Second Grade at Shaker Lane - Room 202

Hi there! For those of you who are new to using Scholastic.com or those who want to learn more about navigating their website to find affordable books at your child's reading level or books that match their interests, check out this short  six minute video! Thank you.

You might find that your second grade child is expanding his or her understanding of language this year. One of the things we work on is starting to explore shades of meaning. The CCSS for second grade (common core state standards) include the following: "Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings". Specifically,  we start to explore differences, some more subtle than others, between words*. Some of the words we look at include fall and collapse and cry and sob. We have a number of fun language arts centers but once in a while you may see it come up for extra practice on a morning work page or on something we send home. Therefore, I wanted to be sure you knew why were working on this concept. * exact standard wording is:  " CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.5.B Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g.,  toss, throw, hurl ) and closely related adjectives (e.g.,  thin, slender, skinny, scrawny )."

Many of us talked at conferences about "beyond the text" comprehension questions. This is a big focus right now in class. I thought I would post a list of some general questions you can ask your child while reading together that would fall in this category. That way, you can use them if you see fit! The list below is split into fiction and non fiction questions. Some may appear in both lists. FICTION: How does this story make you feel? What genre is the book? How do you know? Is this book a good example this genre? Why? Can you think of another book this reminds you of in this genre? How was this book like other books you have read in this genre? What is your favorite illustration? Why did you choose it? Why do you think the author chose this style of illustration? What is the author's message in this book? Do you think the author was trying to teach a lesson? What was it? Why do you think the author wrote this text? What are some interesting words, phra

We are going to be working on a graphing project! We have started it in class and will be sending home the data sheet. Students will complete a bar graph, pictograph, and line plot, and answer some questions about their data and graphs. The pages will then be cut out and glued on posterboard or on large construction paper (your child will need 2-4 sheets and can bring them home from school if they like). If your child needs  a review of how to make a line plot, which is the newest type of graph we have learned, watch this video I made! Hope it helps and have them ask me any questions they have.