Monthly Archives: August 2013

Please come to Back to School Night on Tuesday, August 27th at 6:30 P.M.! Join your child’s teacher in their classroom for a short presentation on what your child can expect in school this year! The first PTA meeting of the year will follow at 7:15.

*Please note: Back to School Night is an adults-only evening. Please attend without your children!

This week in class:

Language Arts:

Unit 1 “Good Readers Ask Questions”

Story: “Dragon Gets By” by Dav Pilkey

2.RL.1 (Literature) and 2.RI.1 (Informational Text) Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

2.W.1 (Opinion) Students will write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state and opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Spelling Words

Math:

Unit 1: Reinforcing One-Step Problems for Addition and Subtraction

Purpose/Focus: The purpose of this unit is to build on prior knowledge and strategies with addition and subtraction for Grade 1. Students add and subtract numbers within 100 in the context of one-step word problems. Students should have ample experiences working on various types of word problems.

2.OA.1-Reinforce strategies and learnings from prior grades to solve one-step problems for addition or subtraction using drawings, objects, and equations.

2.OA.3- Determine whether a group of objects has an odd or even group of members.

2.MD.6-Represent whole numbers as lengths from from 0 on the number line to add or subtract.

Standards for Mathematical Practice:

MP4: Model with mathematics

MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically

Dear Families,

Your children took home their homework folders for the first time today! Each class went over the assignments and requirements in detail with their teacher. Remember: Homework is due on the last day of the week, which is usually Friday!

Here are a few more reminders about homework:

-It should take 20 minutes to complete the assignments.

-Reading time is an additional 20 minutes on top of that.

-We don’t expect students to complete the entire Reading Log in one week! However, we do want to see reading done and signed off on Mondays through Thursdays, and we will be checking this.

-The homework this week is much, much, less challenging than what your student can expect in the future! For the first week, we keep it simple so you can get organized at home with as little stress as possible.

Here are your child’s Spelling Words for the week:

1. bag

2. win

3. is

4. am

5. his

6. has

7. ran

8. if

9. dig

10. an

11. sat

12. was

13. picnic

14. I

15. big

As you may have guessed, the Spelling Words for this week share the short vowels a and i, with the exception of the High Frequency Word “I”, which is a long vowel word.

In class this week:

*High Frequency Words tests-baseline; second grade words

*Begin Language Arts and Math curriculum

*Children’s Progress Benchmark Tests-baseline; in the computer lab

*Math Diagnostic assessments, administered by teachers in the classroom.

We are still learning routines and procedures and getting to know our classmates.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher.

                                                                                                                         August 1, 2013

The “We Are Teachers” website publishes a list of school supply deals every week. This week, they posted a list of school supply prices at various chain stores. Toys ‘R Us’ price for 24 count boxes of Crayola crayons- 4 for $1.00-is particularly impressive! 

We hope you find this list helpful as you shop for your children this year.

We Are Teachers’ Weekly Deals July 28-August 3

August 1, 2013

Dear Second Grade Families,

Hello from your Second Grade Team! We hope you are having a wonderful, fun, safe summer vacation! As the first day of school draws near, we are eager to meet and get to know all of you.

We have complied some materials that will help us kick off the 2013-2014 school year and will be mailing them to you shortly. Below is a general outline of what you can expect to receive.

The first item you will receive is a Second Grade supply list. We are asking that every student come prepared with these items during the first week of school. We also request that you do not send your child with additional supplies of a personal nature, such as pencil cases, special folders, or large boxes of crayons or markers. All supplies in our classrooms will be shared, and if students have particular items, all kinds of conflict can ensue. We have also included a Wish List of desired classroom supplies that we will use throughout the year. Hand sanitizer and facial tissue will be in particular demand, especially this fall! (*Please note: The Supply List is also online, in the previous post on this blog!)

We have also included in our mailing a Reading Log and Reading List. The list is not required reading, but intended to provide suggestions for grade-level appropriate books. On the Reading Log, you may record any books your child has read this summer, and any books you read specifically in preparation for the start of the year. By requiring the home Reading Log, we hope to encourage a love of reading at home-where the love of reading truly starts. The Log you receive in the mail will be due on the first day of school.

If you are familiar with Accelerated Reader and want to get a head start, you may definitely select A.R. books for your child. To determine if a book is an A.R. book, visit the ArBookFind site and search for titles. If there’s a quiz for your book, the book qualifies! As an added suggestion: If your child has a STAR test score from first grade, look for books that roughly match the ZPD on their last test. For example, if your child earned a ZPD score of 1.4-2.4 on their last STAR test of the 2012-2013 year, look on the ARBookFind site for books between those levels. Many first graders don’t have a STAR test score. If that is the case for your child-or you just want to find good books for them to read and aren’t worried about their ZPD score-look for first and second grade books on the ARBookFind site or at your local library!

In short, you will be receiving in the mail: A Second Grade supply list, a Reading Log (due on the first day of school!), and information to give you a head start on Accelerated Reader.

If you have questions after reviewing these materials, contact one of the Second Grade teachers. Remember that you may contact us through this blog, by leaving a message through the Carson Elementary voice mail system, or by our San Jose Unified School District email addresses.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

August 1, 2013
Hello Second Grade Families!
Please send your child with the following supplies by FRIDAY, August 16th. If you have purchased supplies for your child already, please send any additional supplies you can from the list.

• 2 boxes of plain #2 pencils (Ticonderoga)
• 1 6-pack of Elmer’s glue sticks
• 1 box of 24-count Crayola crayons
• 1 pack of pencil top erasers
• 1 wide ruled composition book
• 1 highlighter pen in yellow, green, and pink

The following supplies will be used for the whole class:
• 1 ream (500 sheet package) standard copy paper (i.e. Office Max Multi-Use copy paper)—to be used for A.R. Tops Reports
• 1 pack of multi-colored copy paper (green, pink, and yellow)—to be used for Writer’s Workshops
• Box(es) of Facial Tissue (i.e. Kleenex)
• Bottle of Hand Sanitizer and/or Hand Soap

All school supplies in our classroom are shared. I know your child is very excited about school and also very excited about using school supplies. Unfortunately if a student has particular pencils, crayons, etc. it can create:
• Conflict between students
• Wasted time locating lost items
• Sad students if items are lost ☹
For these reasons, your child may NOT bring personal items to school. Please do not send your child with any supplies not listed above.

Thank you!
Carson Second Grade
Teachers