February 6, 2012
Classroom Information
Welcome to a new school year and to Mrs. Bonenberger's 2nd grade classroom! I am looking forward to an exciting and wonderful school year with your child!
Special Schedule:
A Day - Music
B Day - PE
C Day - Music
D Day - PE
E Day - Media
F Day - PE and Art
Dates to remember:
In order for a classroom to run effectively, a behavior program must be established. Children need to know what is expected of them in terms of behavior, and they must understand the consequences when they have made the wrong choices. Your child's success is very important. To create and maintain a positive learning environment for all students, I will be following Westside's PBIS program.
In conjunction with the PBIS program, I also have a classroom BEE-Havior Chart. Every child starts out on Green. If a warning has to be given for a certain behavior then that child’s bee moves to Blue. If another incident occurs, it would move to Yellow and there would be a loss of 5 minutes of recess, followed by another move to 10 minutes loss of recess. If the behavior still continued, then the child would be moved to Red, which would result in a PBIS check and a note sent home in the child’s agenda.
Your child will receive a label in his/her agenda with my name, classroom number, email address, and this color coded system. Every 2nd grade teacher will be following this colored coded system. We will be stamping your child’s agenda at the end of each day with a corresponding stamp so that you are aware of how his/her day went. It will be an easy way for you to see that they had a FANTASTIC day because they stayed on Green all day or maybe it would require a conversation about behavior because he/she received a Blue, Orange, Yellow, or Red stamp.
On a more positive note, I am always looking to promote and reward positive behavior. Students who demonstrate those positive behaviors will receive PBIS merits. These merits accumulate each marking term and those students who earn enough merits will be invited to participate in both grade level monthly and quarterly incentives. Also, new this year, these merits will be redeemable for items at a special school auction! Stay tuned for more information :)
Homework is an important part of your child's school experience. Supporting good work habits requires a joint effort. I will support your child and encourage good work habits at school. Your child will benefit greatly from your support and encouragement at home. If your child has not completed his/her homework, I will be stamping their agenda with a MISSING HOMEWORK stamp as a quick means of communication to you. Please encourage your child to complete his/her homework as it is a reinforcement of the skills taught in the classroom.
Students will have spelling, math, and reading homework nightly. Spelling homework consists of 20 words with activities that vary by term. The county has instituted a 20/20 Reading Program this year. This program requires students to have a 20 minute sustained reading block both in and out of school EVERY DAY. By signing your child's agenda, you are verifying that your child has read for 20 minutes either independently or with you. Please encourage this reading time at home every single day. The more that your child reads, the better reader he/she will become. Occasionally there will be Science and Social Studies homework.
Reading:
We will be using the Houghton Mifflin reading series where we will be concentrating on six themes this year:
* Silly Stories
* Nature Walk
- Focus on the Genre of Fables
* Around Town: Neighborhood and Community
* Amazing Animals
* Family Time
- Focus on the Genre of Biography
* Talent Show
Good readers use strategies whenever they read. Different strategies are used before, during, and after reading. As readers learn to use strategies, they must think about how each strategy will help them. The Reading Strategies that we will be focusing on this year are:
* Predict/Infer
* Phonics/Decoding
* Monitor/Clarify
* Question
* Evaluate
* Summarize
On B Days, we will be visiting the computer lab at 11:30 to work on our Reading/Language skills. This is also our scheduled time to take SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory). The SRI will be given three times during the school year in order to assess your child's reading level. Stay tuned for more SRI information as we get closer to our scheduled test date.
THIS WEEK IN READING:
This week we will continue with Theme 4: Amazing Animals. In this theme we will be reading stories about animals that look amazing or do amazing things. The story that we will be reading this week is called The Great Ball Game by Joseph Bruchac. The Strategy Focus this week is Summarizing. When students summarize they should be able to tell about the characters and the important events in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. The Comprehension Skill is Cause and Effect. The Cause is WHY something happens. The Effect is WHAT happens. Some of the vocabulary words that your child will be introduced to this week are: accept, advantage, argument, guarded, penalty, and quarrel.
Language:
Language encompasses many skill areas:
*Information and Study Skills - using a dictionary, graphic organizers, print features
* Test Taking Skills - answering multiple choice items, completing fill in the blank items, and writing an answer to a question
* Spelling and Word Work - Building words with both short and long vowels and understanding word structure
* Vocabulary - Alphabetical order, Antonyms, Synonyms, Homophones, Multiple Meaning Words, Connotations, Analogies, Word Families
* Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics - Punctuation, Capitalization, Types of Sentences, Subjects/Predicates, Possessives, Nouns, Plurals, Past/Present/Future Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Pronouns, etc.
* Writing - Journals, Letters, Descriptive Writing, Instructions, Personal Narrative, Research Report, Persuasive Writing, Expository Writing, Personal Essay
THIS WEEK IN LANGUAGE:
This week in Language we will be focusing on nouns: proper nouns, common nouns, possessive noun, plural possessive nouns, and pronouns.
Math:
We will be using the McGraw Hill Math series this year. The units of study are as follows:
* Exploring Number Relationships
* Addition Strategies and Facts up to 20
* Subtraction Strategies and Facts up to 20
* Relating Addition and Subtraction
* Understanding Place Value
* Number and Patterns
* Money
* Using Money
* Telling Time
* Data and Graphs
* Number Relationships and Regrouping
* Two digit Addition
* Practice and Apply Two Digit Addition
* Two Digit Subtraction
* Practice and Apply Two Digit Subtraction
* Measurement and Geometry
* Place Value to the Thousands
* Three Digit Addition and Subtraction
* Probability, Fractions, Data, and Operations
Where are we going in Math?
We will be focusing on:
Chapter 1: Exploring Number Relationships
Count and write numbers
Skip count to large numbers
Find sums and differences
Use illustrations to find the information you need to solve a story problem
Chapter 2: Addition Strategies and Facts to 20
Use the order and zero properties to find sums to 12
Use a number line to count on to add
Follow a rule to complete an input/output
Add three 1 digit numbers
Solve problems by drawing pictures
Chapter 3: Subtraction Strategies and Facts to 20
Use a number line to count back to subtract
Subtract a number from itself and subtract zero from numbers to 20
Use related addition facts to find differences
Use related subtraction facts to find missing numbers
Identify number expressions equal to a given number
Chapter 4: Relating Addition and Subtraction
Use doubles to add and subtract
Use make a ten strategy to add and subtract 9
Use make a ten strategy to add and subtract 7 and 8
Use related addition and subtraction facts to complete fact families
Write number sentences to solve problems
Chapter 5: Understanding Place Value
Read, write, and represent tens
Use place value models to write 2 digit numbers
Identify the place value of digits in numbers to 100
Count, read, write, and represent numbers
Estimate magnitude of numbers
Chapter 6: Numbers and Patterns
Compare numbers to 100
Order numbers to 100
Skip counting to 100 by 2's, 3's, 4's, or 5's
Use ordinal numbers
Explore even and odd numbers
Use logical reasoning to solve problems
Chapter 7: Money
Explore the values of a penny, nickel, and dime and use coins to show money amounts
Find the value of a mixed value of coins .99
Identify place values of money amounts to .99
Identify the value of the quarter and a half dollar and find the value of mixed group of coins to .99
Use the fewest number of coins to make equal amounts up to .99
Chapter 8: Using Money
Recognize and use different ways to use a dollar
Count and write money amounts involving dollar and cents
Compare the value of a mixed group of dollar bills and coins with a money amount
Count on to make change
Use coins and the act it out strategy to solve problems
Chapter 9: Telling Time
Tell time to the hour and half hour
Tell time to 5 minute intervals
Tell time to the quarter hour
Tell time to the hour, half hour, before and after the hour
Chapter 10: Time and Calendar
Identify events as AM or PM
Read a calendar to identify days of the week or months of the year
Choose a unit to estimate and measure time
Use a calendar to solve problems
Chapter 11: Data and Graphs
Read and interpret picture and bar graphs
Use tally marks to take a survey and complete a chart
Make and interpret bar graphs
Create and interpret pictographs
Create and interpret line plots
Show data in different ways
Chapter 12: Number Relationships and Regrouping
Use place value models to regroup 10 ones as ten
Use place value models to regroup and find sums to 20
Use place value model to regroup to do addition with greater numbers
Write numbers in different ways using tens and ones
Use patterns to solve
Chapter 13: 2 - Digit Addition
Add tens using addition facts
Add 2-digit numbers without regrouping
Use place value models to add 2-digit numbers with regrouping
Add a 1-digit and a 2-digit number with regrouping
Add 2-digit numbers with regrouping Practice adding 2-digit numbers
Chapter 14: Practice and Apply 2-Digit Addition
Use knowledge of place value to rewrite a number sentence in vertical form
Solve 2-digit addition problems with regrouping
Add 2-digit numbers and check the sum
Estimate to see if an answer is reasonable
Add 3 addends
Choose a method to solve problems
Chapter 21:
Read, write, and represent numbers to 1,000
Write numbers as hundreds, tens, and ones
Identify the place value of a digit and write expanded form for numbers
Read and write numbers as thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones
Add multiples of hundreds
Add 3-digit numbers regrouping ones
Add 3-digit numbers regrouping tens
Chapter 22:
Use place value to compare numbers
Use a number line to put numbers in order
Use place value to order numbers
Describe and extend number patterns
Use a number line to count forward and backward
Make and use a table to solve problems
Chapter 15:
Use basic subtraction facts to subtract tens
Use a hundred chart and count back to subtract
Use place value models to regroup 2-digit numbers for subtraction
Subtract 1-digit numbers from a 2-digit number with regrouping
Subtract 2-digit numbers with and without regrouping
Practice subtracting 2-digit numbers with and without regrouping
Chapter 16:
Rewrite a number sentences in vertical form and subtract
Practice subtracting 2-digit numbers with and without regrouping
Use addition to check subtraction
Estimate to see if an answer is reasonable
Choose the operation to solve a problem
Chapter 24:
Subtract multiples of 100
Subtract 3-digit numbers with regrouping
Subtract 3-digit numbers regropuing hundreds to tens
Add and subtract money amounts and estimate to check
Work backwards to solve a problem
Chapter 17:
Measure length in inches
Chapter 18:
Chapter 19:
Chapter 20:
Identify congruent figures
Identify 2-D figures that have a line of symmetry
Identify flips, slides, and turns
Measure perimeter
Explore area
Chapter 25:
Identify and write the fraction for one half, one third, one fourth
Identify and write non unit fractions
Chapter 26:
Recognize if an event is certain, probable, or impossible to happen
Recognze the more likely, equally likely, and less likely outcomes
Chapter 28:
Post Benchmark 3:
Measure length in inches, feet, and yards, centimeters, and meters
Capacity
Weight
2D and 3D figures
Patterns
Identify fractions equal to a whole
Parts of a group and parts of a whole
Coordinate points
Line graphs
Relate repeated subtraction to division
Divide and share
First in Math
Our school now has access to a new math program called First in Math. Your child should receive a card with a username and password so they can access this site at home, as well as at school. This is a great place to practice facts. Be sure to check it out!
Spelling:
Your child will be responsible for studying spelling words each week and completing spelling homework. Your child's spelling homework for the SECOND marking period is as follows:
Your spelling words for the week of 2-6-12 are:
goal
rainbow
cold
know
told
elbow
fold
clover
pony
though
window
arrow
road
rode
drove
boast
croak
frozen
tomorrow
telephone
1st night - pyramid words or longest to shortest
2nd night – Classify words by syllables
3rd night - 10 super sentences. Super sentences have 8 words or more.
4th night- Study for Spelling Test
Social Studies:
Units of study:
Citizenship
Rights and Responsibilities
How rules are made to protect citizens
Sympols of the U.S. Holidays
Roles of leaders in school and local communities
Culture
Traditions and Customs
How individuals form communities
Compare elements of two different cultures
How people interact with each other i.e. conflict/compromise
Geography Tools
Map Elements i.e. purpose and use of globes, maps, and atlases
How geography helps people make choices about food, clothing, and shelter
Compare types of communication and transportation
Ways that we modify and adapt our environment
Economic decision making
Goods and services
Types of resources i.e. human, capital, and natural,
Production
Technology's impact on how we work, play, and live
Differences between past and present
Timelines of students' lives
Gather information about the past from informational sources and biographies
Science:
Units of Study:
Exploring Animals
Classification
Habitats
Structure and Function
Exploring Forces
Pushes and Pulls
Gravity
Vibrations
Exploring Fossils
It is important to review and sign your child's agenda every night as this is the primary means of communication between the classroom and home. I update my school notes website at the beginning of each week. Please visit as often as you wish to get updates, spelling words, homework assignments, or to see what is going on in your child's classroom. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call me (410) 677-5118 or email me at dbonenbe@wcboe.org.
Thank you!
Mrs. Bonenberger