Reading News

During the next four weeks of reading instruction the second graders will be participating in a Lit. Circle group. Sometimes referred to as “Book Clubs,” these groups are small, peer-led discussion groups whose members have read the same book, article or novel. Organizing Literature circles is a strategy meant to help differentiate reading instruction for children. Students develop literate conversations centered around a fiction or nonfiction text in a social setting. Literature circles combine two important ideas: collaborative learning and independent reading.

During this time your child will be able to practice comprehension strategies previously taught through “whole class” lessons and experiences. The second graders have learned that we deepen our understanding of our reading if we:
ask questions while we read
make inferences about the text
make connections to what we are reading

The students will be using a “keeping track” sheet to show their thinking as they read their lit. circle book. The “keeping track” sheets are used to guide the discussions. After each group has completed their discussions, the “keeping” track sheets will be sent home.

Message from the Month of March

Morning Meeting and Second Step

The second graders always look forward to our Morning Meeting time, held each day at 9:00. This 15 to 20 minute time includes a greeting, message, and activity.

We have several special greetings we enjoy, such as the double beanbag toss, ball roll, and the week-end greeting, but one of the most important parts of this time together is when each child is greeted by name. Hearing your name is an affirming reminder that you are a valued member of our class.

Next, the morning message from the teacher is read by one of the students. It updates the class on the day’s schedule and activities. The message often integrates spelling, grammar, or punctuation practice and reinforces previous learning.

The morning meeting ends with an activity such as Tricky Bear, Simon Says, or a sharing time.

This year, our class has also been using our Morning Meeting time for social and emotional skill lessons. We are using The Second Step program. The three units covered are:

· Unit I: Empathy Training-Children learn about feelings and ways to show understanding and caring toward others.
· Unit II: Impulse Control and Problem Solving -Children learn new ways to solve problems and practice skills such as calming down, apologizing, interrupting politely, and making new friends.
· Unit III: Anger Management- Children learn to manage their anger in ways that do not hurt others.

The Second Step activities center around photo-cards depicting various social situations and interactions. The class might discuss questions such as the following:

How do you think the people in this photo are feeling?
What clues help us understand how they might feel?
What do you think the problem might be?
How do you think they might solve the problem?
Have you ever had the same problem or felt the same way?

The Second Step time, together with the other activities that make up our Morning Meeting, set a focus and tone that positively influences the students’ interactions throughout the whole day.

These are some of the books we are reading during our study of immigration and Ellis Island.

Celebrating Cultural Connections

The second grade students have been eagerly anticipating one of the highlights of the second grade year- our CCC unit on Immigration and Ellis Island. During this four week unit, students assume the role of an immigrant and become part of a “family” with other students in our classroom. The immigrant families make decisions together as they embark on a journey from their homeland to America. Family groups will pack their “America” trunks and as a group, will decide which items they will need in their new homeland. Reading and writing are integrated throughout this social studies unit. The students will be reading several nonfiction and historical fiction books in order deepen their understanding of the immigrant experience. Each student will write about their journey to their new homeland in a trip journal. The journey to America was often difficult and dangerous.To help the students have a better understanding of how the immigrants might have felt during the treacherous voyage, the second graders are brought to Cossitt’s boiler room, deep in the basement, to experience a storm at sea (complete with storm sound effects!). The themes of immigration and patriotism are also visited through learning activites provided in art, music, and PE classes. The month of learning culminates on March 14th, Ellis Island Day. In a simulation experience, immigrant families are processed through several types of tests and stations as they try to gain entry to America. All students will take literacy and medical exams, be asked to answer questions about their background, and demonstrate their ability to be productive Americans. To celebrate their arrival in America, immigrant families will be sharing an all American meal in the multipurpose room. There will be special family history and ancestry homework assignments which will encourage a home-to-school learning connection. I hope this unit is a valuable and exciting experience, not just for your student, but for your entire family.

SOCIAL STUDIES NEWS

            

Urban Mural                                                      Suburban Mural

Rural Mural

For the past several weeks the second graders have been learning about the characteristics of Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities. The students used a computer program and worked in small groups to create maps of suburban, rural, and urban communities.

Last week our class participated in a simulation activity to learn more about the three types of communities. The goal of this activity was to have students experience and think about the differences and similarities of living in suburban, urban, and rural communities. The students’ desks and chairs were placed in one of the three communities where the students “lived” and worked for the entire morning.
The rural community was large and relatively empty and included the desks and chairs of 3 students.
The suburban community was a medium sized area and included the desks and chairs of 6 students. There was room between the desks but the area was not as spacious as the rural area.
The urban community was quite crowded with the desks and chairs of 11 students.

The students worked on an academic goal and social goal.
The academic goal was to create a mural to represent the various types of buildings, landscape, and transportation found in the assigned community.
The social goal was to work cooperatively in a group and share responsibilities.

At the end of the day, the members of each community were asked to talk about how their group met the social and academic goals. They also shared what they liked and didn’t like about working in their community. We listed the advantages and disadvantages of living in each type of community.

The students were then asked if they would like to move to a different community. Many chose to move their desks from the urban and suburban community to the rural community. When the moving was finished, one of the students observed that the rural community had begun to look more like a suburb, leading to a discussion about urban sprawl and over crowded communities. We discussed what might happen in communities when the population begins to shift and change.

The students are now writing persuasive essays about which of the three kinds of communities they believe is the best place to live.

Reading News and Information

If you were only one inch tall, you’d ride a worm to school.
The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.
A crumb of cake would be a feast
And last you seven days at least,
A flea would be a frightening beast.
If you were only one inch tall.

As you read the lines above from the poem One Inch Tall by Shel Silverstein, what images came to your mind? Our class drew pictures and wrote about what we visualized as we read the poem. (Hopefully you saw this assignment in last week’s Take Home folder.) Visualizing is creating mental images while reading. The forms may include smells, tastes, sounds, emotions, and sight. Good readers form images to enhance their understanding and to remember and enjoy what they are reading.

Recently I read several stories to the students, stopping at key points so that they could use a technique we call Think / Pair / Share to compare their visual images. During the lessons using this strategy, students had the opportunity to learn that each reader creates unique images of the same text.

Comprehension strategies such as visualization are taught and applied from beginning reading instruction to university literature courses. So far this year, our second grade students have also been developing the comprehension skills of determining importance and making connections.

Making connections requires students to connect what they know from their own experience to what they are reading. As stories are read in class, students stop to Think / Pair / Share their answers to questions such as:

Did you connect to a character or something that happened in the story? How?
Has anything in your own experience helped you understand the character or story?

We recently read the story Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. This book elicited many strong connections from the second-graders. As the children shared their own “no good, very bad” experiences, it was quite obvious that they had empathy for Alexander when all of his friends had desserts in their lunch boxes but he did not.

Students are given opportunities to apply a comprehension strategy after several lessons, modeling by the teacher, and supported practice. Each child practices the strategy using text at his or her own instructional reading level. This is the point at which differentiation takes place.

Reading comprehension skills also help children develop good writing skills. Many students are becoming skilled at adding detail and description to their writing- they have developed an understanding of how language is used to create mental images. They are beginning to learn to think like writers!

Books which encourage visualizing:

Miss Rumphius, Barbara Cooney
Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold
Tales of a Gambling Grandma, Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Night Sounds, Morning Color, Rosemary Wells
Night in the Country, by Cynthia Rylant
The Napping House, by Audrey Wood
Creatures of the Earth, Sea, and Sky, by Georgia Heard

Books which encourage connections:

My Great Aunt Arizona, Gloria Houston
Amazing Grace, Mary Hoffman
Ira Sleeps Over, Bernard Waber
The Lotus Seed, Sherry Garland
The Good-Bye Book, Judith Viorst
A Beach Day, Douglas Florian
A River Dream, Allen Say
The Day of Ahmed’s Secret, Florence H. Parry

Author Visit by Jack Stockman

Jack Stockman has been a freelance illustrator of children’s books, magazines, and advertising art for over twenty years. (However, in our family he is best known as my brother-in-law.) You and your children might enjoy visiting his website at http://www.artbyjack.com/ to read his bio and see some of his work.

Today Mr. Stockman showed the children many original paintings from his published children’s books, as well as ones he has done for his own stories that he wrote for his children. He talked about how to plan stories and illustrations to go with them and how to make simple sketches using a technique called “gesture drawing”. The students also learned about creating anthropomorphic animals. (Anthropomorphic: ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing not human—Such as animals wearing clothing, driving cars, etc.) Mr. Stockman emphasized using things the children enjoy to inspire their writing and illustration and showed examples of how he has done that himself with paper airplanes, polar bears, and snowmen.

Below are pictures of some of Mr. Stockman’s books.

Social Studies News

The second graders are exploring the world of maps- relief maps, road maps, neighborhood maps, and even treasure maps. We are learning to read all kinds of maps using tools such as map keys, grids and scales, and the compass rose. During our upcoming social studies unit, Communities, the second graders will also be using a computer mapmaking program to create urban, suburban, and rural maps.

We will continue to practice map skills throughout the year. If you have maps at home that you no longer need, please send them to school with your child. Maps of any sort- college campuses or airports, stadiums, hiking maps etc. will be appreciated.

Below are a few websites that your child may enjoy exploring.
Geography
http://www.eduplace.com/geonet/
Communities
http://www.sfsocialstudies.com/g3/u1/index.html

Other geography and map related sites are listed on Del.icio.us/Cossitt2V

This is a great time to be learning about maps! Over thirty museums and organizations in Chicago are celebrating cartography with a year-long Festival of Maps. There will be events and exhibits throughout the city and suburbs.
Here are links to learn more about the festival:

http://www.festivalofmaps.com/index.aspx
The Official Festival of Maps Website

http://www.chicagotribune.com/maps
The Tribune’s Guide to the Festival

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/maps/
The Field Museum’s Website
This would be a great time to visit the museum; there are many interactive map-related events and activities for children and families.

MATH NEWS

The second grade math benchmarks for the first trimester are:

Compare and order numbers (with >, <, or =) to 999.
Know addition facts (0-10).
Know subtraction facts (0-10).

Although the three benchmarks above are the only skills formally assessed, there are many other skills introduced, taught, and practiced.

Before each new math unit, a pre-assessment is given to all children to determine which lessons will be differentiated. If students demonstrate mastery of the skills to be taught in the new unit, homework and lessons are modified to provide more appropriate learning challenges. Students usually work on the same skill, but work to apply the skill in new or more challenging contexts. For example, when students demonstrated an understanding of in and out boxes or frames and arrow problems, they were asked  to apply their understanding on more advanced equations using larger numbers, as well as to write their own problems.

For some lessons, after a new skill is taught students may practice the skill with the teacher in a large group setting, or work independently. For students who need additional reinforcement, small group and extra practice is provided.

We have been using Rocket Math addition practices to work toward memorization of basic addition facts. The students will continue the addition practice and begin subtraction practice in November. In addition to Rocket Math, second graders play a variety of math games designed for fact mastery. The games include Top-it, Name that Number, Broken Calculator, and Beat the Calculator. The games provide opportunities for differentiated learning. Students who have already mastered many of the basic facts use higher numbers in the games, including some 2-digit numbers. Those who need reinforcement use a limited number of cards with lower numbers.

Unit 2 work, including the end of unit assessment, will be sent home at the end of the month.

REMEMBER:
The Everyday Math website has valuable information which includes directions for the games used to reinforce the skills from each unit.

http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/index.shtml

Science News

The second graders are continuing their study of biomes. We are learning about deciduous and coniferous forests and forest animals. Our next science topic will be desert biomes.

During the month of October, the students have been traveling to different second grade classrooms for lessons on biomes. They have enjoyed visiting the other second grade classrooms and learning with new teachers.

On Oct. 19, while on our field trip to Brookfield Zoo, the students will have an opportunity to see examples of the various habitats and biomes we have been studying. They will have a chance to observe some of the animals from the wetland, forest, and desert habitats.

We will begin visiting the Science Center in November. We will focus on- energy, changes, and supermarket science. Our science center visits are always exciting. There will be many hands-on activities, as well as an exploration and discovery approach to learning. Our class and Mrs. Fiordirosa’s class will attend the science center on Tuesday mornings from Nov. – Jan. The Science Center dates are posted on calendar link.

Take a Peek into Room 309

OUR CLASSROOM FOREST

Our Turtle, Bubba                                Our Tadpoles

Our Wetland Mural