Second Grade at Shaker Lane - Room 202

For your information, here are first trimester benchmarks for second graders. These align to the common core state standards and are taken into consideration for determining student progress in the fall trimester. Second Grade Benchmarks aligned with the Common Core 1st Trimester MATH Represent and solve word problems involving addition and subtraction. Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions               e.g., by using drawings and equations with a     symbol    for the unknown number to represent the problem.   Add within a sum of 20 using mental strategies. Determine whether a group of objects (up to 20)  has an odd or even number of members. Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens and ones               e.g., 706 e

This year, I am wondering if instead of giving a gift to your child's teacher or the classroom,  you would consider donating  a  toy  (unwrapped, new),for the Toys for Tots program.  Anyone who is interested can participate but of course this is optional and up to you.  Your child can bring it to school and on that final date of collection , I  will bring the  toys  to a drop off location.  It is very kind   that children often  give a gift to the teacher, and I  certainly appreciate it, but families could  certainly give a  toy  instead of a gift for the teacher if they prefer.  Here is a link to the website:  http://www.toysfortots.org/ The deadline for dropping off a new, unwrapped toy to donate is TBA. I will send an email out when I find out. It will probably be the week of December 5. This will give me time to get the donations to a local collection point. You can also donate directly at t heir website. Thanks a lot!

Hello everyone! If your child likes to do Spelling City at home you may have noticed a few changes. I went over them in class but a few students were out so I thought I would share here as well. When your child logs into Spelling City, the first thing he will notice is they have some assignments that pop up. They are games or practice activities. He simply needs to complete each activity once and then Spelling City will allow him to do any other activities he likes. Some of the activities are not ideal for practicing spelling, so I selected ones that were best for really learning how to spell the words. If your child is confused, please have them ask me. We also do Spelling City in class once a week so it is okay if they do not do it at home, as long as they practice their words in another way. Your child will not be penalized if they do not complete their Spelling City online assignments during the week either. Thank you!

It's time! I have started to put together a volunteer schedule. So far I have only the first part of the fall up but I will be posting additional slots. For now, please choose one or two slots to sign up for. Every few weeks I will add a few more slots and you can sign up for more.Just a caveat, our schedule is very challenging this year and there may not be many other days of the week or times of day I will be able to add. Look at the sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084daaa92ea3f49-volunteering2

Just a reminder everyone, Fall Conference signs ups are now available! Take a look at the time slots here and sign up for your favorite using Sign Up Genius. It is free and easy to use! Go  here  or click the link below to coordinate conferences with your schedule:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084daaa92ea3f49-fall1 If none of the spots work for you, let me know and we will figure something else out. Thank you!

We had tons of fun with pumpkins today in room 202! We were measuring weight, height and circumference, counting ribs, estimating and counting seeds, guessing if the pumpkin floated or sank, and more! Thanks to our helpful parents who came in to assist too! Helping each other weigh pumpkins. Working on pumpkin literary characters! There were many more seeds than we had thought!

Encouraging reading is one of the most important things we can do to help your child succeed. It can be tough finding the right books to keep them interested, which is why I am so excited that our class will be participating in Scholastic Reading Club this school year. I am sending home several reading club fliers today. Orders are due no later than FRIDAY October 28. Your child can also order from dozens of other fliers by logging in online. You can also order by returning one of the paper order forms and check written out to Scholastic. We will place an order in November  or  December too so if you want to order books for holiday gifts you have two chances. There are science books, chapter books, picture books, $1 deals and more!   With Scholastic Reading Club:  - Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library  - You can choose from handpicked, grade- and reading-level-specific books for your child - You'll find the best values on a variety of forma

Fall Conference signs ups are now available! Take a look at the time slots here and sign up for your favorite using Sign Up Genius. It is free and easy to use! Go here or click the link below to coordinate conferences with your schedule:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084daaa92ea3f49-fall1 If none of the spots work for you, let me know and we will figure something else out. Thank you!

Can you believe   Halloween  is this close?  In any case, our school will be having a  Halloween   parade  on  Oct. 31, and parents are invited to meet outside the school for the  parade . Check your newsletter from Mr. Faherty but it usually is around 1:45pm. If your child wants to wear a costume there are a few guidelines.  No weapons, even fake, foam ones. Also your child needs to be able to put their costume on over other clothes in the classroom. So for example, girls who have a dress for a costume could wear leggings and a t shirt and just pull the dress on over it. With 130 students and only one girls and boys room it is not logistically possible for students to all go and change clothes in the bathroom. Also we cannot put on makeup for students,  and we again cannot guarantee that they can get to a bathroom mirror to do so themselves. Basically as far as costumes go, the more independent the child can be the better. Myself and 2 other teachers will of course be in the r

Having fun playing the money exchange game! 

Hi there! Soon (as in later this week), I will be posting conference sign ups for December.  Check back on the blog Thursday and or/Friday to see the info and to get a slot. Also I will be looking for classroom volunteers. That sign up will go up in a few weeks, probably closer to November 1, so be on the look out for that as well. The volunteer sign up will also be on this blog. Thank you!

Did you child do well overall with the first grade curriculum? Are you curious about  the second grade team's philosophy on enrichment? Our philosophy for enrichment is digging deeper. What does that mean? Digging deeper means taking what students know and working with that knowledge. Can students apply that knowledge from kindergarten and first grade because they have internalized it? Can they use what they know to approach a more difficult problem in the same area? Can they teach it to someone they know (you will see that question on our math unit self-assessments)? Can they explain what they know verbally  and  in writing? We want to help our students be able to convey their knowledge. In today's world, whether in older grades, on the ol' MCAS, or in the workplace, people need to be able to explain their thinking clearly and thoroughly so that they can get their message across to others. So first we need to look at metacognition - they understand what they know

Learning and Playing the Hundreds Grid Game.

Wondering about Xtra Math? If your child attended our school last year, they did Xtra math in school. This year we will be using Xtra math 2-3 times a month in school but I would ask you have your child try to do it twice a week at home. Occasionally I will assign homework on Xtra Math and your child will need to log in and do it that night to get homework credit.  You will notice that working on math facts is just a small portion of our math program and we spend most time working on math concepts and skills and math vocabulary. A big focus is also working on the Common Core State Standards Standards of Mathematical Practice, such as explaining your mathematical thinking (ie. How do you know the number 73 is larger than the number 48?) We strive for balance so that students leave second grade with a good base in all areas of mathematics. Wondering "What is Xtra Math?" Here is what the website says: XtraMath helps students transition from counting or calculating the basic

Recently your child brought home an flyer for  Xtra math.  When you get a chance, log on with your child to Xtra math using the information on the flyer.  Xtra math  is a fun math fact website where your child can practice math facts using technology! No more paper flash cards like when I was in school. Practicing math facts is not the be all end all of classroom mathematics (see the Common Core State Standards) but familiarity with facts is very useful. All second grade classes have a goal this year of helping students master math facts this year. The expectation is that at the end of second grade, students should have mastery of basic addition and subtraction facts. Yes, subtraction too! In school we will be doing Xtra math as a class about twice or three times a month (we will also be doing other activities in class to increase math fact fluency) but I would recommend you have your child go online to Xtramath.org one or more times a week. Each time your child logs in, the

Now that explaining your mathematical thinking is included in the Second grade common core state standards  and  it is included frequently in our new edition of Everyday Math some questions have arisen. Explaining your mathematical thinking verbally and coherently in writing is a developing skills for second graders. It comes gradually and is not like a light bulb getting switched on. Rest assured we are working on it in class together and students have the chance for independent practice. It is just the beginning of the year so we need not be anxious and worry that students need to be great at it right now. The second grade standards are standards to meet by the  end  of second grade. I think some mathematics sites have some really good information for parents. One of my favorites is  this Scholastic post. Click here. Several of my favorite sections I will quote below but head over for the full post. "Learning how to use  language  and mathematical thinking benefits chil

Writing about what friends do!  Wobble stools work well during handwriting! 

Today we learned the math game Fishing for Tens! Ask your child how it works! 

Hi everyone! I made  a 10 minute or so video, going over some information about a few things you may find helpful about room 202. If you've been following the blog and getting the emails from me, you know most of this but there is one or two pieces of new information you could catch. Thanks!

I saw this on Pinterest and love it! It may give you some good ideas if you want to help your child with math.

What are Friday Folders, you ask? Once a week, on Fridays, your child will bring home a special "Friday Folder". This folder contains work that has been corrected or looked at by me and returned. Your child will bring this folder home so you can look over his work. I think it is a great way for you to stay up on what your child is working on at school and it also gives you a jumping off point for discussions at home. For example, when you ask, "How was school? What did you do today?" and your child says, "Fine. Nothing." you can use their Friday Folder work to prompt them to give some details such as, "I saw your paper about fact families. What is a fact family anyway?" Today, most students chose to use an orange homework folder that I just received ( Sometimes some items teacher orders for September are delayed or delivered to the wrong person. I had ordered some orange homework folders that just came in.) to put their Friday Folder pape

I am sure your second grader knows what "add" means and "equals" but can they define the math meaning of "difference"? How about "faces" and do they remember "unit" and "combinations" from first grade? With the Common Core State Standards communicating about mathematical thinking is very important and to do so we need a good grasp on math vocabulary. Additionally, besides being able to write and speak math terms like angles and sum, students need to be able to independently read and understand written math directions on their own. In a testing situation, teachers may be able to read what a word says but if a student does not remember it they will not be able to define it (of course in everyday lessons and not on tests, yes we would help). For example, "Write a subtraction equation in which the difference is 6" or "Write a number model in which the sum is 8" would require not only computation but knowing w

Parents, here is a copy of the book order letter sent home today. If you would like to order something for your child, see the flyer, go online,  and there are thousands of books (even for younger and older siblings) and usually are at affordable prices! Thanks for supporting our classroom! Class Code -  DXDDG Order Due Date -   09/20/16 Dear Families, This month’s Scholastic Reading Club flyers are now available! Please take a few moments to explore the selection together and let your child help choose books he or she is excited to read. You can order online at  scholastic.com/readingclub , where you’ll find a wide selection of quality children’s books that are just right for your child’s reading level and interests. Or return your paper order form to me with a check made out to “Scholastic Reading Club.” Remember, you help our class earn FREE Books and supplies with every order. Thank you for supporting your child’s reading both at home and in the classroom!

I put together a video that walks you through how to log in and has some tips on using Spelling City on a computer or chrome, safari, etc. browser. This should help if your child is unsure of where to click or how to find the current week's word lists (They are always under "lists not in group"). Unfortunately I can't quite make a video showing how to use Spelling City with the app, but I did show both ways in class and we will be using Spelling City in class regularly so I can imagine the students will get very adept at it pretty quickly. Many of them are savvier than I am with technology!

i everyone!  Sometimes there is a glitch and homework does not get into your child's backpack. I thought you might be curious as to what the homework routine is in class so you know how the homework gets from me to your child's bag. It is an increase of responsibility on the student's part from first grade but I know they can handle it with a little help.  The routine in class we have been doing and talking about for the past week is: 1. I show the class what the homework looks like and give any tips or advice, reading over directions, etc. 2. The mail helper puts the homework in the mailboxes 3. A teacher double checks to make sure everyone who needed a homework got one 4. Students check their mail at the end of the day and put it in their folder* 5. Students tell me if they don't see any homework in their mailbox so I can give them on 6. Students are responsible for taking their own folder and putting in their backpack. *If homework was du

We will be starting a show and tell - I call it sharing - schedule next week..  Once a week - on Tuesday -  several children will have the chance to bring something in if they like. We will take turns until every has one turn,  then everyone can get a 2nd turn and so on. The list will be posted in the classroom so students will know in advance when it is their turn. Show and tell should be saved for those days, unless students have something that relates to what we are working on in school such as rocks when we do our pebbles, sand and silt unit.  More guidelines: no live animals allowed. I suggested if something is valuable, special or expensive students should have permission from you to bring it in. Most of the time things are okay but there is always a chance of something getting lost or broken. Students were asking about bringing in iphones, tablets etc. for sharing. If they are brought in they will  not  be allowed to connect to the school wifi or internet. They can show us the