Together we learn, together we succeed, and together we will make a positive difference! Second Grade News Friday, February 5, 2016 Feb. 12 - Happy Healthy Heart Day - Don‛t forget to bring your valentines! Feb.12 - PTO‛s Sweetheart Dance - 6pm Feb.15 - NO SCHOOL - President‛s Day Reading/Writing Worksho p Students have been enjoying our Fables unit. We have had some meaningful conversations about the author‛s purpose, theme, and how the events of these stories can be applied to our lives help us make responsible decisions. We took an assessment on Thursday that was a direct reflection of the comprehension and application of skills that we have been developing. Students also put final touches on the opinion writing assessment. We are not getting a real class pet, but there have been some good persuading arguments. Students have also been writing 5 Part Retellings as a reflection of reading. This is a skill that will be used to assess comprehension as the individual reading levels increase. This 5 Part Retelling includes transitions, character, setting, basic plot, problem & solution, as well as the most important part. Practicing this writing technique at home will give your child confidence and necessary skills. Math: In math, students will be adding and subtracting 3-4 digit numbers. They will spiral back to regrouping and learn that subtracting a 2 digit number is very similar to a 3 or 4 digit number subtraction. This can be a very difficult concept for some students and it does require lots of practice. Please continue to work with your child on both addition and subtraction of 3 and 4 digit numbers. We will move onto story problems next week. Students will have an assessment over addition and subtraction problems and story problems on Thursday, Feb. 11th. Word Study :This week in Word Study, students continued to practice their 12 spelling words with various activities (Graph a Word, 5-Box Practice, Word Search, and Look, Say, Cover, Check). Students were assessed over these words today. Please check Progress Book for grades. Social Studies: Second graders enjoyed learning about maps this week in Social Studies. Students explored map vocabulary and determined the importance/purpose of different aspects of a map. Additionally, students used a compass rose to label different rooms in a castle as well as created a map of our classroom! On Thursday, we assessed students‛ ability to utilize a compass rose to efficiently navigate a map. Please check Progress Book for scores. th th 100 Day: Students celebrated the 100 day of school with a variety of fun activities on Friday! We started off the day by eating a graham cracker stick and 2 donut holes for breakfast (spells out 100). We also did a science experiment on how much 100 drops of water would fill a glass. In math, we explored a 100s Museum filled with an assortment of collections of 100 items brought in by the students. We ended the day writing about what life will be like at age 100 (and even “aged” ourselves with the Aging Booth app!) Be on the lookout for these coming home. We also felt like 100 year olds all day long with our great “costumes”! Specials: Monday - B (PE) Tuesday - C (Music) Wednesday -D (Art) Thursday -A (Library) Friday - B (PE) 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 Together we learn, together we succeed, and together we will make a positive difference! 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