Hello families!
We have had a busy week in room 105!
This week in reading workshop we read the book The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini. This book is a persuasive piece in which a little girl tries several approaches to convince her parents to let her have a pet.
The students discussed how she kept trying different strategies and was persistent in her efforts. At the end she solves her own problem by finding a pet bug!
We also read a chapter book called Where are you going, Baby Lincoln? This book is a short chapter book in which the main character sets off on a "necessary journey." We will use the book to discuss differing points of view in the story. We also learned two new character traits: judgmental and optimistic. Students wrote about the author's message. It is okay to have a different opinion but remember to respect that others may think differently than you think.
This week we reviewed contractions and practiced taking letters out to make contractions. We will work on syllables and double consonant patterns next week! We played a word game called My Pile/Your Pile to practice reading high frequency words quickly.
We are continuing our opinion writing unit. We worked this week to add evidence from the book to our letters and include the page numbers. We are making longer letters into booklets and creating a poster to share with the other second grade classes next week to wrap up this unit of writing!
In math we have begun unit 7. The family letter was sent home. We will continue to work on adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers. We practiced today adding without regrouping. We will also work on measurement, making a line plot and graphing information. The unit 6 math test was sent home on Thursday.
In social studies we worked on producers and consumers and created a flow chart for the process of making milk into ice cream. Next week we will work on learning about opportunity cost!
We are headed toward spring break which begins next week. There will be no school from March 30 - April 9.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
Week of March 12-16
Dear families,
This week in Second Grade we read the book My Brother Dan's Delicious. This story is a persuasive story in which the main character, Joey, tries to trick an imaginary monster into eating his brother instead of him!
The students read this story and looked for character traits. We learned the vocabulary word: succulent. We also made connections to the book about a time we were afraid.
In writing, we have been working hard on our letters about a favorite book and giving books our own made up awards for being the best book! We are continuing to work on stating an opinion, giving evidence, retelling part but not all the story and putting quotations from the book into the letter.
In word study this week we practiced writing compound words. We will spend more time next week on Synonyms and Antonyms.
In math, we have completed Unit 6. We have been working on using strategies to solve a number story with two digits and two steps. We have a test on Monday for Unit 6. The study guide went home on Thursday and is due Monday, March 19. A family letter for Unit 7 will come home next week.
In social studies we worked on producers and consumers. We read the book From Cows to Ice Cream. We sorted ways people are producers and consumers.
On Wednesday, we had a guest speaker, Mr. Thorsell, come to speak to the second graders! He explained and showed how he takes drawings and makes them into 3-D objects such as a cup holder for a car. He shared how engineers work and gave a great presentation! Thank you, Mr. Thorsell for sharing your skills and time with us!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
This week in Second Grade we read the book My Brother Dan's Delicious. This story is a persuasive story in which the main character, Joey, tries to trick an imaginary monster into eating his brother instead of him!
The students read this story and looked for character traits. We learned the vocabulary word: succulent. We also made connections to the book about a time we were afraid.
In writing, we have been working hard on our letters about a favorite book and giving books our own made up awards for being the best book! We are continuing to work on stating an opinion, giving evidence, retelling part but not all the story and putting quotations from the book into the letter.
In word study this week we practiced writing compound words. We will spend more time next week on Synonyms and Antonyms.
In math, we have completed Unit 6. We have been working on using strategies to solve a number story with two digits and two steps. We have a test on Monday for Unit 6. The study guide went home on Thursday and is due Monday, March 19. A family letter for Unit 7 will come home next week.
In social studies we worked on producers and consumers. We read the book From Cows to Ice Cream. We sorted ways people are producers and consumers.
On Wednesday, we had a guest speaker, Mr. Thorsell, come to speak to the second graders! He explained and showed how he takes drawings and makes them into 3-D objects such as a cup holder for a car. He shared how engineers work and gave a great presentation! Thank you, Mr. Thorsell for sharing your skills and time with us!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, March 9, 2018
March 5-9
Dear Families,
This week we read the story, One Word From Sophia. This book fit perfectly with our opinion writing unit. In the story Sophia is trying to convince her family members to get her a giraffe for her birthday. We learned that characters change the way they present their argument based on who they are talking to. Sophia is told her arguments are loquacious, effusive and verbose - too wordy. We learned these new vocabulary words this week. We also did a Visual Thinking Routine with the book called a "step inside" to view the story through the eyes of the main character. Students write and respond to questions about the character telling what does she think, what does she care and what does she know or believe. Students provide evidence from the text to back up their answers!
In writing, we are continuing on with our opinion writing unit. We have worked on added more to our letters. Using capitals in the right place has been something we noticed is lacking. Reviewing capitals was part of our lessons this week! Students each chose a book that he or she wants to nominate for an award (that is made up by the student). We added a map of a setting in the story to our letters. Today we will work on adding quotes from the book to help support our opinions. We hope to have students share their letters with other students at the end of the unit.
In math we have been learning several strategies for adding two digit numbers. We practiced these strategies: counting on, partial sums, adding with base 10 and using an open number line. We have been working on two step problems with both addition and subtraction. Yesterday students worked independently on two digit subtraction.
In social studies we have begun a new unit on Our Local Economy. We read the book The Hatseller and the Monkeys. We discussed and sorted Wants versus Needs. Students sorted objects into two columns. We will continue next week learning about producers and consumers. We will read the book From Cows to Ice Cream. Students will learn the process that happens to produce a good. We will also be learning about real life production of a car from Mr. Thorsell!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
This week we read the story, One Word From Sophia. This book fit perfectly with our opinion writing unit. In the story Sophia is trying to convince her family members to get her a giraffe for her birthday. We learned that characters change the way they present their argument based on who they are talking to. Sophia is told her arguments are loquacious, effusive and verbose - too wordy. We learned these new vocabulary words this week. We also did a Visual Thinking Routine with the book called a "step inside" to view the story through the eyes of the main character. Students write and respond to questions about the character telling what does she think, what does she care and what does she know or believe. Students provide evidence from the text to back up their answers!
In writing, we are continuing on with our opinion writing unit. We have worked on added more to our letters. Using capitals in the right place has been something we noticed is lacking. Reviewing capitals was part of our lessons this week! Students each chose a book that he or she wants to nominate for an award (that is made up by the student). We added a map of a setting in the story to our letters. Today we will work on adding quotes from the book to help support our opinions. We hope to have students share their letters with other students at the end of the unit.
In math we have been learning several strategies for adding two digit numbers. We practiced these strategies: counting on, partial sums, adding with base 10 and using an open number line. We have been working on two step problems with both addition and subtraction. Yesterday students worked independently on two digit subtraction.
In social studies we have begun a new unit on Our Local Economy. We read the book The Hatseller and the Monkeys. We discussed and sorted Wants versus Needs. Students sorted objects into two columns. We will continue next week learning about producers and consumers. We will read the book From Cows to Ice Cream. Students will learn the process that happens to produce a good. We will also be learning about real life production of a car from Mr. Thorsell!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, March 2, 2018
Week of February 28-March 2
Dear families,
Here are some things we have been working on this week in Second grade!
In reading we read the chapter book Francine Poulet and the Ghost Raccoon by Katie Dicamillo.
We read a few chapters each day and discussed how author used comparisons to make her writing more vivid. In the story Francine describes herself as "solid as a refrigerator." We practiced in reading work shop looking for comparisons in our books. We learned a new vocabulary word: gallivanting. We practiced using the word gallivanting in conversations and added it to our reader's and writer's notebook.
Many of our reading groups have begun Reader's Theaters this week to practice reading fluently.
Reading should sound like talking. Changing your voice to sound the character, practicing pacing and reading the punctuation are all skills needed to sound fluent!
Each group will practice reading their story next week and then try reading it in front of the class.
In writing this week we are continuing our unit on opinion writing. This week our goal was to make our letters longer and the persuasion in the letter stronger. We have been sending letters and convincing other classes to read some of our favorite books! this has been fun for most students. They enjoy sharing books and writing about the characters, pictures, retelling parts (not all!) of the story and telling the lessons learned or taught in the book!
In Social Studies this week we have been working on maps. We practiced being map detectives this week. We looked at an area map of the boundaries for elementary schools in Walled Lake. Students worked in small groups to find symbols, directions, and answer questions through reading the maps.
In math we have been practicing more than one way to solve an addition or subtraction problem in a number story (or word problem). We have practiced writing number stories and solving them with a partner. New diagrams to use for solving were introduced and remembered from last year!
If your child is needing extra practice spend some time this weekend making up and writing number stories to solve for fun! It is okay to use number grids and number lines or counters as tools to help solve!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Here are some things we have been working on this week in Second grade!
In reading we read the chapter book Francine Poulet and the Ghost Raccoon by Katie Dicamillo.
We read a few chapters each day and discussed how author used comparisons to make her writing more vivid. In the story Francine describes herself as "solid as a refrigerator." We practiced in reading work shop looking for comparisons in our books. We learned a new vocabulary word: gallivanting. We practiced using the word gallivanting in conversations and added it to our reader's and writer's notebook.
Many of our reading groups have begun Reader's Theaters this week to practice reading fluently.
Reading should sound like talking. Changing your voice to sound the character, practicing pacing and reading the punctuation are all skills needed to sound fluent!
Each group will practice reading their story next week and then try reading it in front of the class.
In writing this week we are continuing our unit on opinion writing. This week our goal was to make our letters longer and the persuasion in the letter stronger. We have been sending letters and convincing other classes to read some of our favorite books! this has been fun for most students. They enjoy sharing books and writing about the characters, pictures, retelling parts (not all!) of the story and telling the lessons learned or taught in the book!
In Social Studies this week we have been working on maps. We practiced being map detectives this week. We looked at an area map of the boundaries for elementary schools in Walled Lake. Students worked in small groups to find symbols, directions, and answer questions through reading the maps.
In math we have been practicing more than one way to solve an addition or subtraction problem in a number story (or word problem). We have practiced writing number stories and solving them with a partner. New diagrams to use for solving were introduced and remembered from last year!
If your child is needing extra practice spend some time this weekend making up and writing number stories to solve for fun! It is okay to use number grids and number lines or counters as tools to help solve!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Scheck
Friday, February 16, 2018
Week of February 12-16
Dear families,
We have had a fun and busy week in Room 105!
Our Valentine's day party was so much fun! We played bingo and make fruit kabobs. The students passed out cards and opened. It was a great day! Thank you for donating food and helping to make the party a success!
This week we read the book Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig by Katie DiCamillo.
We have been reading the Mercy Watson series to help us think about characters, setting, how to retell and pictures. We have also read this book to work on making our reading sound fluent. We practiced changing voices to sound like the characters in the book. We practiced pacing. We used the book to help us visualize in our heads what was happening the story. If you have time to visit the Wixom Public Library, your child may want to check out this book series and read more over the break.
In writing, we have begun a new unit on opinion writing. We have started by writing letters to other readers talking about books we love. We wrote a letter to Mrs. Yaldoo's class and suggested they read Harry Potter. We wrote to Mrs. Megyesi's class telling them about A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon. We discussed writing for an audience. Students wrote letters to their Kindergarten buddy. We will send our letters and read with our buddies after break!
We have completed Unit 5 in math. Yesterday we took the Unit 5 test. I will grade and return the tests after break. A family letter outlining Unit 6 went home yesterday. Please read the letter for details about the next Unit in math!
In Social Studies we read the book The Wartville Wizard. The story was about a man who gets tired of seeing and cleaning up all the litter in his town. He received magic powers to send the litter back to the person who threw it and make it stick to the person! We wrote about the different perspectives in the book for the Wizard and the citizens of Wartville using a Visual Thinking Routine called Circle of Viewpoints.
We will be on Mid-Winter break from 12:09 today until February 22nd. Please have your child read each night for 20 minutes.
Enjoy the break!
Mrs. Scheck
We have had a fun and busy week in Room 105!
Our Valentine's day party was so much fun! We played bingo and make fruit kabobs. The students passed out cards and opened. It was a great day! Thank you for donating food and helping to make the party a success!
This week we read the book Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig by Katie DiCamillo.
We have been reading the Mercy Watson series to help us think about characters, setting, how to retell and pictures. We have also read this book to work on making our reading sound fluent. We practiced changing voices to sound like the characters in the book. We practiced pacing. We used the book to help us visualize in our heads what was happening the story. If you have time to visit the Wixom Public Library, your child may want to check out this book series and read more over the break.
In writing, we have begun a new unit on opinion writing. We have started by writing letters to other readers talking about books we love. We wrote a letter to Mrs. Yaldoo's class and suggested they read Harry Potter. We wrote to Mrs. Megyesi's class telling them about A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon. We discussed writing for an audience. Students wrote letters to their Kindergarten buddy. We will send our letters and read with our buddies after break!
We have completed Unit 5 in math. Yesterday we took the Unit 5 test. I will grade and return the tests after break. A family letter outlining Unit 6 went home yesterday. Please read the letter for details about the next Unit in math!
In Social Studies we read the book The Wartville Wizard. The story was about a man who gets tired of seeing and cleaning up all the litter in his town. He received magic powers to send the litter back to the person who threw it and make it stick to the person! We wrote about the different perspectives in the book for the Wizard and the citizens of Wartville using a Visual Thinking Routine called Circle of Viewpoints.
We will be on Mid-Winter break from 12:09 today until February 22nd. Please have your child read each night for 20 minutes.
Enjoy the break!
Mrs. Scheck
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
January 22-26
Hello wonderful families,
This week in Second grade we have been working on reading non-fiction books. We read the book The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. The story is a biography of Waterhouse Hawkins, a man who began sculpting dinosaurs when little information was known about them back in 1853. We read the story to discuss main idea and supporting details.
We will continue reading non-fiction for the next couple of weeks.
In writing, we have begun writing non fiction "teaching books." Our books must be about movement. Many children are writing about sports, dance, gymnastics, etc. We planned our books with the table of contents, then began by sketching a quick picture on each page of what we were going to write. Students are also going to include some scientific information in their writing, which will include force and motion.
We have started a new unit in math. A family letter detailing the objectives of this unit was sent home Tuesday. The students will be delving deeper into money, adding coins and learning the dollar and cents notation. Practice coin counting at home, use real money and remind children to start with the largest coin first.
Our Social Studies mapping unit is underway. Students are making a birds eye view map of the classroom. They need to include a title, a colorful map key, labels and a compass rose. We will also be making pirate treasure maps for fun!
February 14th is Valentines day. We will be having a class party on Wednesday, February 14th. The party will be from 2:50-3:35. We will be making Fruit and Marshmallow Kabobs. I have created a sign up genius. A list of class names will be sent home soon. Students are allowed to send out cards. Your child will need to make his or her own Valentine box at home. Please be sure the box fits inside of the backpack. Send the box to school on February 14th. Please talk to your child about the importance of including everyone when sending out cards, if you child does not want to send cards that is okay. If you child's Valentines include candy, check to be sure it is Gluten-free and Peanut-free. If you are not sure, ask me before sending out the cards.
Continue to send your child with snow clothes: snow boots, snow pants, mittens, hat and a warm coat. The cold weather is not gone just yet!
Have a great day!
Mrs. Scheck
This week in Second grade we have been working on reading non-fiction books. We read the book The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. The story is a biography of Waterhouse Hawkins, a man who began sculpting dinosaurs when little information was known about them back in 1853. We read the story to discuss main idea and supporting details.
We will continue reading non-fiction for the next couple of weeks.
In writing, we have begun writing non fiction "teaching books." Our books must be about movement. Many children are writing about sports, dance, gymnastics, etc. We planned our books with the table of contents, then began by sketching a quick picture on each page of what we were going to write. Students are also going to include some scientific information in their writing, which will include force and motion.
We have started a new unit in math. A family letter detailing the objectives of this unit was sent home Tuesday. The students will be delving deeper into money, adding coins and learning the dollar and cents notation. Practice coin counting at home, use real money and remind children to start with the largest coin first.
Our Social Studies mapping unit is underway. Students are making a birds eye view map of the classroom. They need to include a title, a colorful map key, labels and a compass rose. We will also be making pirate treasure maps for fun!
February 14th is Valentines day. We will be having a class party on Wednesday, February 14th. The party will be from 2:50-3:35. We will be making Fruit and Marshmallow Kabobs. I have created a sign up genius. A list of class names will be sent home soon. Students are allowed to send out cards. Your child will need to make his or her own Valentine box at home. Please be sure the box fits inside of the backpack. Send the box to school on February 14th. Please talk to your child about the importance of including everyone when sending out cards, if you child does not want to send cards that is okay. If you child's Valentines include candy, check to be sure it is Gluten-free and Peanut-free. If you are not sure, ask me before sending out the cards.
Continue to send your child with snow clothes: snow boots, snow pants, mittens, hat and a warm coat. The cold weather is not gone just yet!
Have a great day!
Mrs. Scheck
Thursday, January 11, 2018
January 8-13
Happy New Year!
Welcome back to school! I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your child.
This week in our classroom we are continuing to work on non-fiction for both reading and writing.
I read the book I Fly by Bridget Heos. We started by thinking about what we already knew about flies. We read the book over the course of two days and recorded new facts we learned. We wrote questions about flies. We focused on two new vocabulary words: halteres - a stick like part of a fly to help a fly balance and setae - hair on the flies body to help it sense objects that are near.
In phonics this week we continued to learn more about silent letters and digraphs kn and ph. We will look at vowel patterns ea, ey, ei and ai today.
I am beginning to re-assess student reading levels with a one on one assessment. The assessment will take some time. I may not see reading groups during this time. Next week we will be taking the iready for reading. Please be sure to read daily with your child even if they do not bring home a reading book!
In writing, we have been working on adding more to our science lab reports. We made catapults and tested them, we recorded how far a cotton ball and a unifix cube traveled. Students learned how to make a data table for their information. We read an article on pushing as a force. We added more information to our science lab reports. We will compare results of our experiment with a partner today.
In math we have begun learning about measurement in Unit 4. We will learn how to use a ruler to measure in feet and in inches. We estimated the length of several objects and measured to check our estimates.
We have begun a new unit of Social Studies on maps. We have learned: how to use the symbols on a map, the directions of a compass rose and about map scales. We made colorful compass roses showing the directions north, south, east, west and northwest, southwest, northeast and southeast.
The weather continues to change! Today we have 50 degrees outside and tomorrow it looks like it may snow. Continue to send the appropriate snow clothes each day to keep your child warm outside.
Many students have been forgetting their gym shoes. We have PE on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please be sure to send your child's gym shoes on those days.
There will be no school on Monday, January 15th for Martin Luther King day! Your are invited to Walled Lake Northern High School on Martin Luther King day to see Wixom students perform and to hear Caleb White speak at 6:00 p.m.
Next week ...Thursday, January 18th, is a half day in which students are dismissed at 11:10 a.m. I will be meeting with parents for Parent Teacher Conferences. I have re-scheduled all conferences for that day. If you are not able to make your conference, please let me know so we can find a time that will work for you!
Have a wonderful day!
Mrs. Scheck
Welcome back to school! I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your child.
This week in our classroom we are continuing to work on non-fiction for both reading and writing.
I read the book I Fly by Bridget Heos. We started by thinking about what we already knew about flies. We read the book over the course of two days and recorded new facts we learned. We wrote questions about flies. We focused on two new vocabulary words: halteres - a stick like part of a fly to help a fly balance and setae - hair on the flies body to help it sense objects that are near.
In phonics this week we continued to learn more about silent letters and digraphs kn and ph. We will look at vowel patterns ea, ey, ei and ai today.
I am beginning to re-assess student reading levels with a one on one assessment. The assessment will take some time. I may not see reading groups during this time. Next week we will be taking the iready for reading. Please be sure to read daily with your child even if they do not bring home a reading book!
In writing, we have been working on adding more to our science lab reports. We made catapults and tested them, we recorded how far a cotton ball and a unifix cube traveled. Students learned how to make a data table for their information. We read an article on pushing as a force. We added more information to our science lab reports. We will compare results of our experiment with a partner today.
In math we have begun learning about measurement in Unit 4. We will learn how to use a ruler to measure in feet and in inches. We estimated the length of several objects and measured to check our estimates.
We have begun a new unit of Social Studies on maps. We have learned: how to use the symbols on a map, the directions of a compass rose and about map scales. We made colorful compass roses showing the directions north, south, east, west and northwest, southwest, northeast and southeast.
The weather continues to change! Today we have 50 degrees outside and tomorrow it looks like it may snow. Continue to send the appropriate snow clothes each day to keep your child warm outside.
Many students have been forgetting their gym shoes. We have PE on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please be sure to send your child's gym shoes on those days.
There will be no school on Monday, January 15th for Martin Luther King day! Your are invited to Walled Lake Northern High School on Martin Luther King day to see Wixom students perform and to hear Caleb White speak at 6:00 p.m.
Next week ...Thursday, January 18th, is a half day in which students are dismissed at 11:10 a.m. I will be meeting with parents for Parent Teacher Conferences. I have re-scheduled all conferences for that day. If you are not able to make your conference, please let me know so we can find a time that will work for you!
Have a wonderful day!
Mrs. Scheck
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