A day in the life of your second grader

• Reading
  • Whole class instruction-Basal series, phonics (word families), grammar, comprehension, decoding, and fluency
  • Guided Reading-Small groups at each child’s instructional level, decoding, comprehension, and fluency
    • Please listen to your child read the guided reading book to you.  Remember, they should not only be able to read most of the words but also comprehend the information.
    • Please sign the green sheet for each book sent home  
    • Sometimes there are assignments for your child to fill out as well.  If he/she has too much homework that night, take an extra day to complete it.
  • Reading Assessments-After each reading unit, about every 4-5 weeks.  Tests: phonics, comprehension skills, and grammar
  • Performance Assessments-Class work, guided reading, and effort
• Spelling- We’re teaching students to be forever spellers, not spellers for a Friday test.
  • I’ve attached a list of core words students will be tested on throughout the year and a strategy we use in class to study them.  Guide your child through the steps during your study sessions. 
• Writing
  • 6+1 Traits of Writing-Ideas, Conventions, Organization, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Voice, Presentation.  Focus is on ONE trait at a time. 
  • Whole class instruction-Modeling and sharing examples of writing activities
  • Guided Writing-Peer conferencing, teacher conferencing, small group writing and sharing pieces
  • Assessments-Ongoing development of different pieces of work chosen by the child, oral sentence dictation, writing in class work and effort
• Math
  • Basic addition and subtraction facts-mad minutes, getting ready to regroup
  • Patterning, graphing, place value, measurement, geometry, time and money, numbers above 1,000, fractions, and multiplication and division
  • Problem Solving-Applying strategies to “real world” situations
  • Assessments-Unit tests, quizzes, class work, and participation
• Science/Health/Social Studies
  • Worms, dinosaurs, light and stars, matter, magnets, butterflies, chicks
  • Brain, germs, muscles, heart, skin
  • Friends, pioneers, Native Americans, government, people/community, landforms
• Other Assessments
  • CBM-Curriculum Based Measurements: Assess speed and accuracy with math facts, decoding and writing.  All are timed activities and are done 3 times a year.  Charts will be sent home indicating the mean and if your child is considered at risk.
  • SAT-Done in the spring, a statewide standardized test.  Does not affect grade.
  • OTIS-Done in spring, type of intelligence test that supplements the SAT.  Does not affect grade.
• Housekeeping
  • Sticker Books-These come back and forth to school every Tuesday and Friday along with one blue sheet that should be filled out by your child.  The books may be read together or your child may read it depending on the difficulty.  These are from my classroom library, so please help your child remember to return them.
  • Snack time-Please send a healthy snack.
  • Birthdays-Only distribute invitations at school if there is one for every member of our class or one for each child of same gender.
  • Written notes/e-mail-The easiest/fastest form of communication.
• Help your child succeed!
  • Encourage them to read.  Assist with unknown words, sounding out, and understanding the meaning.
  • Quiz on math facts-Use flashcards, make a game
  • Writing-Send letters to family, write stories, send letters to a pen pal