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| Mrs. Banks |
| Ms. Shiers |
| Mrs. Woodard |
| Mrs. Thoman |
| Ms. Pinkard |
May 2008
Thank you to all families who were able to attend our Student Led Conferences! We were so impressed with how well the students did in presenting their work. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to see how much they have grown this year.
Phonics
In phonics lessons we continue to work on providing the students with strategies to decode regular multi-syllable words. Students learned other spellings of the sound long “i”. For example: igh in the word knight says “i”. Students have also continued to practice working with base words and endings. They learned the different ways to pronounce the “ed” ending, as /ed/, /d/, and /t/. Students have also learned the spelling rule of dropping the “e” and adding either ed or ing for words ending with a silent “e.” As your child is reading at home it would be great practice to have them looking for words with these endings.
Students continue to play games to reinforce phonics concepts. They also continue to read texts including these sounds and look for examples of words.
Language Arts
We are working on a new theme called, “Talent Show.” In this theme the students have read stories about characters with many different talents. Have your child tell you about The Art Lesson and Moses Goes to a Concert . Students have learned how to write story summaries in the form of a paragraph. This is a difficult concept for the students because they often want to share all the details they can remember from the story. We are working on focusing on the main events. Students also included the character's problem and solution.
We reviewed the three types of sentences: statements, questions, and exclamations. We then introduced the proper terms for these sentences: declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory. Students were then asked to look for examples of the different kinds of sentences in their reading books. Ask your child to find examples in their reading books at home.
We also introduced adjective as a part of speech. Students learned that adjectives describe nouns telling what kind and how many. They also learned about the special adjectives a, an, and the. Looking for adjectives in home reading books is another great activity.
Reading
Students continue reading and discussing fiction and non-fiction texts. We have worked on comprehension strategies to help the students remember and think about what they have read. Students also look for phonics sounds and patterns in their texts.
Math
We have completed Units 15 and 16. Both units were related to a study of shapes. In Unit 16 students learned how to find the area of a figure. Different strategies were used including counting the squares and multiplication. Students needed to use their knowledge of fractions to find the area when ½ and ¼ of a square unit were present.
Students should have passed Group G subtractions facts. This is the last set of fact triangles. They should be practicing Group A-G subtraction facts. Students will then have a review test with both addition and subtraction facts from all of the triangles. We cannot stress enough how important it is for your child to have mastered these facts before beginning third grade. Please make fact practice a part of your nightly homework routine.
Centers
We have begun a study of Life Cycles in science. This unit began with a center focusing on living vs. non-living things. Students were asked to sort picture cards based upon the characteristics of living and non-living things. Students learned general information about the different groups of animals and then completed a more in depth review of each kind. They read about birds and then experimented with an egg. Students will create a life cycle booklet about the life cycle of their choice as we conclude this unit.
The most exciting part of our Life Cycle study is the arrival of our Painted Lady larva. Students are observing the life cycle of the Painted Lady butterfly. Students are creating observational drawings and are recording information in a butterfly booklet. Please be sure to have your child tell you all about our butterflies. The transformation is outstanding for the students to observe!
Writing
Throughout the course of this month in writing we worked on many different projects. We began by finishing up poetry work that we began before the vacation. Students added final copies of poems written with Ms. Cleary and during Writer's Workshop to our poetry booklets. Students also chose stories they had written earlier in the year and practiced reading them for the Student Led Conference. Students are now working on a new three paragraph story about a self-selected topic. Students are expected to be writing with a clear beginning, middle and end.
Important Dates
- May 7- Interims go home
- May 8- Field trip to Museum
- May 26- No school
- June 2- Super Kids Day
- June 10- Last day of school
If you have any questions or concerns, that can be answered quickly, please feel free to email us at the following email addresses:
The Second Grade Team
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