What’s happening in Grade 2…

As an opening to our new writing unit, Opinion Writing, students took part in a series of immersion lessons on Tuesday afternoon. During the immersion lessons, the students rotated from class to class in mixed groups while taking part in an immersive experience about where opinion writing can be found in the world around us. They looked at book reviews, public service announcements, restaurant reviews, travel reviews, apps /commonsense media, as well as video game/movie reviews.

At home you can support your child by:

• Discussing the difference between fact and opinion.
• Sharing differing opinions at home.
• Having conversations around being “Open-Minded” by respecting the opinions of others.

Writing-Opinion
Big idea: Authors write their opinions, which may impact others.

Guiding Questions:

• When do writers share their opinions? (when not)
• How do writers share their opinion?
• What strategies do writers use to impact their readers?
• Why do writers share their opinions

Math Unit 3

We will begin our 3rd math unit of the year this week!

Central idea :  A number system uses digits and position to communicate different amounts.

The Key Concepts of this unit are: 

• function (how the base 10 number system works)
• connection (connections between quantity, digit, and place value)
• perspective (choosing ways to count and model quantities allows for perspective or point of view on paths to take, the modeling choices begin heavily in this unit and then continue into 4 and 5)

The Related Concepts are:  choice, system, place value, strategy, comparing, modeling,  proportionality

Please read G2 Module 3 Tips document for more specific information about the concepts, vocabulary, strategies that your child will be learning about in this unit.

Halloween Party Success!

“This was the best party EVER!!!” was heard echoing from several classrooms at the end of the day on Wednesday.

A very special thank you to all the parents who volunteered and helped make our Grade 2 Halloween Party a fun, safe and AWESOME time for all the students. Photos of the party were posted on Seesaw.

CogAT Testing begins this week. 

Excerpt from ES Newsletter about CogAT: “… AAS will be administering the CogAT to learn more about the individual learning profiles of our students. We will be using the information gained to inform the teaching for each student and class. Students in Grade 2 and all new students in Grades 3-5 will participate in three sessions over the next two weeks. Information about the results will be shared in a parent information session later in the school year. Thank you for your support!”

Looking ahead…

• Monday, November 5: Term 2 of after-school-activities (ASAs) begins (please ensure your child knows which clubs/days they have ASA)
• Week of November 5: Class health screening-height, weight, vision etc.
• Friday, Nov. 16: Crazy Hair Day
• Thursday, November 22: Student-led conferences. No school for ES students (Students must wear formal uniforms) 
• 3-way Conference Parent Letter

This week, in Grade 2…

• Grade 2 Assembly is this Friday from 2:45-3:20 in the S. cafeteria. (Parents are welcome)
• Wednesday, Oct. 31: Halloween Spirit Day and class parties
• Please make sure your child has a pair of indoor shoes to wear and keep at school.
• The weather is getting wetter and colder. It is a good time to get out hats, gloves, boots, etc.
• Optional Flu shots are being given this week in the health office. Pop into the Health Office for info.

Looking ahead…

• Monday, November 5: Term 2 of after-school-activities begins
• The week of November 10-15: Class health screening-height, weight, vision etc.
• Tuesday, Nov. 16: Crazy Hair Day
• Thursday, November 22: Student-led conferences. No school for ES students (Kids need their formal uniforms) Keep an eye out for a conference sign-up email coming later this week. 

Unit of Inquiry: Transdisciplinary Theme: Sharing the planet    

• Central Idea: Conflict over habitats impacts the interdependence of living things and requires solution.
  
• Lines of Inquiry:
  -The interdependence of living things within a habitat.
  -Conflict over habitats and its impact
  -Solutions to impacts
• Key Concepts: connection, responsibility, causation
• Related Concepts: interdependence, impact, sustainability, conflict

Writing-Opinion
Big idea: Authors write their opinions, which may impact others.

Guiding Questions:

• When do writers share their opinions? (when not)
• How do writers share their opinion?
• What strategies do writers use to impact their readers?
• Why do writers share their opinions?

Reading: Author Study
Big Idea: Readers read books by the same author for many reasons.

Guiding Questions

• What is an author study?
• How  do you know when books are written by the same author?
• What makes this author unique compared to other authors?
• How is this author different from other authors?
• What are the characteristics of this author’s craft/books?
• Why do authors write more than one book?
• Why would readers read books by the same author?
• How does this book connect with other books

Coming up in Math: Eureka Unit 3: Place Value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1,000

From Eureka: “In this 25-day module, students expand their skill with and understanding  of unit by bundling ones, tens, and hundreds (up to a thousand) with straws or sticks. They solve simple problems that require an understanding of place value as a system based on repeated groupings by 10.”

Focus of G3 math standards for this unit:

• Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones
• Count within 1000, skip-counting by 5s, 10s, and 100s
• Read and write numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form
• Compare three-digit numbers using >, <, and =

Click here for Eureka Unit 3: Parent Tips
Click the blue link for Eureka Unit 3:  Topic A formation

Grade 2 started our new unit of inquiry, Sharing the Planet, this week.  Each class looked at pictures showing different things that have affected habitats.  The students then shared what they noticed, their wonderings, and their connections.

In Math, we started our second unit, which is about measurement.  Check out these vocabulary words that we will be discussing during this unit.

Grade 2 students are finishing their Personal Narrative writing unit this week.  We will be revisiting Personal Narratives later this school.

Looking Ahead:

School Spirit Days for the 2018-2019 school year (sponsored by the elementary Student Council):

• Oct 31 – Halloween
• Nov 16 – Crazy Hair Day
• Dec 14 – Wacky Winter Day
• Feb 8- Back in Time/Back to the Future
• Mar 15 – Pajama Day
• April 19 – Earth Colors
• April 26 – Dress Like a Teacher/Student
• May 17 – International Culture Day
• May 31 – Sports Day

Be sure to add these school spirit days to your calendar!

The High School Peer Helpers have asked the elementary school to join them in Pinktober again this school year. Students are invited to wear pink in place of their school uniforms on each Wednesday in October.

*Please note that on October 31 the elementary school will be celebrating Halloween, so we will not take part in Pinktober on the 31st.

Here are some of the things happening in Grade 2 this week…

This week…

• MAP Reading: Mon., Sept. 24th 2:05-3:25
• Visiting Artist: Tue., Sept. 25 8:45-9:20 in the Bolshoi Theater
• MAP Language: Fri., Sept. 28th, 10:25-12:05

Looking ahead…

• Thursday, October 4 and Friday October 5: No school
• Last week of art for session 1 is the week of October 1-5
• Swimming will begin the week of October 8-12

Unit of Inquiry: Transdisciplinary Theme: Who We Are

Central Idea: Leading a balanced life involves making informed decisions about our health and well-being.

Lines of Inquiry:
– What it means to be well-balanced- Informed choices we make to balance our health and well-being
– Impacts of choices on our health and well-being

Key Concepts: connection, responsibility, function
Related Concepts: well-being, systems, choice, balance

Literacy/Language Arts:
Writing-Narrative
Big idea: Writers make choices about how to write from their lives.

Guiding Questions:

• How do people get ideas from their lives for sharing personal narratives
• How do people make decisions about which stories to tell?
• How do people develop their stories?
• How do we read like writers? (all year-long)
• What do good writers do

Reading: Narrative
Big Idea: The components of a narrative come together to create a message or meaning and provide the reader with opportunities to make connections and enjoy the story.

Guiding Questions:

• What are the components of a narrative text? (setting, characters, events, structure)
• How do we make meaning from narrative?
• Why do we read stories? Why do you like a story? Why do we return to particular stories? 
• How are stories organized?
• How do characters reflect real people?

Math: Eureka Unit 1: Sums & Differences to 100

From Eureka: In this unit students master sums and differences to 20. They will then apply these skills to fluently add one-digit to two-digit numbers up through 100, using place value understanding, properties of operations, and the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Focus of G3 math standards for this unit:
– Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction
– Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems
– Add and subtract within 20
– Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies
– Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract
– Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction

Click here for Eureka Unit 1: Parent Tips
Click the blue links for Eureka Unit 1: Module Topic B and Topic C information

This week grade 2 will focus on physical well-being and will inquire into how our body systems function.  We hope to gain understanding of how the body systems work together to help our well-being.  While we do this we will mix in with students from the other grade 2 classes and visit each grade 2 teacher each day.  As a result, we hope to have some experts in every class bringing to us new and interesting insights about how our circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, nervous and digestive systems function.    We should be able to make connections to our P.E. class and know more about how the systems work together when we exercise.

This week, Grade 2 started our first Math unit, Sums and Differences to 20.  To see what everyone already knows, we explored the different ways to show 10 and the different ways to show 20.

When we are solving Math word (or story) problems, we have started using the Read, Draw, Write, Write (RDWW) strategy to show all of our thinking as we figure out the answer.

To start our Who We Are unit of inquiry, we discussed what the 4 parts of well-being are (social, emotional, physical, intellectual).  We will be exploring these parts of well-being during the next few weeks.  We also discussed choices that we make and how they can impact our well-being.

Looking Ahead:

• Yearbook photos start next week.  Your child’s teacher will notify you which day your child will need to wear their formal uniform to school to have their yearbook photo taken.
• Friday, September 21st will not be a regular school day.  The elementary school will have the first of our parent conferences, the Goal Setting Conference.  You will receive more information about this in the coming weeks, including how to sign up for a time to meet with your child’s teacher.

Grade 2 students, teachers, our assistant principal, counselor and TAs came together this afternoon to participate in the team building activities organized by our G2 Team.

The activities we selected were fun and included constructive ways to help our grade two community get to know each other, build trust and learn to work together. It’s important to take some time out from practice to give our  students and teachers an opportunity to bond and have some fun.

Fun things that we did:

• Introductions 
• Read Aloud: The Recess Queen (read by our Assistant Principal, Mr. Jeff Hinton)
• Discussion about Listening
• Cafeteria Expectations (during lunch time
• Teachers Model the 2 activities
  • Get to Know you 
  • The Human Knot

Here are some photos from today: G2 Village

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Classroom Parent Volunteers!!!!

Please consider becoming a room parent for your child’s class this year.  Room parents coordinate with teachers and other parents to organize special events, such as holiday parties, for our students.  No previous experience is required!  Look for the PTO to provide more details and sign up information in early September.”