2nd Grade Blog

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

There will be no school on Monday, March 1st as we observe Pulaski Day.

Friday, March 5th is the end of the mid-term of the third quarter. Please make sure your child has been taking Accelerated Reading Tests on a weekly basis.

On Wednesday, March 3rd, the Harcourt Science Chapter Test will be administered on Living Things in Their Environment. Students completed the Quick Study worksheets last week for homework. Please refer to them to review with your child.

Please be reminded that the Unit 7 math Open Response and Written Assessment will be administered on Thursday March 4th and Friday, March 5th respectively. Please refer to the review portion below to assist your child.

Language Arts:
Independent Reading (35-40 minutes at the beginning of each day)
Teachers administer the Reading 3D Mid-year Benchmark tests each day during this time.
Differentiated Instruction:
- Administer the Mid-year Benchmark for Reading 3D.
- Writing Conferences
- Guided Reading
Spelling Words: army, fear, joke, long, pretty, show, small, ten, they, well

Day 1:
Nonfiction Writing Unit (Lucy Calkins and Laurie Pessah)
Introducing How-To Books: In this session teachers will guide the students to understand that they will be teachers, as well as, writers. Specifically, students will write how to do something.
- Teachers will lead a discussion with the students about directions for completing a task/game by using directions from board games that students are familiar with.
- Scribes will chart scenarios for following directions or rules for games.
Interactive Read Aloud: The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
-Scribes chart steps to growing pumpkins.
-Writing: Students work in pairs to brainstorm ideas for a How-To writing assignment.

Day 2:
Checking for Clarity:
- Teachers help students understand the purpose and requirements of this genre by showing them that How-To writing must enable a reader to do what is being taught.
Interactive Read Aloud: Charlie Needs A Cloak by Tomie dePaola
- While reading, teachers guide the students to identify the sequence of actions from the story.
Writing:
- Students share-out their ideas from the previous day.
- Students work in pairs to write a one page How-To paper.

Day 3:
Revising Words and Pictures:
Teachers present a written How-To scenario to demonstrate the importance of revision to make confusing parts more explicit.
Interactive Read Aloud: Everybody Needs A Rock by Byrd Baylor
- While reading, teachers guide the students to understand that they can write a How-To Book using numbered rules as the sequence.
Writing:
Students continue to work in pairs to revise their How-To paper using information from the mini-lesson.

Day 4:
Incorporating Features of How-To Writing:
Interactive Read Aloud: How to Lose All Your Friends by Nancy Carlson
-Teachers display a transparency of a How-To page from “The Pumpkin Book” by Gail Gibbons to demonstrate features of How-To Writing.
These include: 1. A title that says this will be a How-To Book. 2. A list of things we will need. 3. Pictures that teach us what to do. 4. Numbers for each step. 5. Captions under the pictures.
Writing:
- Students select a topic from their brainstorming list created on Tuesday for a How-To Book.
- Students incorporate the How-To features in their writing.
- Students share their work in-progress to table groupings.

Math:
7.7 Middle Value (Median) of a Set of Data
Objectives: To guide students as they sort numerical data and arrange data in ascending or descending order, and as they find the middle value (median) for a set of numerical data
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Sorting the Standing Jump Data (Whole-Class Activity)
- Finding the Median Length of the Standing Long Jump (Whole-Class Activity)

7. 8 Frequency Distributions
Objectives: To guide students as they make a frequency table, line plot, and bar graph for a set of data, and as they find the median of a set of data
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Making a Frequency Table of Arm Spans (Whole-Class Activity) Activity)
- Making a Line Plot of Arm Spans (Whole-Class Activity)
- Making a Bar Graph of Arm Spans (Independent Activity)
- Finding the Median Length of Arm Spans (Whole-Class Activity)

Unit 7 Review:
- Solve 2-digit addition/subtraction number stories. Write number models and answers.
- Use data to make a bar graph.
- Find the rule for functions involving doubling (e.g. in 7, out 14, the rule is double).
- Identify 3-dimentional shapes.
- Solve “What’s My Rule?” with halving.
- Order numbers and find the median (the middle number) and mode (the most popular number) (e.g. 6,11, 4, 9, 11, 15. The median is 9 and the mode is 11).
- Fill in missing numbers on a number grid.
- Solve 2-digit addition problems with 3 addends.

Unit 7 Open Response
Objective: Students use patterns and rules to compare two ways of getting paid over time.
Focus:
Use repeated addition to solve problem and identify rules for patterns and use them to solve problems.

Unit 7 Written Assessment

Science:- Review Living Things in Their Environment by referring to charted information from the unit study.
- Students take the Harcourt Chapter Assessment on Living Things in Their Environment

Social Studies:- Read and discuss Thomas Jefferson by Cheryl Harness

Thank you for your support.
Anh Tuan Hoang and LuAnn Lawson

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The African-American History Fair is on Friday, February 26, 2010 beginning at 5:30 p.m. The second grade students will present a Harlem Renaissance Salon in room 106. In addition, the students will perform a jazz dance to the music of Duke Ellington. Please check the Murray Calendar for the time of the assembly.

Students will take a short social studies quiz about Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday, February 24. We have been reviewing each day in class. A study guide will be sent home also to help your child study.

The Math Unit 7 Open Response and Written Assessment will take place on March 4 and 5 respectively. Please refer to the math portion below to begin reviewing with your child.

Language Arts:
Independent Reading (35-40 minutes at the beginning of each day)
Teachers administer the Reading 3D Mid-year Benchmark tests each day during this time.
Differentiated Instruction:
- Administer the Mid-year Benchmark for Reading 3D.
- Writing Conferences
- Guided Reading
Spelling Words: look, make, no, play, ride, sleep, stand, still, story, this

Day 1:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month: The Harlem Renaissance and
Langston Hughes
Students will develop an understanding of selected poetry of Langston Hughes and how his life influences his style of writing. Students reflect on assigned selections of poetry in order to delineate the author’s use of figurative language, such as simile and metaphor, and personification.
Interactive Read Aloud: Sweet and Sour Animal Book by Langston Hughes.
Writing:
- Students use the animal poems as inspiration to compose a class animal poetry book to be displayed at the African-American History Fair.
Find Arts Integration:
- Students paint studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Lois Mailou Jones and others for our Harlem Renaissance Salon.

Day 2:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month:
- The Muntu dancers perform in the gym from 9:30 to 10:30. Students are participating in this event.
Writing:
- Students continue to compose a class animal poetry book to be displayed at the African-American History Fair.

Day3:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month: The Harlem Renaissance and
Langston Hughes
Interactive Read Aloud: “Words Like Freedom” and “Teacher” by Langston Hughes
- Read, discuss, analyze, and chart text to guide students to identify the theme of the poem.
Writing:
- Teachers guide students to analyze poems using questions provided by the teachers.
Find Arts Integration:
- Students paint studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Lois Mailou Jones and other for our Harlem Renaissance Salon.

Day 4:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month: The Harlem Renaissance and
Langston Hughes
Interactive Read Aloud: “The Kids in School with Me” by Langston Hughes
- Read, discuss, analyze, and chart text to guide students to identify the theme of the poem.
Writing:
- Students work in pairs to analyze the poem using questions provided by teachers.
Find Arts Integration:
- Students paint studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Lois Mailou Jones and others for our Harlem Renaissance Salon.

Day 5:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month: The Harlem Renaissance and
Langston Hughes
Interactive Read Aloud: “Po’ Boy Blues” by Langston Hughes
- Read, discuss, analyze, and chart text to guide students to identify the theme of the poem.
Writing:
- Students work independently to analyze the poem using questions provided by the teachers.
Find Arts Integration:
- Students paint studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Lois Mailou Jones and other for our Harlem Renaissance Salon.

Math:
7.4 Patterns in Doubles and Halves
Objective: To guide students as they practice repeated doubling and halving
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Doubling and Halving Numbers (Whole-Class Activity)
Differentiate Instruction:
Under teachers’ guidance, students work in pairs counting by n using calculators.
- Enrichment: Making Patterns by Coloring Grids
- Enrichment: Quadrupling and Quartering Numbers

7.5 Exploring Weights, Equal Sharing, and Patterns (2 days)
Objective: To provide experiences with exploring weights in pounds on a bath scale, developing readiness for division, and exploring area and patterns
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Exploration A: Weighing with a Bath Scale (Small-Group Activity)
- Exploration B: Sharing Money (Small-Group Activity)
- Exploration C: Creating Two-Block Patterns (Partner Activity)
Differentiate Instruction:
Students work in assigned pairs solving division stories using counters.

7.6 Data Day: Standing Jumps and Arm Spans (2 days)
Objectives: To guide students as they measure length to the nearest centimeter and to the nearest inch.
- Mental Math/Reflexes Math Message follow-up (Whole Class Activity)
- Collecting and recording standing long jump data (Small Group Activity)
- Collecting and recording Arm-Span Data (Small-Group Activity)
- Enrichment: Making up and Solving Number Stories

Unit 7 Review (for the week of 3/1/10):
- Solve 2-digit addition/subtraction number stories. Write number models and answers.
- Use data to make a bar graph.
- Find the rule for functions involving doubling (e.g. in 7, out 14, the rule is double).
- Identify 3-dimentional shapes.
- Solve “What’s My Rule?” with halving.
- Order numbers and find the median (the middle number) and mode (the most popular number) (e.g. 6,11, 4, 9, 11, 15. The median is 9 and the mode is 11).
- Fill in missing numbers on a number grid.
- Solve 2-digit addition problems with 3 addends.

Unit 7 Open Response (for the week of 3/1/10):
Objective: Students use patterns and rules to compare two ways of getting paid over time.
Focus:
Use repeated addition to solve problem and identify rules for patterns and use them to solve problems.

Science:
How Do Living Things Survive in Different Places?
Objectives:
- Know that plants and animals are adapted to ranges of temperature and moisture.
Insta-Lab: Keeping Warm
- Using shortening, gloves and ice cold water, students will investigate how an animal’s fat helps it stay warm.

What Are Food Chains and Food Webs?
Objectives:
- Communicate what animals eat.
- Understand that the interdependency of plants and animals can be shown in a food web.
- Know that if living things do not get food, they will die.
Introduce: Build on Prior Knowledge
Vocabulary: food chain, food web

Social Studies:
Integrated with Language Arts
- Review the L information on the KWL charts about Abraham Lincoln.
- On Wednesday, 2/24 students will take a short multiple-choice/true-and-false quiz about Abraham Lincoln based on books we’ve read in class.

Thank you for your support and have a great week.
Anh Tuan Hoang and LuAnn Lawson

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We hope you and the students are enjoying a mini break from school!

There will be a short social studies quiz about George Washington on Thursday, 2/18 and a science quiz about the following vocabulary: environment, habitat, adapt, desert, rain forest, grassland, tundra, ocean, pond on Friday, 2/19. Study guides will be sent home for students to review.

Language Arts:
Independent Reading (35-40 minutes at the beginning of each day)
Teachers administer the DIBELS and the Reading 3D Mid-year Benchmark tests each day during this time.
Differentiated Instruction:
- Administer the Mid-year Benchmark for Reading 3D.
- Writing Conferences
- Guided Reading
Spelling Words: beautiful, have, like, long, mind, second, three, told, under, what

Day 1:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month: The Harlem Renaissance and
Langston Hughes
Students will develop an understanding of selected poetry of Langston Hughes and how his life influences his style of writing. Students reflect on assigned selections of poetry in order to delineate the author’s use of figurative language, such as simile and metaphor, and personification.
Interactive Read Aloud: Read and discuss Langston Hughes’s biography.
Teachers chart biographical information to support writing.
Fine Arts Integration:
- Students sketch studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones and others for our displays on the evening of the African-American History Fair.

Day 2:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month: The Harlem Renaissance and
Langston Hughes Reading:
Identify main ideas and supporting details: main ideas and details help us understand the world around us.
Interactive Read Aloud: “Dreams” by Langston Hughes
Read, discuss, analyze, and chart text to guide students to identify the theme of the poem.
Writing:
- Students work with a partner to analyze the poem using questions provided by the teachers.
Fine Arts Integration:
- Students sketch studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones and others for our displays on the evening of the African-American History Fair.

Day 3:
Real Men Read Program
- Assigned Mentors will read, discuss and analyze children’s literature in the second grade classes once every month. Each month a copy of the selected text will be provided to each student. After each unit, the students will bring their copy to add to their home library. We are extremely excited about Real Men Read and look forward to sharing valuable children’s literature with your family.
Fine Arts Integration:
- Students sketch studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones and others for our displays on the evening of the African-American History Fair.

Day 4:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
African-American History Month: The Harlem Renaissance and
Langston Hughes Reading:
Identify main ideas and supporting details: main ideas and details help us understand the world around us.
Interactive Read Aloud: “Dream Variations” by Langston Hughes
Read, discuss, analyze, and chart text to guide students to identify the theme of the poem.
Writing:
- Students work independently to analyze the poem using questions provided by the teachers.
Fine Arts Integration:
- Students sketch studies from paintings by Jacob Lawrence, William Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones and others for our displays on the evening of the African-American History Fair.

Math:
7.1 Patterns in Counting
To review counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s; to extend this to counting any number n; and to provide experiences with describing patterns that result from counting
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Using a Calculator to Display Counts (Whole-Class Activity)
- Marking a Number Grid with Counts by n (Partner Activity)
Differentiate Instruction: Differentiated Instruction:
Under teachers’ guidance, students work in pairs counting by n using calculators.
Enrichment: Making Patterns by Coloring Grids

7.2 Extending Complements of 10
To provide experiences with finding complements of 10 and differences between 2-digit numbers and higher multiples of 10
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Making 10s Using a Calculator (Independent Activity)
- Introducing Hit the Target (Partner Activity)
Differentiate Instruction:
Students work in assigned pairs solving division stories using counters.

7.3 Mental Arithmetic: A Basketball Game (2 days)
To guide students as they build mental arithmetic skills for adding three or more 1-and 2-digit numbers
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Demonstrating Basketball Addition (Whole-Class Activity)

Science
What Is an Environment?
Inst-Lab: How feathers help ducks
- Students make paper feathers. They apply margarine to the feathers and place them in water to learn how a duck’s feathers repel water.
How Do Living Things Survive in Different Places?
Objectives:
- Infer how color helps a butterfly.
- Understand that structures of living things are adapted to function in specific environments.
- Know that plants and animals are adapted to ranges of temperature and moisture.
- Students take a short multiple choice quiz about the following vocabulary: environment, habitat, adapt, desert, rain forest, grassland, tundra, ocean, pond

Social Studies:
- Students take a short multiple choice/true and false quiz about George Washington based on books we’ve read in class.

Thank you for your support.
Anh Tuan Hoang and LuAnn Lawson

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The unit 6 math open response and written assessment will be administered on Tuesday, 2/9, and Wednesday, 2/10 respectively. Please continue to refer to the review portion below to assist your child.

Students will not have school on 2/11, 2/12 and 2/15 due to a professional development day for staff, Lincoln’s birthday, and President’s day.

The PTO has chosen the theme for this year for Black History Month. It is “Extraordinary African-Americans throughout History.” The fair will be held Friday, February 26, 2010 beginning at 5:30 p.m. The second grade classes will focus on the Harlem Renaissance. The students will learn about art, music and literature from this period. We will collaborate with the fine arts teacher, Mr. Brown, to create paintings and learn music for a presentation the night of the fair. Room 106 will be turned into a Harlem Renaissance Salon during the fair. If you are able to volunteer with your child’s class, please let us know.

Language Arts:
Independent Reading (35-40 minutes at the beginning of each day)
Teachers administer the DIBELS and the Reading 3D Mid-year Benchmark tests each day during this time.
Differentiated Instruction:
- Administer the Mid-year Benchmark for Reading 3D.
- Writing Conferences
- Guided Reading
There will not be a spelling test for this short week.

Day 1:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
Reading Skill: Making Connections
- Students listen to the author read the poem “Mommies” by Nikki Giovanni.
- Teachers guide and provide opportunities for students to make connections during the read aloud.
Writing: Contrasting Ordinary and Poetic Language
This session will point out that poets use comparisons and artful language to convey a sound, an image, an observation, an idea (almost anything!).
-Teachers think-aloud how to analyze the poem using clues given by the author. Explain the author’s intention of conveying her strong feelings through poetic language to capture the reader’s reactions.
- Students use the read-aloud as a model for their writing of poems, which convey strong feelings.
- Students compose a 6- to 8-line poem.

Day 2:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
Reading Skill: Making Connections
- Students listen to the author read the poem “The Reason I Like Chocolate” by Nikki Giovanni.
- Teachers guide and provide opportunities for students to make connections during the read aloud.
Writing: Contrasting Ordinary and Poetic Language
This session will point out that poets use comparisons and artful language to convey a sound, an image, an observation, an idea (almost anything!)
- Students share knee-to-knee feelings evoked from the poem through the author’s use of poetic language.
- Teachers and students make diagram to show things/activities they like and what feelings are evoked by the events.
- Students compose a short free-verse poem using the diagram we created.

Day 3:
Independent Reading
Morning meeting/morning message
Reading Skill: Making Connections
- Students listen to the author read the poem “Trips” by Nikki Giovanni.
- Teachers guide and provide opportunities for students to make connections during the read aloud.
Writing: Stretching Out a Comparison (Sustaining a Metaphor)
This lesson teaches students that poets stay with and develop their comparisons.
- Students brainstorm personal experiences about how their perceptions of a given situation are different from those of their parents’. Students share knee-to-knee in pairs.
- Scribes chart students’ ideas as support for independent writing.
- Students write a short poem to describe their experiences.

Math:
6. 10 Division Stories
To guide students as they explore situations that require equal sharing or making equal groups of things
- Mental Math and Reflexes/Math Message
- Math Message Follow-Up (Whole-Class Activity)
- Modeling Equal-Sharing Number Stories (Whole-Class Activity)
- Modeling Equal-Grouping Number Stories (Whole-Class Activity)
- Solving Division Number Stories (Partner Activity)
Differentiate Instruction:
- Students work in assigned pairs solving division stories using counters.
- Readiness: Sharing Cookies Equally

Unit 6 Review:
- Write the time to the quarter hour.
- Solve a parts-and-total situation using a given diagram (e.g. M has 5 cookies, L has 3. How many total?)
- Complete the “What’s My Rule?” table.
- Use the >, <, and = symbols.
- Making ballpark estimates of exact answers (e.g. 57-29=? The ballpark estimate is 60-30=30)
- Solving problems by drawing arrays (e.g. 4 packages of pencils. 3 pencils in each package. How many pencils?)
- Solve a comparison situation using a given diagram (e.g. Jim is 12 years old, Anita is 4 years old. How much older is Jim?)
- Solving 2-digit subtraction problems by using the Trade-First algorithm (e.g. 51- 24=? Students should rewrite 51 as 4 longs and 11 cubes, then they can take away 2 longs and 4 cubes.)

Unit 6 Open Response
- Solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of 2-digit whole numbers.
- Write and solve number sentences involving addition and subtraction.

Unit 6 Written Assessment

Science
What Is an Environment?
Objectives & Reading Focus Skill:
- Draw conclusions about why animals live in certain places.
- Know that there are many different kinds of animals living in different environments.
- Understand that living things adapt to their environments in order to survive.
- Main Idea and Details
- Look for details about where animals and plants live.

Introduce the lesson by building on students’ prior knowledge. Read and discuss vocabulary. Students investigate to find out about how energy flows. They read and learn about environments.

Social Studies:
- Interactive Read Aloud: Abe Lincoln Remembers (Part 2) by Ann Turner
- Guide students to compare/contrast between Washington and Lincoln using a Venn diagram.

Thank you for your support.
Anh Tuan Hoang and LuAnn Lawson