Holiday Party!

Students enjoyed making cards, having snacks and playing games with each other this afternoon!

Polar Express Day Success.

Students enjoyed sharing movie time with the entire second grade. They were warm and cozy! They did so well.  It was a great way to end 2014.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Break Challenge.

Students are receiving a Holiday Break Challenge.  It has suggested activities and practice for time off school.  It's important to maintain skills with some quick practice (spelling and math facts) and continuing to read daily.  Students should record the days they practice by having a parent initial in the box for each day. It is not required but I am encouraging all students to try as best they can. Please let me know if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Thanks for your support!

POLAR EXPRESS DAY!

Tomorrow we will be wrapping up our year by watching The Polar Express.  We have read the story, listened to it read aloud, discussed the author's craft and done some sequencing with the story.  Students are excited to watch the movie! We will be discussing the different versions by comparing and contrasting the book and the movie.  Please allow your child to wear cozy pajamas and slippers to school tomorrow!

Similes.

We are exploring the Polar Express and focusing on new words, determining meaning, looking at author's craft and discussing the parts of the story.  One thing we noticed about this author is that he uses similes.  Similes are comparisons using like or as.  I modeled an example today and then students had the opportunity to work together to find two more.  We discussed what was being compared and why the author would include this in his story.  Be on the lookout for others in books your child is reading! Encourage students to use them in their writing.

LAST WEEK BEFORE WINTER BREAK.

It's hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner.  Where has the year gone? We will have quite a busy 6 1/2 days.  Our holiday party is Monday, December 22 and there is an exciting event planned for Tuesday morning, December 23 to wrap up this year and what we've been learning.

*If your child will be absent as we get closer to the break, please let me know so I can prepare some practice activities.  I always send students home with some ways to continue working on skills and concepts.

We are working on making words using suffixes (word endings) and tuning into different rules that apply. Students will read a variety of poems noticing new words, inferring word meaning and checking for understanding.  Visualizing is another strategy we will work on to increase comprehension and to work on verbal skills. Students are responding to their reading more thoughtfully proving evidence and reasoning for their thinking. We will also work on the hard and soft C sound this week (k and s) and notice patterns within words.

Maxlex, our Elf, will continue to make our classroom interesting!

My mother, Mrs. Bobholz, will be making an appearance in our classroom this week as well!

 Thank you for your continued support!

Main Idea.

As we continue to explore nonfiction, students will become familiar with the Main Idea.  I used a comparison with the students today.  We talked about the most important part of a blow-pop or the best part.  They agreed it was the middle or the gum.  You have to lick and eat the outside to get to it. I then spoke with them about how we do the same thing with reading.  After we read, we identify the most important part or the main idea. Students liked the analogy and some understood right away.  We will work with this difficult skill for the next week and throughout the year!

Talk about the Main Idea of a section in a nonfiction book with your child.  Help them see that the details around it relate and support the Main Idea.

Welcome, Maxlex.

Students were excited to find an elf in our classroom yesterday! We named him Maxlex.

We talked about traditions and the students shared some of theirs. We talked about respecting others' traditions.  Not everyone celebrates or has the same traditions.  It's important that we respect them and let each student believe what they want to believe.  I enjoyed seeing the students express their excitement in some of the special things your families do.   Students are constantly learning about each other!

I understand some of you may not participate in Elf on a Shelf.  I wanted to share just one holiday tradition that some partake in as well as help students learn about other ones. Students understand that some may believe and some may not but it's important to respect the traditions of others. The theory behind Elf on a Shelf is that each night he reports to Santa and shares the good and bad. Every morning he returns to a new place.  The students are so anxious to see where he's chosen to "hide."

 

Nonfiction.

We will be focusing on nonfiction texts throughout the month of December.  Students will be working on selecting meaningful texts based on interest and purpose.  Students will be thinking about the importance of this type of text and why readers read them.  We will be digging into the books on a deeper level activating schema, sharing wonderings and new learnings. Students will also meet with other students to discuss texts and share their ideas.  It is very important for students to be building confidence to share their ideas.

Students have been doing a great job noticing how informational texts are written.  We are discussing the importance of the many features present in these texts including: table of contents, headings, bold words, captions, pictures, labels and many others.  Students will be examining these features more closely and locating them in various books and identifying the purpose.

In Writer's Workshop, students are working on expert pieces (informational writing).  They are including many features in their books that they have learned from mentor authors and each other.  Ask your child what their expert topic is.  (They were to chose something that involved force and motion; we are connecting our science learning.)

Continue to engage with your child and nonfiction texts.
Thank you for your continued support!

Water Cycle Song.

Students have worked hard to understand the water cycle.  We started with an experiment and observed what happened.  We came up with some conclusions and then were able to explain them with the help of informational texts.  Students learned how the water cycle works and are starting to understand these terms:

Evaporation
Water Vapor
Condensation
Precipitation

Check out the catchy song we listened to last week!
LISTEN HERE.

Synonyms / Using a Thesaurus.

Students are learning new and interesting words for many commonly used words.  Words that mean almost the same thing as another word are called Synonyms.  Students practiced using a Thesaurus to find synonyms and they were encouraged to expand their vocabulary by using them.  They are learning that many writers look for and use synonyms to keep their writing interesting.

Since we have been talking a lot about character traits, students were given a simple trait and worked together to find the word and list synonyms for it.  They were excited to learn new words!

Thanksgiving Week.

Remember there is early release on Wednesday, November 26.

We will not have a spelling list this week.

Students will focus on continuing to retell Folktales.  They will be practicing this skill verbally well as cutting and pasting the parts of a story in order. This skill enhances comprehension!

Students will finish up the current math unit on Addition Within 100 this week and continue to practice finding the total of groups of coins.  We will also get together with our 5th grade buddies to share, teach and play math games that extend our learning.

Students will continue to focus on the science topics of weather and forces and motion.  We have been connecting our learning from an experiment with forces and motion to informational writing.  Students chose a topic that involves motion and are working on including vocabulary and connecting the science they've learned. Students will also continue to see how the water cycle works and how the various types of clouds play an important role in understanding weather.

Check out the turkeys we made last week! I love displaying their work in our classroom.  They enjoy seeing the creativity of each other's work.

Money Skills.

Students are learning and reviewing how to sequence coins and count them up.  They have been writing them with dollars and cents. In the computer lab today, we spent some time exploring some games that  focus on these skills.  Some students are struggling to count coins when going from a quarter to a dime or nickel.

Please encourage your child to count change at home and continue to identify and review the amounts. I appreciate your support in working on this important concept.

Try out some games!

Count Money in the Cash Register

Cash Register 2

Sheppard Software

Cool Math $$

Money Math Games

(We have not focused on subtraction and making change yet- students should know to avoid those games)

Character Traits Reading Response.

Students will be bringing home another reading response this week.  It will be due Friday, November 21.  The focus is on character traits.  Students are getting better at identifying traits and providing evidence from the text.  Many students are still getting this mixed up with general feelings.  Please discuss the characters with your child.  Students should be able to provide evidence for their thinking.  To help students become more successful, feel free to give them the character trait but have them give the evidence.  They are still developing the vocabulary for different character traits.

Here are some we have discussed:

greedy, responsible, respectful, anxious, strong, friendly, hardworking, lazy, honest, brave, compassionate, unkind, rude, determined, smart

Please let me know if you have questions.

Retelling.

Students are working on increasing their comprehension by retelling a story.  We will be applying this with our current study of Folk Tales. The retelling format we are using is as follows:

The Characters are...
The Setting is...
The Problem is...
In the beginning...
Then...
Next...
After that ...
Finally...
The solution is...

We are working on identifying the beginning, middle and end of a story.  Students are learning that problem almost always happens somewhere in the middle.  Although we are working on applying this strategy and some of these aspects when writing, this is a verbal skill.  Encourage your child to retell or identify parts of a story after reading.

Character Traits.

We are starting to examine characters, who they are and how they act.  We are learning about traits- not what someone looks like but what is on the inside.  Students are learning to find evidence to support their answer.  Although characters and character traits are in any fiction story, we are learning this concept through Folktales.  Encourage your child to think about the characters in their stories and describe them by identifying a character trait.

Science: Weather and Water.

Students are excited to learn about Weather and the Water Cycle. We are integrating these Science concepts into our Writer's Workshop.  Together we are working on an experiment.  We posed a question about the world, made a hypothesis and set it up.  We learned about the steps in writing a lab report.

1. Ask a question about how the world works.
2. Record your hypothesis.
3. Write the step-by-step procedure and materials.
4. Notice and record observations and results.
5. Write a conclusion.

Here are some of the photos from our experiment. We observed water evaporating, condensation and precipitation. We learned more about the water cycle through books and videos.  We concluded that we need heat from the sun to power the water cycle.  Ask your child about this process.  We are creating diagrams, using poems and learning songs to help us with this learning. Good scientists do some research and learn more about a topic to help them understand their experiments and the results.

 

water condensing on the saran wrap

water evaporating

precipitation in to the small bowl

Inferring.

Students learned a new strategy today.  Inferring means to use schema and clues or evidence in the text/ picture to explain or understand what is happening.  Students played a game called "Guess That Folktale" to practice using the language associated with this strategy.

Example:

picture showed a glass slipper

Student: "My guess is Cinderella because she loses a glass slipper and a prince tries to find the person it belongs to."

Encourage your child to use clues and text evidence when talking about what they read.
Thank you!

The World of Folktales.

We are starting to explore folktales and learning the characteristics of the two types that fall underneath them: Fables and Fairy Tales.  Students are familiar with many but will continue to explore the many stories and versions.  Students will learn how to identify a folk tale and have the opportunity to write their own. We will also be exploring character traits and how they develop or change within a story.

Grandparent's Day.

Students enjoyed having their grandparents in the classroom.  Students taught them games, showed them math and spelling practices and performed a Reader's Theater. Students also read with grandparents and visitors. Thanks to all who came.  I hope you enjoyed yourselves!

Place Value.

In Math, we are working with place value.  Students are exploring numbers, representing them in different ways, identifying the value and using number names.  Here are some great interactive websites to use at home to work on these skills.  Within each game, there are various levels for students to practice at their individual levels.  We will explore these tomorrow in the computer lab.

ABCya Place Value
Game Aquarium Place Value
Math Place Value Games
Sheppard Software Place Value

Lunch & A Movie.

Students reached another goal for good behavior and teamwork as a class.  Students will enjoy lunch in the classroom with a movie tomorrow.  Students can either bring their own lunch or take school lunch as planned.  They will simply bring it to the classroom to enjoy :)

GREAT WORK SECOND GRADERS.

Book Fair.

The book fair is officially here!!! Students were excited to see a video and visit it to make their wish lists.  Remember that you may send money with your child to purchase books while at school.  They will get a special pass from me to shop.  Shopping and visiting can also be done during conferences later this week.  Your child filled out a special wish lists.  Books make great holiday gifts! 

Halloween Safety.

Officer Friendly came today to speak with the students about safety and trick-or-treating.  He also gave each student a hot orange trick-or-treat bag as a reminder of the safety rules.

Grandparent's Day!

Tomorrow is an 11:30 dismissal.  We will have Grandparent's and friends visiting from 9-10:45. They are also able to visit the book fair.

Please remember to notify me IF your child will not be taking their normal after school transportation and being taken home by their grandparent.  Without a note or email, they will not be able to.

Thanks!

Stuffed Animal Day.

Students work hard to achieve a common goal.  They enjoyed Stuffed Animal Day for good teamwork and good behavior. GREAT WORK SECOND GRADERS. I am proud of you!
Mrs. Kopitzke

When they reach their next goal, the reward they chose is: 

Eat lunch in the classroom and watch a movie!

Thick and Thin Questions.

We have been focusing on asking questions as readers.  It is important to think about every text and asking questions, along with many other things, helps a reader think about and understand the story or book (fiction and nonfiction).

Students understand that there are many places we can find answers:

T - RIGHT THERE in the text
OS - outside source: another book, movie or computer
E - an expert
I - in your head, inferring (using clues and your schema)

Thick questions are the ones we want to focus on.  They make us think.  We usually have to put ideas together to come up with the answer or go somewhere else to find it.  It's not RIGHT THERE (thin questions).  Help your child focus on thick questions. Of course, good readers need to be able to work with and respond to both types of questions.

Check out the video we watched today.  Story Lords is a program that focuses on reading strategies.  Students enjoy seeing other kids apply the strategy.  It helps confirm the importance of them!

WATCH HERE!
See other video links to the right ---->

Conferences Next Week!

Please double check when your conference time is.  I am looking forward to meeting with you and discussing your child.  It's hard to believe it will be the end of the first quarter later this week.

A conference form is coming home this week to help prepare and make the most of our short time together. Please feel comfortable to address concerns and ask questions. Please return it as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued support.

Pen Pals.

Students began a new kind of writing today.  We will be learning about letters and how they are written.  Students will learn about the importance of the date, the greeting, the body and the closing. Students were excited to find out who their pen pal was today.  Ask them the name of their pen pal.  We are sending the first letters.  They will be sent in the mail on Friday this week.

Our pen pals are from Marshfield, Wisconsin.  I have a teacher friend who teaches second grade there.  For the past three years we have carried on this tradition with our classes.  Our hope is that it will help increase writing skills as well as writing for a purpose. I hope it will encourage students to take the time to hand-write letters to friends and relatives as well.

SPOOKY SKATE NIGHT.

Skate Night is tomorrow. Students are welcome to wear their Halloween costumes. Have fun!

1st Writer's Celebration Success.

Thank you to all the parents who came to support the students.  They did a great job sharing their stories.  It was enjoyable to see their confidence build with each time they read. Please enjoy the stories that were brought home.  I will be saving writing samples throughout the year so you can see the growth throughout second grade.

Junior Achievement: Making Products.

Students used a pretend donut shop to learn about goods and how they are made.  Students worked together to produce a sellable product and learned about waste.

Take Home Reading Responses.

Students will start receiving a take home reading response about every other week.  The students will have one week to complete it and can be done any time throughout the week with a book of their choice.  Nightly reading is important for fluency and accuracy but comprehension is just as important.   Students should be discussing their books with you. The take home reading responses will help encourage students to be consistently using strategies and increase the home to school connection to their learning.  Please let me know if there are any questions.

This week's response is about Schema (Prior Knowledge).  Students will choose a book and record their schema before reading.  These are connections, reminders, past experiences and anything known about the topic, book, or characters.

Thinking stems:

This reminds me of...
I know that...
I have a connection to...
I remember...

Fire Safety.

Students enjoyed a program put on by the Fire Department today.  Students learned about how to take care of themselves in a fire situation as well as what to do and where to go.  Please talk about this very important topic with your child.  Students also got to see and sit inside a real fire truck.  Students are coming home with a fire safety booklet addressing smoke detectors.  It is important your child know that they are in your house and working with a battery inside.  Students should bring back their completed booklet if they'd like a chance to win breakfast and a tour of the fire station coming up.  Two students will be picked and will also win a brand new bike.

Enjoy some photos!

XTRA Math.

Students should be working on math facts daily.  This can be 5-10 minutes of speedy practice to increase accuracy of simple facts. There are many ways students can practice. Below are some suggestions:

• flipping cards over and adding a specific number
• using flashcards
• homemade flashcards
• online math sites
• ipad apps
• rolling dice and adding them together

Students practice in a variety of ways at school each day.  

Each month, students will be timed on their math facts of addition and subtraction.  Students will set goals and graph their progress throughout the year. Watch for their monthly scores when they come home! 

Students are excited about an opportunity to practice their math facts with a site called Xtra math.  Access it here or find it under "Wonderful Websites" on the right side of this page. A letter came home about log in instructions. 

Enjoy!

Open House.

ATTENTION FAMILIES!!!

Open House is next week Thursday.  I hope to see you and your family here in our room.  Getting involved in your child's education helps increase self-esteem, confidence and overall success. Come check out all of the cool things we are learning and doing in our classroom.  Students will have the opportunity to share their special work spaces around the room, daily routines, learning experiences, materials, using iPads and games! It will be a fun evening! We will have music and brain breaks!

Remember to turn in your RSVP slip if you are planning on eating.

All are welcome!
Stop in, experience a taste of your child's school day and enjoy!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

RAZ Kids.

Earlier this week, students were able to experience RAZ Kids.  This is an online reading resource for students to access a variety of texts at their individual level.  The kids can choose books to listen to, follow along or record themselves reading.  There are comprehension questions that will follow.  Although it is optional, if you have the resource, I encourage you to check it out with your child.  There is a place where I (you as well) can send the student messages. I am able to check up on their progress and this is just one more way I can identify their needs.

Students earn stars for reading and comprehension tests. There is a robot builder area on the site that is just for fun.  It is even more motivation for the students to keep reading and do well.

You can access RAZ Kids here. 
You will also notice that I have added an area on my blog for sites that we use so they are more accessible. (Top Right.  It's called Wonderful Websites.)

ENJOY!

Math Talk.

Students are learning the importance of explaining their brainwork and the strategies they use.  It helps bring their learning level to a full circle increasing their understanding and enabling them to help others. Encourage your child to explain the strategies they use to solve problems and show their brainwork.

Once a week, students may bring home math homework. This will be a review of skills and a practice opportunity for them.  It is OK to help them.  Please send it back the next day.  Keep an eye out for math letter to parents that will come home as we start progressing through the math units.

Reading Strategies.

Students learned about different strategies they would be learning throughout the year.  We discussed an important bulletin board location in our classroom - The FACE of a Reader. Together we will learn, practice and apply strategies that a good reader does. They will be posted here as a reminder and a resource if students need. Ask your child about this bulletin board.

Using the Reading Salad.

Students learned about how important it is to be a good thinker especially while reading.  Not only do readers need to read the text but they also need to stop and think about the story for comprehension. One way we have thought about this process is using a salad as an example.  Students understand that ingredients mixed with the lettuce make a salad nice and tasty.  Students were asked to think about the reading and thinking as the tomatoes and the lettuce.  The act of putting the different ingredients into the bowl represents a reader doing both thinking and reading. Students really enjoy using this analogy to practice and apply this concept.  We are no longer FAKE readers but REAL readers.

Field Day!

Students enjoyed Field Day on Friday.  Students worked cooperatively and were engaged in a variety of activities that focused on wellness, academic and social skills.  Enjoy some photos! Ask your child about the different stations they visited!