Together we learn, together we succeed, and together we will
make a positive difference!
Second Grade News​
​
Friday, March 11, 2016
March 13- Daylight Savings Time
March 21 - 25 Spring Break
**Students had a GREAT time at COSI. Thank you to all of the parent volunteers that came and helped
our students during the field trip! **
Reading/Writing Workshop​​
T​
he students have been introduced to the concepts of main idea and supporting
details. Using the “ Chocolate Chip Cookie” model is a great way to think of these two aspects. The “Cookie” is the main idea
and the “Chips” are the details. Students are required to identify the main topic as the focus and also be able to give evidence
of supporting details. Encourage your child to find the main idea of his/her stories during your time reading at home. We have
begun a new writing project (Opinion Writing). Students were given a review of fact and opinion. Then, we read the story- ​
Hey,
Little Ant​
written by Phillip and Hannah Hoose. We also were exposed to some nonfiction facts about ants. We even had an ant
problem in the music room. After that, students were asked to form an opinion to the following questions: If you were the main
character in the book, would you or would you not step on the ant? If you were Mrs. Arcaro, what would you have done with the
ants in the popcorn bag? If you were at a picnic, what would you do if there were ants on your food? We have had many thought
provoking conversations. Students will be producing final edited copies next week.
Math ​
Students worked on counting by 2s, 5s, 10s,and some other various patterns. This trimester students were expected
to be able to skip count but starting at any random number. They created some skip counting mazes and learned a few skip
counting games using dice that they can teach you how to play this weekend! Students will be assessed over this next week​
.
Word Study ​
Second graders received a new word study list this week.
Our list focuses on commonly misspelled high
frequency words, digraphs and blends, reflexive pronouns, similar spelling/different sounds, and contractions/possessive.
th​
Students will be tested over these words on Friday, March 18​
.
Word Study Words: house, dear, those, back, laugh, thinking, myself, ourselves, own, town, doesn‛t, St. Patrick‛s Day
Science/Social Studies ​
This week in Science, our unit on Forces and Motion came to an end with an assessment on
Monday. Students were tested over important vocabulary from the unit, as well as recalling and describing results from in‐class labs
dealing with force, motion and friction. We also enjoyed reading a few Scholastic News articles about Dr. Seuss, a castle in
Ireland/St. Patrick’s Day, and even an article about a small island in Japan named Rabbit Island. Second graders had a blast at COSI
on Friday! Please ask your child how he/she spent his/her time at COSI, as well as
what his/her favorite exhibit was. [Also, thank you to the parent volunteers that
chaperoned! We hope you had as much fun as we did!]
Specials:
Monday - D (Art)
Tuesday - A (Library)
Wednesday -B (PE)
Thursday - C (Music)
Friday - D (Art)
We, the students of Thomas Elementary, proudly practice the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. 1. Be Proactive
4. ​
Think Win WIn ​
7. ​
Synergize 2. Begin with the End in Mind ​
5. ​
Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood 3. Put First Things First ​
6. ​
Synergize