enjoy your holiday with your family and treasure the time spent... they only stay little for so long!
When we return in January we will begin a new unit of reading and writing.
In reading we will begin a new unit called Series Books. We will read books in a series and notice how characters behave. We will study character traits and development. Students will be in book clubs based on their choice of books.
In January we will have our second I-Ready assessment. I will inform parents when it will be taking place.
In writing, we will also start a new unit on Opinion writing. This unit fits well with Series Books, we will use the books we read to write opinion letters about them. We will be working on this unit for the next few months!
In math, we are going to complete unit 4 after the break. We have covered measurement to the inch. We will wrap up the last few lessons on place value, telling time and units of measurement.
We have completed our Air and Weather science unit. We reviewed the ABC's of air and weather and wrote what we knew in our All about the Weather books!
Social Studies will begin again after the break. We will be working on communities, mapping and the history of Walled Lake!
Thank you for sending your children to me each day, I feel so grateful to have such a wonderful, kind, caring class! Your children are so special and they give me a wonderful sense of purpose every day!
See you in 2020!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, December 6, 2019
December 9-13
Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families. My family enjoyed seeing out of town relatives, watching football, eating and playing some glow golf!
We are already well into the month of December and we have been so busy with lots of fun and learning in our classroom!
In reading workshop we are continuing to work on reading non-fiction. This past week we read non-fiction books and looked for features such as: a glossary, index and bold words. We used the book Tigers for practice using an entire page to figure out a meaning of a word. Students looked at vocabulary words and found ideas that were similar to those words to share in reading workshop. Today we practiced reading our non-fiction books and sounding like an expert.
This week we began writing informational or non-fiction books. Students brainstormed topics they know a lot about and began writing books on them. We started with putting together a table of contents and writing introductions. We used a writing check lists to begin seeing if second graders are able to include the key parts of a non-fiction book. We will continue to work on non-fiction books until the end of the month. Next we will put a "how to" page into our books and add a glossary at the end picking 2-3 words that we want to teach our readers.
In Phonics, we worked on noticing word patterns in rhyming books. We made lists of words with the same pattern (ack, ill, ight, etc). We used our lists to write rhyming books and today we are sharing our books with Mrs. Megyesi's kindergarten class. Look for pictures on twitter!
We started unit 4 in math, a family letter came home on Monday. Keep the family letter to refer to when your child is working on home links. This unit is all about measurement. We began with telling time on analog clocks to the five minute mark. This skill is developing for many students, practice at home on the paper clock to help your child. We will work next week on place value using base ten blocks to represent numbers and to compare numbers.
We are nearing the end of our science unit this month. We will still record the weather in our science journals. We have worked with tools to learn about measuring the weather using an anemometer, a thermometer, a rain gauge, and a weather vane. We made pin wheels and whirligigs to show how wind moves outside. We studied these types of clouds: cumulus, nimbus, cirrus and stratus. We made a poster and used cotton balls to show the types of clouds and how they look. We read about the changing seasons and learned how the northern hemisphere is tipped away from the sun in winter. This causes the nights to be longer and for us to have less daylight! We discussed where the equator is and how it stays warm year round in countries near it. Next we will make a paper kite and hopefully get outside to try our kites next week!
We are getting ready for our field trip on December 19th. I have the necessary amount of chaperones signed up to go! On that day we will be both outside and inside, students and parents please bring warm clothes for being outside. The experiments we will be doing will show how animals survive in winter. Students will need a sack lunch that day. We will return to school around 1:30 p.m.
Next week is parent teacher conferences! The students have a half day and are dismissed at 11:25 p.m. Parents will meet with me and get their child's first report card for the year. I look forward to seeing you on Dec. 12th!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
We are already well into the month of December and we have been so busy with lots of fun and learning in our classroom!
In reading workshop we are continuing to work on reading non-fiction. This past week we read non-fiction books and looked for features such as: a glossary, index and bold words. We used the book Tigers for practice using an entire page to figure out a meaning of a word. Students looked at vocabulary words and found ideas that were similar to those words to share in reading workshop. Today we practiced reading our non-fiction books and sounding like an expert.
This week we began writing informational or non-fiction books. Students brainstormed topics they know a lot about and began writing books on them. We started with putting together a table of contents and writing introductions. We used a writing check lists to begin seeing if second graders are able to include the key parts of a non-fiction book. We will continue to work on non-fiction books until the end of the month. Next we will put a "how to" page into our books and add a glossary at the end picking 2-3 words that we want to teach our readers.
In Phonics, we worked on noticing word patterns in rhyming books. We made lists of words with the same pattern (ack, ill, ight, etc). We used our lists to write rhyming books and today we are sharing our books with Mrs. Megyesi's kindergarten class. Look for pictures on twitter!
We started unit 4 in math, a family letter came home on Monday. Keep the family letter to refer to when your child is working on home links. This unit is all about measurement. We began with telling time on analog clocks to the five minute mark. This skill is developing for many students, practice at home on the paper clock to help your child. We will work next week on place value using base ten blocks to represent numbers and to compare numbers.
We are nearing the end of our science unit this month. We will still record the weather in our science journals. We have worked with tools to learn about measuring the weather using an anemometer, a thermometer, a rain gauge, and a weather vane. We made pin wheels and whirligigs to show how wind moves outside. We studied these types of clouds: cumulus, nimbus, cirrus and stratus. We made a poster and used cotton balls to show the types of clouds and how they look. We read about the changing seasons and learned how the northern hemisphere is tipped away from the sun in winter. This causes the nights to be longer and for us to have less daylight! We discussed where the equator is and how it stays warm year round in countries near it. Next we will make a paper kite and hopefully get outside to try our kites next week!
We are getting ready for our field trip on December 19th. I have the necessary amount of chaperones signed up to go! On that day we will be both outside and inside, students and parents please bring warm clothes for being outside. The experiments we will be doing will show how animals survive in winter. Students will need a sack lunch that day. We will return to school around 1:30 p.m.
Next week is parent teacher conferences! The students have a half day and are dismissed at 11:25 p.m. Parents will meet with me and get their child's first report card for the year. I look forward to seeing you on Dec. 12th!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, November 15, 2019
November 11-15
Hello families!
This week has been so busy here at Wixom Elementary! With the arrival of snow, winter weather and our MSU/U of M coin challenge we have had an exciting week!
In phonics we worked on learning trouble maker words. The words that are often mispelled by second graders are: about, here, school, what, was, with, could, and very. These words cannot be "sounded out" because they don't follow phonetic rules, hence the word troublemakers!
Students worked with a partner to come up with a way for remembering each word. Then they made posters with reminders for how to remember. We graduated the words to our word wall today! We also put the words into our personal word books! Next week we will work on using word parts and patterns to spell new words. We will use nursery rhymes to zoom in on powerful word patterns. We will work specifically with the word patterns: ill, ock, oon, own and ot.
In writing this week, we used a writing check list to revise our lab reports. We added the science term: friction - when two things rub together. We revised with a partner to fix spelling, capitals and periods. Next week we will do another lab report on a different experiment.
In our non-fiction reading unit we are "growing our knowledge" by paying close attention to details. We focused this week on reading the details in directions for Legos, a poster about the clouds, an informational poster about sources of water and a globe. We also looked closely at a penny and noticed all kinds of new things - numbers, words, pictures, etc. Through observation we came up with questions about the penny to research and learn more about. We will continue to work on non-fiction and begin reading non-fiction books asking first, "what is this book trying to teach me?" We will read non-fiction books at each child's level and ask what surprised us reading about a new topic.
In math, we are working on unit 3. We have been practicing ways to subtract and using new strategies: counting up and counting back> We practiced solving for a missing addend in the game Salute! We used fact triangles to practice subtraction and addition facts. We played the number grid difference. Next week we will learn how to play "what's my rule" and about subtracting with 1 and z). We will learn how to use a doubles fact to subtract.
In Science, we are completing our last air experiment today with balloon rockets! Students will used compressed air inside of a balloon to launch a balloon rocket. This experiment is a lot of fun and it shows how air can be compressed and how it moves things. Next week we will move on to weather experiments. We will learn about the thermometer, how to use a rain gauge and about wind speed making an anemometer to show how scientist measure how fast the wind is blowing.
We will soon begin a new social studies unit on maps!
Thank you for sending in the appropriate snow clothes each day for your child, we have been adjusting to using our snow clothes and we are working on keeping track of them (boots, mittens, hats). If you are missing any items, the lost and found has many unclaimed things!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
This week has been so busy here at Wixom Elementary! With the arrival of snow, winter weather and our MSU/U of M coin challenge we have had an exciting week!
In phonics we worked on learning trouble maker words. The words that are often mispelled by second graders are: about, here, school, what, was, with, could, and very. These words cannot be "sounded out" because they don't follow phonetic rules, hence the word troublemakers!
Students worked with a partner to come up with a way for remembering each word. Then they made posters with reminders for how to remember. We graduated the words to our word wall today! We also put the words into our personal word books! Next week we will work on using word parts and patterns to spell new words. We will use nursery rhymes to zoom in on powerful word patterns. We will work specifically with the word patterns: ill, ock, oon, own and ot.
In writing this week, we used a writing check list to revise our lab reports. We added the science term: friction - when two things rub together. We revised with a partner to fix spelling, capitals and periods. Next week we will do another lab report on a different experiment.
In our non-fiction reading unit we are "growing our knowledge" by paying close attention to details. We focused this week on reading the details in directions for Legos, a poster about the clouds, an informational poster about sources of water and a globe. We also looked closely at a penny and noticed all kinds of new things - numbers, words, pictures, etc. Through observation we came up with questions about the penny to research and learn more about. We will continue to work on non-fiction and begin reading non-fiction books asking first, "what is this book trying to teach me?" We will read non-fiction books at each child's level and ask what surprised us reading about a new topic.
In math, we are working on unit 3. We have been practicing ways to subtract and using new strategies: counting up and counting back> We practiced solving for a missing addend in the game Salute! We used fact triangles to practice subtraction and addition facts. We played the number grid difference. Next week we will learn how to play "what's my rule" and about subtracting with 1 and z). We will learn how to use a doubles fact to subtract.
In Science, we are completing our last air experiment today with balloon rockets! Students will used compressed air inside of a balloon to launch a balloon rocket. This experiment is a lot of fun and it shows how air can be compressed and how it moves things. Next week we will move on to weather experiments. We will learn about the thermometer, how to use a rain gauge and about wind speed making an anemometer to show how scientist measure how fast the wind is blowing.
We will soon begin a new social studies unit on maps!
Thank you for sending in the appropriate snow clothes each day for your child, we have been adjusting to using our snow clothes and we are working on keeping track of them (boots, mittens, hats). If you are missing any items, the lost and found has many unclaimed things!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, November 1, 2019
Week of November 4-8
Hello families,
Wow! November is here, I can't believe how quickly October went!
Snow was on the ground at my house and it was very cold this morning.
This weekend would be a good time to get out the boots, mittens, hats, etc. so your child will be ready when the snow starts to stick!
In reading this week, we have begun a non-fiction unit. We spent time reading In the Time of Knights and learning all about their weapons, armor, how to become a knight, the code of chivalry and much more. The book was very engaging! We will read all about tigers next week and learn how to anticipate what you will learn when reading non-fiction. We will use features such as captions and detailed photos to learn more. We will practice reading information like a reporter or an expert on the topic.
In writing, we have start a new unit on non-fiction. We began writing science lab reports and learned the parts of a lab report: a question, a hypothesis, procedures, results, conclusion. We conducted an experiment where we asked will a matchbox car go farther on carpet or a bare floor, we did multiple trials and recorded our results! We included a results and conclusion page to show our thinking about why the car goes farther on a bare floor versus the carpet. We discussed friction and how it works to slow the car down. Next we will change a part (variable) and re-do the experiment, writing a new lab report. We will work with different materials and test our hypothesis! Students will try writing their own reports after conducting the experiment.
In phonics, we learned all about homophones this week. We wrote silly sentences such as: The knights said," Good night" or The bear was bare! Next week we will focus on the homophones for there, they're and their and work toward using them appropriately in our writing.
We are starting a Unit 3 in Math. A family letter will be coming home today. Please read the letter to learn what we will be working on in this unit. The unit 2 math test will come home today. Many students did very well!
In science, we will conduct more experiments on air and weather. We will learn how air works under water. We will make a water fountain from tubes, bottles and syringes to show how air is matter, it occupies space even though we can't see it.
We will begin observing and recording the weather as it changes through the fall.
Thank you and have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Wow! November is here, I can't believe how quickly October went!
Snow was on the ground at my house and it was very cold this morning.
This weekend would be a good time to get out the boots, mittens, hats, etc. so your child will be ready when the snow starts to stick!
In reading this week, we have begun a non-fiction unit. We spent time reading In the Time of Knights and learning all about their weapons, armor, how to become a knight, the code of chivalry and much more. The book was very engaging! We will read all about tigers next week and learn how to anticipate what you will learn when reading non-fiction. We will use features such as captions and detailed photos to learn more. We will practice reading information like a reporter or an expert on the topic.
In writing, we have start a new unit on non-fiction. We began writing science lab reports and learned the parts of a lab report: a question, a hypothesis, procedures, results, conclusion. We conducted an experiment where we asked will a matchbox car go farther on carpet or a bare floor, we did multiple trials and recorded our results! We included a results and conclusion page to show our thinking about why the car goes farther on a bare floor versus the carpet. We discussed friction and how it works to slow the car down. Next we will change a part (variable) and re-do the experiment, writing a new lab report. We will work with different materials and test our hypothesis! Students will try writing their own reports after conducting the experiment.
In phonics, we learned all about homophones this week. We wrote silly sentences such as: The knights said," Good night" or The bear was bare! Next week we will focus on the homophones for there, they're and their and work toward using them appropriately in our writing.
We are starting a Unit 3 in Math. A family letter will be coming home today. Please read the letter to learn what we will be working on in this unit. The unit 2 math test will come home today. Many students did very well!
In science, we will conduct more experiments on air and weather. We will learn how air works under water. We will make a water fountain from tubes, bottles and syringes to show how air is matter, it occupies space even though we can't see it.
We will begin observing and recording the weather as it changes through the fall.
Thank you and have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
October 21-25
Hello families!
Here is an update on what we have been working on in Room 105 this week!
In reading, we are wrapping up our first unit on Thursday. We have reflected on all the reading strategies that we learned since the beginning of the year. Each student picked a strategy to write about. We are also picking a favorite book to share with other second graders on Thursday. We wrote about the lessons learned in the book and any warnings about reading the book. A warning maybe "watch out for silly made up words in this Junie B. Jones book!"
In writing we are also ending our first unit called Small Moments. Students are publishing a piece to share with other second graders. We worked on editing this week using a check list to fix spelling, capitals and end punctuation. We are coloring the pictures and getting our pieces ready to share.
In phonics, we reviewed all the phonics we have learned in second grade. Students met in small groups to prepare a lesson to teach a new "student" Gus. Gus is going to learn from the students and we will meet Gus on Thursday... you will be surprised when you find out what Gus is all about!
In math, we are near the end of unit 2. This unit has been all about addition and subtraction strategies. This week we have learned how to add on a number line. We wrote doubles facts, we learned how to use a doubles fact to solve. We practiced making doubles with odd and even numbers. We learned that every number when it is doubled is an even number. We will begin preparing for Unit 2 math test next week!
We have begun our science unit on Air and Weather. We have completed the first two experiments. We used objects that are common and observed how air moved them. We used syringes to push air through a plastic tube. We learned that air can be compressed into a small space. We used force to push air through the syringe and pop off another syringe!
We have been getting cooler weather, please remember to send a jacket as we do go outside everyday unless it is raining.
A note went home about Halloween. We will have our party on October 31st!
Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Scheck
Here is an update on what we have been working on in Room 105 this week!
In reading, we are wrapping up our first unit on Thursday. We have reflected on all the reading strategies that we learned since the beginning of the year. Each student picked a strategy to write about. We are also picking a favorite book to share with other second graders on Thursday. We wrote about the lessons learned in the book and any warnings about reading the book. A warning maybe "watch out for silly made up words in this Junie B. Jones book!"
In writing we are also ending our first unit called Small Moments. Students are publishing a piece to share with other second graders. We worked on editing this week using a check list to fix spelling, capitals and end punctuation. We are coloring the pictures and getting our pieces ready to share.
In phonics, we reviewed all the phonics we have learned in second grade. Students met in small groups to prepare a lesson to teach a new "student" Gus. Gus is going to learn from the students and we will meet Gus on Thursday... you will be surprised when you find out what Gus is all about!
In math, we are near the end of unit 2. This unit has been all about addition and subtraction strategies. This week we have learned how to add on a number line. We wrote doubles facts, we learned how to use a doubles fact to solve. We practiced making doubles with odd and even numbers. We learned that every number when it is doubled is an even number. We will begin preparing for Unit 2 math test next week!
We have begun our science unit on Air and Weather. We have completed the first two experiments. We used objects that are common and observed how air moved them. We used syringes to push air through a plastic tube. We learned that air can be compressed into a small space. We used force to push air through the syringe and pop off another syringe!
We have been getting cooler weather, please remember to send a jacket as we do go outside everyday unless it is raining.
A note went home about Halloween. We will have our party on October 31st!
Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Scheck
Monday, October 14, 2019
Week of Oct. 14-18
Hello Families,
Here is a snap shot of what we will be working on in Room 105 this week....
In writing we are working on Editing one of our small moments. We used a check list today to think about spelling and punctuation. We practiced editing a piece of writing as a class and making changes to make the writing better. We will soon be wrapping up our Small Moments (personal narrative) unit!
In reading, we worked today on figuring out the meanings of words. We read from the book Katie Woo Has the Flu. We looked at this passage, "I hate taking pills, they are such pills!" We discussed using the words in the sentence to help figure out the meaning. We will study how authors have intentions. We will look again at Those Darn Squirrels. We will notice, stop and think about what the author does that is so powerful!
In phonics we are focusing this week on how capitals are used in writing. We read a sample letter from a young writer and we noticed how to use capitals. We saw capitals in the middle of words and fixed them up. We will learn this week to use capitals for: names, place, products, the word I, to start a letter, to end a letter, to start dates, and to start a new sentence.
In math, we worked more on fact power today. We used doubles facts to help us solve math problems. For example, 5 plus 5 equals 10 will help you know how to solve 5 plus 6. This week we will also learn about the turn around rule for addition. We will try using the turn around rule for subtraction and learn why it will not work. We will also finished taking the I-ready math test.
In science, we will be starting the Air and Weather Unit. We will begin by exploring what we already know about air and weather using a thinking routine called See, Think, Wonder.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Scheck
Here is a snap shot of what we will be working on in Room 105 this week....
In writing we are working on Editing one of our small moments. We used a check list today to think about spelling and punctuation. We practiced editing a piece of writing as a class and making changes to make the writing better. We will soon be wrapping up our Small Moments (personal narrative) unit!
In reading, we worked today on figuring out the meanings of words. We read from the book Katie Woo Has the Flu. We looked at this passage, "I hate taking pills, they are such pills!" We discussed using the words in the sentence to help figure out the meaning. We will study how authors have intentions. We will look again at Those Darn Squirrels. We will notice, stop and think about what the author does that is so powerful!
In phonics we are focusing this week on how capitals are used in writing. We read a sample letter from a young writer and we noticed how to use capitals. We saw capitals in the middle of words and fixed them up. We will learn this week to use capitals for: names, place, products, the word I, to start a letter, to end a letter, to start dates, and to start a new sentence.
In math, we worked more on fact power today. We used doubles facts to help us solve math problems. For example, 5 plus 5 equals 10 will help you know how to solve 5 plus 6. This week we will also learn about the turn around rule for addition. We will try using the turn around rule for subtraction and learn why it will not work. We will also finished taking the I-ready math test.
In science, we will be starting the Air and Weather Unit. We will begin by exploring what we already know about air and weather using a thinking routine called See, Think, Wonder.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, October 4, 2019
Week of October 1-4
Hello second grade families,
Here is what we have been working on this week in Room 105...
In reading, most students were able to complete the i-ready reading assessment.
We have begun reading groups! I will usually meet with a group 3 times per week. If your child is reading a book and it comes home, please return it the next day. If your child does not get the time to read the book, still return it. We will need the book in class.
In reading workshop we learned how to stop and jot down important parts of the book that we want to remember. We used sticky notes to record our thinking. We read the book Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door. We practiced jotting down notes in our own books. We also reviewed ways to solve a tricky word: check the picture, cross check the first letter with the picture, find a part you know, re-read and ask does that make sense? Most important we discussed readers need to stop and try to problem solve!
In writing this week, we worked on using a check list after finishing a story to be sure we have written a small moment. We revised our stories to try to include some emotion. We worked on ending a story with action or talking instead of writing "The End!"
In Phonics, we worked on ways to remember Trouble Maker words: friend, first,girl, your, said, when, went, where, they. We wrote the words out and circled the tricky part. We made chants up to help us remember. We wrote the word and covered it up then checked the spelling. These words will go up on our word wall today!
In math, we took our first math test on Unit 1. We have started Unit 2. A family letter came home on Thursday detailing what to expect in this unit. The first lesson was on counting money with $1, $10 and $100.
In Social Studies, we learned about human made and nature made resources. We learned some mapping skills and how to use a compass rose. Today we wrote out a review for our first social studies test. The test will be on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Please practice the full address, zip code and phone number. This is the hardest part for most kids. Write it out at home and practice with your child.
The Funky Fall Fund walk is coming up in one week! We hope to raise money and have some fun on Friday, October 11th! If you'd like to volunteer that day, please let the office know! Many parents come to watch and cheer on the students.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Upcoming events:
Oct. 9th - no school in observance of Jewish Holiday Yom Kippur
Oct. 11th - Funky Fall Fund Walk 2:30-3:30
Here is what we have been working on this week in Room 105...
In reading, most students were able to complete the i-ready reading assessment.
We have begun reading groups! I will usually meet with a group 3 times per week. If your child is reading a book and it comes home, please return it the next day. If your child does not get the time to read the book, still return it. We will need the book in class.
In reading workshop we learned how to stop and jot down important parts of the book that we want to remember. We used sticky notes to record our thinking. We read the book Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door. We practiced jotting down notes in our own books. We also reviewed ways to solve a tricky word: check the picture, cross check the first letter with the picture, find a part you know, re-read and ask does that make sense? Most important we discussed readers need to stop and try to problem solve!
In writing this week, we worked on using a check list after finishing a story to be sure we have written a small moment. We revised our stories to try to include some emotion. We worked on ending a story with action or talking instead of writing "The End!"
In Phonics, we worked on ways to remember Trouble Maker words: friend, first,girl, your, said, when, went, where, they. We wrote the words out and circled the tricky part. We made chants up to help us remember. We wrote the word and covered it up then checked the spelling. These words will go up on our word wall today!
In math, we took our first math test on Unit 1. We have started Unit 2. A family letter came home on Thursday detailing what to expect in this unit. The first lesson was on counting money with $1, $10 and $100.
In Social Studies, we learned about human made and nature made resources. We learned some mapping skills and how to use a compass rose. Today we wrote out a review for our first social studies test. The test will be on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Please practice the full address, zip code and phone number. This is the hardest part for most kids. Write it out at home and practice with your child.
The Funky Fall Fund walk is coming up in one week! We hope to raise money and have some fun on Friday, October 11th! If you'd like to volunteer that day, please let the office know! Many parents come to watch and cheer on the students.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Upcoming events:
Oct. 9th - no school in observance of Jewish Holiday Yom Kippur
Oct. 11th - Funky Fall Fund Walk 2:30-3:30
Friday, September 27, 2019
Week of September 23-27
Hello families,
Here is what has been happening in Room 105!
This week in reading workshop we took some time to begin our i-ready reading assessment.
Due to technical difficulties we have yet to finish the test. Our goal next week will be to complete it once i-ready fixes the problem with their site. In the classroom this week we continued to work on growing our reading! We read the book Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door. We used the book to practice retelling important events. Readers worked on adding some details from the story and using some of the language from the book to their retelling.
In writing, we continue to work on writing small moments. This week we met with a partner to check our stories for capitals to start every sentence, periods at the end of each complete sentence and we fixed up snap words. I introduced a small moments check list for second grade. We used a piece of writing from another author to practice using a checklist with. We worked on re-reading our own writing to make sure it makes sense!
In phonics we worked this week on r controlled vowels. We searched for ar, er and ir in a familiar piece of text. We then learned how to spell burp - and how we know the right vowel to use by looking at the word spelled three ways: berp, birp and burp and then noticing which one looks right! We learned some rules to help us remember which vowel to use: er- usually comes a the end of a word. Ir and ur are usually in the middle of a word.
Next week we will work on "trouble maker words"...some of them are: said, they, where, first, friend, girl, when, went and your. We will learn how to tackle a tricky word and how to practice it by chanting it, writing it over and over, take a picture in our minds and clapping it into parts.
In Social Studies, we worked this week to deepen our understanding of what makes up an Urban, Rural and Suburban community. We read the story Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. We saw the changes in the environment caused the little house to go from living in the country to the city. We also learned the difference between wants and needs. Next week we will learn about man made versus natural resources. We will wrap up the first unit of social studies toward the end of next week. A study guide will come home on Wednesday to help your child for a unit test. The unit one social studies test will be on Friday, October 4.
In math, we have reached the end of unit 1. We reviewed odd and even numbers, we went over patterns on the number grid, we played the broken calculator game. The quarter was introduced and we practiced counting coins. The unit one study guide went home yesterday and it is due on Tuesday, October 1. Students will take the unit 1 math test on Wednesday, October 2.
Please remember that there is no school on Monday, Sept. 30th.
Upcoming events:
Funky Fall Fund walk/color run - Oct. 11
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Here is what has been happening in Room 105!
This week in reading workshop we took some time to begin our i-ready reading assessment.
Due to technical difficulties we have yet to finish the test. Our goal next week will be to complete it once i-ready fixes the problem with their site. In the classroom this week we continued to work on growing our reading! We read the book Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door. We used the book to practice retelling important events. Readers worked on adding some details from the story and using some of the language from the book to their retelling.
In writing, we continue to work on writing small moments. This week we met with a partner to check our stories for capitals to start every sentence, periods at the end of each complete sentence and we fixed up snap words. I introduced a small moments check list for second grade. We used a piece of writing from another author to practice using a checklist with. We worked on re-reading our own writing to make sure it makes sense!
In phonics we worked this week on r controlled vowels. We searched for ar, er and ir in a familiar piece of text. We then learned how to spell burp - and how we know the right vowel to use by looking at the word spelled three ways: berp, birp and burp and then noticing which one looks right! We learned some rules to help us remember which vowel to use: er- usually comes a the end of a word. Ir and ur are usually in the middle of a word.
Next week we will work on "trouble maker words"...some of them are: said, they, where, first, friend, girl, when, went and your. We will learn how to tackle a tricky word and how to practice it by chanting it, writing it over and over, take a picture in our minds and clapping it into parts.
In Social Studies, we worked this week to deepen our understanding of what makes up an Urban, Rural and Suburban community. We read the story Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. We saw the changes in the environment caused the little house to go from living in the country to the city. We also learned the difference between wants and needs. Next week we will learn about man made versus natural resources. We will wrap up the first unit of social studies toward the end of next week. A study guide will come home on Wednesday to help your child for a unit test. The unit one social studies test will be on Friday, October 4.
In math, we have reached the end of unit 1. We reviewed odd and even numbers, we went over patterns on the number grid, we played the broken calculator game. The quarter was introduced and we practiced counting coins. The unit one study guide went home yesterday and it is due on Tuesday, October 1. Students will take the unit 1 math test on Wednesday, October 2.
Please remember that there is no school on Monday, Sept. 30th.
Upcoming events:
Funky Fall Fund walk/color run - Oct. 11
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, September 20, 2019
Week of September 23-27
Hello families,
This week in our classroom we have begun the reading assessment for i-ready!
Today every student was able to log in and start. Once the test is complete students can begin i-ready lessons. I will let you know when they can access the lessons and work on them at home.
In reading workshop this week, we continued to build our skills. We worked on giving a book a sneak peek. Some students gave book talks to the class after reading a book to help encourage other readers. We worked on building our stamina for reading and went from 20 minutes to 25 minutes of reading to self! We practiced talking with a partner and using prompts to begin a discussion about a book.
As students read independently, I have been able to assess students one on one.
In writing, we are continuing on with our small moments/personal narrative unit of writing. We used a mentor text, Owl Moon, to discuss ways Jane Yolen writes. We tried to stretch out one small moment and really zoom in on details in our writing!
In phonics this week we have worked on snap words! Last year students learned popcorn words, snap words are similiar. They are words we can read and write in a snap. Every student has a snap words book to keep in their writing folder. We played I spy with our snap words, we did a snap words speed reading test and we looked for snap words in our own writing and fixed them up if they were misspelled!
Next week we will begin learning r-controlled vowels. These are new for most kids and some will be tricky. We will look for patterns and use them throughout the week:, ar, er, or (example, car, tiger, fork).
In math this week we have been working through Unit 1, which is a bit of a review from last year.
We began the week looking at equivalent names for numbers and learned how to do "Quick Look" card. We played fishing for ten and practiced making combinations of 10. We tried out a math game on the EDM 4 website. Yesterday we learned the value of a quarter and played two games. Some of the class played the exchange game and some played the penny-nickel-dime-quarter grab! Please practice counting coins at home and use the EDM 4 website to revisit games for extra practice.
In social studies we are continuing to learn about communities. We made a booklet of all the communities we belong to (school, home, church, sports). We learned about the three main types of communities: urban, rural and suburban. Please continue to have your child practice their address complete with zip code and their phone number! At the end of this unit they need to know it and be able to write it independently!
Please turn in your field trip permission slip and one dollar for Dairy Queen if you have not done so.
Upcoming events:
Sept. 27 - Field trip to the Dairy Queen, police and library - please let me know if you are coming, you must fill out the background form to go with us.
Sept. 30 - no school
This week in our classroom we have begun the reading assessment for i-ready!
Today every student was able to log in and start. Once the test is complete students can begin i-ready lessons. I will let you know when they can access the lessons and work on them at home.
In reading workshop this week, we continued to build our skills. We worked on giving a book a sneak peek. Some students gave book talks to the class after reading a book to help encourage other readers. We worked on building our stamina for reading and went from 20 minutes to 25 minutes of reading to self! We practiced talking with a partner and using prompts to begin a discussion about a book.
As students read independently, I have been able to assess students one on one.
In writing, we are continuing on with our small moments/personal narrative unit of writing. We used a mentor text, Owl Moon, to discuss ways Jane Yolen writes. We tried to stretch out one small moment and really zoom in on details in our writing!
In phonics this week we have worked on snap words! Last year students learned popcorn words, snap words are similiar. They are words we can read and write in a snap. Every student has a snap words book to keep in their writing folder. We played I spy with our snap words, we did a snap words speed reading test and we looked for snap words in our own writing and fixed them up if they were misspelled!
Next week we will begin learning r-controlled vowels. These are new for most kids and some will be tricky. We will look for patterns and use them throughout the week:, ar, er, or (example, car, tiger, fork).
In math this week we have been working through Unit 1, which is a bit of a review from last year.
We began the week looking at equivalent names for numbers and learned how to do "Quick Look" card. We played fishing for ten and practiced making combinations of 10. We tried out a math game on the EDM 4 website. Yesterday we learned the value of a quarter and played two games. Some of the class played the exchange game and some played the penny-nickel-dime-quarter grab! Please practice counting coins at home and use the EDM 4 website to revisit games for extra practice.
In social studies we are continuing to learn about communities. We made a booklet of all the communities we belong to (school, home, church, sports). We learned about the three main types of communities: urban, rural and suburban. Please continue to have your child practice their address complete with zip code and their phone number! At the end of this unit they need to know it and be able to write it independently!
Please turn in your field trip permission slip and one dollar for Dairy Queen if you have not done so.
Upcoming events:
Sept. 27 - Field trip to the Dairy Queen, police and library - please let me know if you are coming, you must fill out the background form to go with us.
Sept. 30 - no school
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Week of Sept. 9-13
Hello families,
It is hard to believe that we are almost half way through September. Time flies when you are having fun!
In reading this week we read the book Mercy Watson to the Rescue. This book is a short chapter book with a lovable pig as the main character. We read the book and each day practiced something different. We practiced cross checking a word with meaning, structure and visual information. We highlighted words and practiced breaking them apart whole group, then trying it on our own during reading workshop. Today we practiced fluent reading and pausing for punctuation.
In writing, we have been working on revisiting the strategies learned from first grade for writing workshop. We tried to act out parts of our story before writing. Using a mentor text called The Leaving Morning we tried using these craft techniques - a ellipse (or a dot, dot, dot), sound words, dialog, and repeating phrases.
In math, we worked on scrolling numbers to 1000 as a group. We took parts of the scroll and wrote them with partners. We started our first Open Response lesson, working with number grid puzzles. We will begin having home links in Unit 2. We played games to reinforce concepts about the number grid. We practiced counting coins, several students need more work on counting pennies, nickels and dimes.
In phonics, we were word detectives! We searched the book Those Darn Squirrels for long vowels - using word windows to find them and a partner.
We read poems and searched for both short and vowels and wrote them out on white boards.
The students have really started noticing words and point out vowel teams, silent e and blends when they are reading and writing!
In Social studies, we have continued to learned the features of a community. A homework assignment to learn our phone numbers and addresses is coming home today!
Upcoming events:
Sept. 17 - half day
Sept 18 - Bingo with dads
Sept. 27 - walking field trip (more details to come!)
Thank you!
Mrs. Scheck
It is hard to believe that we are almost half way through September. Time flies when you are having fun!
In reading this week we read the book Mercy Watson to the Rescue. This book is a short chapter book with a lovable pig as the main character. We read the book and each day practiced something different. We practiced cross checking a word with meaning, structure and visual information. We highlighted words and practiced breaking them apart whole group, then trying it on our own during reading workshop. Today we practiced fluent reading and pausing for punctuation.
In writing, we have been working on revisiting the strategies learned from first grade for writing workshop. We tried to act out parts of our story before writing. Using a mentor text called The Leaving Morning we tried using these craft techniques - a ellipse (or a dot, dot, dot), sound words, dialog, and repeating phrases.
In math, we worked on scrolling numbers to 1000 as a group. We took parts of the scroll and wrote them with partners. We started our first Open Response lesson, working with number grid puzzles. We will begin having home links in Unit 2. We played games to reinforce concepts about the number grid. We practiced counting coins, several students need more work on counting pennies, nickels and dimes.
In phonics, we were word detectives! We searched the book Those Darn Squirrels for long vowels - using word windows to find them and a partner.
We read poems and searched for both short and vowels and wrote them out on white boards.
The students have really started noticing words and point out vowel teams, silent e and blends when they are reading and writing!
In Social studies, we have continued to learned the features of a community. A homework assignment to learn our phone numbers and addresses is coming home today!
Upcoming events:
Sept. 17 - half day
Sept 18 - Bingo with dads
Sept. 27 - walking field trip (more details to come!)
Thank you!
Mrs. Scheck
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)