Joanna’s Second Grade News

Dear Parents,

fallcolor

 

As we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox, and the seasonal changes that await us, so do we appreciate  the growth and enthusiasm that the children exude as we witness their continual changes.   As they ease into our classroom routines and daily schedule, they become increasingly independent in their learning center work, balancing and managing their time, and generating quality work.

Building a Community of Readers

"Paws to Read"......second graders reading to Plato

“Paws to Read”……second graders reading to Plato

We have used our Fall literacy assessments (POA’s) to help us create reading groups in which we can “match” the reading levels and interest of the children, with texts that support and promote their reading skills.

As important as the process of teaching decoding skills, is the process of seeking meaning from the books that the children read.  Often we embed writing opportunities into our reading groups so that children can anticipate, reflect, and make predictions about the literature in which they are engaged.  These accompanying tasks help enrich their vocabulary, conceptual understanding of the texts, and sharpen their critical thinking skills.

Writing

writing summer memories

The second graders are enthusiastic writers.  They are earning the art of mastering details and description.  As they complete their Summer Memories, their first introcution to narrative writing, they are learning how to enhance the craft of writing by creating images with their words.  We have just started our introuction to Opinion Pieces, during which time the children express their opinions in response to a prompt, and support their ideas with evidence from fiction and/or non-fiction texts.  Their most recent prompt was:  Which stage of the Monarch butterfly life cycle would you want to be, and why?

 

Science

brook

exploring the brook on the Linny Levin Trail

          In our efforts to continue in our project-based learning initiative in the Wetlands, we are examining our over-arching question:

bird resting on a limb

bird resting on a limb in the wetlands

 

How can TES second graders teach our community about taking care of the Zebedee Headwaters?

This week, Sara Cavin, Programs Director with the Upper Valley Land Trust, will visit with TES second graders.  She will dedicate some time to a question/answer session with content from the children.  This discussion will address the children’s concerns about the wetlands; how to help maintain its health; and the their role in teaching others to care for this habitat.  Sara will then accompany us to the wetlands, and help point our invasive species that are posing a challenge to the wetlands.  The children will share their insights and observations with her.  We will feature our partnership with the UVLT, throughout the school year.  

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