Saturday, September 25, 2010
Sequencing Project
In reading, we began our first story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin which focuses on the reading strategy of sequencing. Ask your child if they know what the word sequencing means. Students worked in groups to sequence other stories by Bill Martin (Polar Bear, Polar Bear, Baby Bear, Baby Bear and Panda Bear, Panda Bear) and will present them on Tuesday. This practice in sequencing will provide a great base for our first story from our reading textbook next week - The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle.
2F: A Week In Review
We had another eventful week in 2F! We have been working hard on building up our minutes of stamina for Read to Self during Daily 5. We are now up to 15 minutes. Our goal for the upcoming week is to attain 30 minutes of stamina. It is a joy to observe the students so engrossed in their reading during our literacy block. We continue to encourage all students to find just right books. This week we read a wonderful story entitled Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians. The book reviewed the importance of choosing good fit books, the five finger rule, choosing appropriate places to sit in the classroom and remembering to keep our classroom library organized. Students have also begun Read to Someone. We have built up 6 minutes of stamina and I am sure that the minutes will increase during the upcoming week. Students will continue to build up stamina for Read to Self and Read to Someone. During the latter part of the week, they will be introduced to our next Daily 5, Listen to Reading.
We also introduced our CAFE board. CAFE is an acronym which stands for comprehension, accuracy, fluency and expand vocabulary. Students will be working on their individual goals as readers this year and will focus on strategies that have been posted on our CAFE board throughout the year. The overall goal is that students will become increasingly aware of their needs and goals as readers. This board will be a visual representation of our work during our second grade year together. This week we introduced two strategies, Check for Understanding and Sequence Main Events.
Students had their very first spelling test this week. Overall, the students did very well. Please encourage your child to continue to complete their spelling activities for homework. This will aide the students in improving their spelling abilities and their performance on the posttest. Please remember that the homework is due on Tuesdays, which will also be the day of the test. I was very happy about the homework completion this week!
We have begun Guided Math! We took some much needed time to brainstorm what students should look like and sound like during Guided Math and stressed the importance of independenece. We also practiced the behaviors so each child would have a clear understanding of the expectations during this time. As a result, we slowed the pace of our lessons to ensure that students were engaged in the activities provided. We still need to review expectations and responsiblities; however, I am pleased with the progress that students have made since the first day. Please be aware that some lessons will continue to be taught whole class. I am very excited to be providing instruction based upon student's needs. The overall goal is to provide differentiated instruction which will match the levels of learning in our classroom.
The highlight of last week was our water cycle bracelets. Hopefully, your child came home and explained the stages of the water cycle using their bracelet. This week, we willl be wrapping up our Water Cycle Unit and will soon begin learning about our country's history. We will end our unit by creating a water cycle wheel which will serve as an assessment of our learning. Students will need to remember the important stages of the water cycle which should include the following: evaporation, condensation, precipitation and accumulation. We may even be learning a new song to prepare for this assessment. We will also be presenting a reader's theater play entitled "Around the Water Cycle".
We were extremely excited to check out our new Social Studies books from the LMC on Friday. The students and I discussed the importance of respecting property. In addition, students were informed that they were the very first second grade class to ever use these books and that it was important to take good care of them. We can't wait to discover what we will be learning about our country's past. It will be an exciting time for all!
Next week during Writer's Workshop, we will continue to review the parts of speech and work on creating Super Sentences. The students are itching to write their own pieces. This will occur soon; we are still launching Writer's Workshop and reviewing the important routines and procedures needed in order to ensure our workshop time is successful throughout the year.
As you know, students will be taking the OLSAT on Monday and Tuesday. Please be sure that your child gets a restful night of sleep and eats a healthy breakfast so that they will be alert and prepared for the upcoming test.
We also introduced our CAFE board. CAFE is an acronym which stands for comprehension, accuracy, fluency and expand vocabulary. Students will be working on their individual goals as readers this year and will focus on strategies that have been posted on our CAFE board throughout the year. The overall goal is that students will become increasingly aware of their needs and goals as readers. This board will be a visual representation of our work during our second grade year together. This week we introduced two strategies, Check for Understanding and Sequence Main Events.
Students had their very first spelling test this week. Overall, the students did very well. Please encourage your child to continue to complete their spelling activities for homework. This will aide the students in improving their spelling abilities and their performance on the posttest. Please remember that the homework is due on Tuesdays, which will also be the day of the test. I was very happy about the homework completion this week!
We have begun Guided Math! We took some much needed time to brainstorm what students should look like and sound like during Guided Math and stressed the importance of independenece. We also practiced the behaviors so each child would have a clear understanding of the expectations during this time. As a result, we slowed the pace of our lessons to ensure that students were engaged in the activities provided. We still need to review expectations and responsiblities; however, I am pleased with the progress that students have made since the first day. Please be aware that some lessons will continue to be taught whole class. I am very excited to be providing instruction based upon student's needs. The overall goal is to provide differentiated instruction which will match the levels of learning in our classroom.
The highlight of last week was our water cycle bracelets. Hopefully, your child came home and explained the stages of the water cycle using their bracelet. This week, we willl be wrapping up our Water Cycle Unit and will soon begin learning about our country's history. We will end our unit by creating a water cycle wheel which will serve as an assessment of our learning. Students will need to remember the important stages of the water cycle which should include the following: evaporation, condensation, precipitation and accumulation. We may even be learning a new song to prepare for this assessment. We will also be presenting a reader's theater play entitled "Around the Water Cycle".
We were extremely excited to check out our new Social Studies books from the LMC on Friday. The students and I discussed the importance of respecting property. In addition, students were informed that they were the very first second grade class to ever use these books and that it was important to take good care of them. We can't wait to discover what we will be learning about our country's past. It will be an exciting time for all!
Next week during Writer's Workshop, we will continue to review the parts of speech and work on creating Super Sentences. The students are itching to write their own pieces. This will occur soon; we are still launching Writer's Workshop and reviewing the important routines and procedures needed in order to ensure our workshop time is successful throughout the year.
As you know, students will be taking the OLSAT on Monday and Tuesday. Please be sure that your child gets a restful night of sleep and eats a healthy breakfast so that they will be alert and prepared for the upcoming test.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Water Cycle Song
After completing our water cycle wheels, we reviewed the steps in the water cycle by singing a song. Hopefully, students will be able to recall the water cycle and the new vocabulary words that they have learned. Please ask your children to share the parts of the water cycle with you. They can use their wheels as a tool to help them remember what they have learned. Enjoy watching the video of the students singing!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
This week I was given a link to a news story about Silly Bandz by a fellow teacher. I know that many children enjoy wearing them, and I even sell them at the Ferrell Store. After viewing the video, you may want to discuss the safety of these bands with your child. I will also be discussing this with them at school. Please click here to view the video.
Voicemail is Fixed
Parents my voicemal issue has been fixed. Please feel free to call me at 630-375-3717 if you need to get in touch with me. Please be aware that contacting me by email is also welcomed.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Homework
Parents I wanted to inform you that students do have spelling homework tonight, but they do not have math homework. Have a good night.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Spelling Homework
We are back to spelling this week. We take the pretest on Wednesdays and the posttest on Tuesdays. The homework is sent home every Wednesday, and the children will have one week to complete it. Please note that spelling homework is NOT an option, and I require all my students to do it and turn it in on the following Tuesday. If your child is having issues completing this at home, please send it back with a note. Thank you, I greatly appreciate the "at home" support!!
Correct Model
View our class as we learn about the correct way to do Read to Self. I hope you are as excited as I am to be able to view this video. This is all courtesy of a flip camera that I was able to purchase because of a grant that I received last spring. I hope to share more videos with you soon!
Friday, September 10, 2010
I-PICK Video
This week the students in 2F reviewed the I-PICK strategy by learning a song that helped them to remember what each letter in the acronym stands for. Please take some time to view this video with your child and have them show you their moves! To view the video please click here. If you or your child are interested in downloading the words, you can find a link on the right entitled "I-PICK Words"under Super Sites for Second Graders. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Voicemail Issues
I wanted to inform you that I am currently unable to check my voicemail. If you would like to contact me, please email me at keith_ferrell@ipsd.org. I am hoping that this issue will be resolved quickly. If it is an urgent matter and you would like me to give you a phone call, you can either state it in the email or call the office and leave a message with the school secretary, Mrs. Scheetz. Thank you.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Our First Full Week is Complete!
I am excited to announce that our first full week was extremely successful. Students are doing an impeccable job of remembering the procedures and routines. This is no small feat, especially since there are so many new things being introduced. Students delved deeper into the curriculum this week and seem to be enjoying their learning opportunities. This week we began Mountain Language. All of the questions were done collaboratively so that the students would obtain a clear understanding of what they would be expected to do. During the upcoming week, students will be asked to do this independently as part of their morning work.
Students also began Guided Reading on Monday. While most of the students will be remaining in the classroom during this time, some will be working with other staff members at Gombert. Students who are working with other teachers spent most of the week getting to know one another. The students also were assessed to determine their reading levels. The children who remained in the classroom were hard at work building stamina during the Daily 5. Students learned about where to sit in the classroom, and were provided with a review of the 3 Ways to Read a Book and also the I-PICK strategy. I took some additonal time to conference with students to ensure that they had chosen good fit books to put into their book bins. Everyone is doing a wonderful job of using this strategy. Please reinforce this important strategy with your children when you visit the Aurora Public Library or a bookstore to browse for books. Next week we will be shooting for 5 minutes of stamina, reviewing the I-PICK strategy and making our own choices on where to sit in the classroom. Be on the lookout for information on our next Daily 5, Read to Someone.
In Spelling, students have been practicing short vowel sounds with songs and poems. We also share a book that features the short vowel of the day. In addition, we have been practicing a different spelling homework sheet each day so that we will know how to do our homework when our real spelling tests begin. We have practicted Sailboat Spelling, Making Words and Rainbow Words. Next week we will practice long vowel sounds and more homework so we are ready for our first Spelling Pretest on September 15th.
In Science, students got the opportunity to use their knowledge of the scientific method, once again this week, as they seeked to find out which teacher would spin to the floor during our "Spinning Teacher" experiment. Students behaved like scientists as they were given the opportunity to stand on their chairs during this experiment. Don't worry, the students were very cautious as they performed this experiment. They were told that this would be the absolute only time they were allowed to stand on a chair in 2nd grade. We continued Science by finding out what students knew about the water cycle. I was shocked to find out how much the students already knew. Students also shared their thinking with their peers when they were placed into cooperative learning groups to determine whether or not statements about the water cycle were true or false. Students will continue to learn about the water cycle during the upcoming weeks.
The Second Graders found themselves learning about how to work with a partner and in small groups during Math this week. The ideas shared were very beneficial and will help students in the future. Our little mathematicians also learned to play two games, Additon Top-It and the Money Exchange Game. They did a phenomenal job and were able to practice appropriate behaviors during this time. Students reviewed time, money and patterns on a number grid. They were given the opportunity to create number scrolls which was something that was done in first grade. They had fond memories of creating these number scrolls and were excited to be completing this task once again.
Students have been hard at work completing their first writing assignment about how to fill each others' buckets. Most students have completed this task and they will be displayed on the bulletin board during this week. If you are in the building, please feel free to view your child's bucket writing. During the upcoming week, we will begin launching Writer's Workshop by completing a writing assessment to determine students' writing abilities. We will also discuss what Writer's Workshop looks like and sounds like. Students will determine who writes, what writers write and why writers write. During the latter part of the week, your children will be involved in searching for ideas to write about inside and outside of our classroom. Our goal is to create an abundance of ideas that will be used throughout the year during Writer's Workshop.
Students also began Guided Reading on Monday. While most of the students will be remaining in the classroom during this time, some will be working with other staff members at Gombert. Students who are working with other teachers spent most of the week getting to know one another. The students also were assessed to determine their reading levels. The children who remained in the classroom were hard at work building stamina during the Daily 5. Students learned about where to sit in the classroom, and were provided with a review of the 3 Ways to Read a Book and also the I-PICK strategy. I took some additonal time to conference with students to ensure that they had chosen good fit books to put into their book bins. Everyone is doing a wonderful job of using this strategy. Please reinforce this important strategy with your children when you visit the Aurora Public Library or a bookstore to browse for books. Next week we will be shooting for 5 minutes of stamina, reviewing the I-PICK strategy and making our own choices on where to sit in the classroom. Be on the lookout for information on our next Daily 5, Read to Someone.
In Spelling, students have been practicing short vowel sounds with songs and poems. We also share a book that features the short vowel of the day. In addition, we have been practicing a different spelling homework sheet each day so that we will know how to do our homework when our real spelling tests begin. We have practicted Sailboat Spelling, Making Words and Rainbow Words. Next week we will practice long vowel sounds and more homework so we are ready for our first Spelling Pretest on September 15th.
In Science, students got the opportunity to use their knowledge of the scientific method, once again this week, as they seeked to find out which teacher would spin to the floor during our "Spinning Teacher" experiment. Students behaved like scientists as they were given the opportunity to stand on their chairs during this experiment. Don't worry, the students were very cautious as they performed this experiment. They were told that this would be the absolute only time they were allowed to stand on a chair in 2nd grade. We continued Science by finding out what students knew about the water cycle. I was shocked to find out how much the students already knew. Students also shared their thinking with their peers when they were placed into cooperative learning groups to determine whether or not statements about the water cycle were true or false. Students will continue to learn about the water cycle during the upcoming weeks.
The Second Graders found themselves learning about how to work with a partner and in small groups during Math this week. The ideas shared were very beneficial and will help students in the future. Our little mathematicians also learned to play two games, Additon Top-It and the Money Exchange Game. They did a phenomenal job and were able to practice appropriate behaviors during this time. Students reviewed time, money and patterns on a number grid. They were given the opportunity to create number scrolls which was something that was done in first grade. They had fond memories of creating these number scrolls and were excited to be completing this task once again.
Students have been hard at work completing their first writing assignment about how to fill each others' buckets. Most students have completed this task and they will be displayed on the bulletin board during this week. If you are in the building, please feel free to view your child's bucket writing. During the upcoming week, we will begin launching Writer's Workshop by completing a writing assessment to determine students' writing abilities. We will also discuss what Writer's Workshop looks like and sounds like. Students will determine who writes, what writers write and why writers write. During the latter part of the week, your children will be involved in searching for ideas to write about inside and outside of our classroom. Our goal is to create an abundance of ideas that will be used throughout the year during Writer's Workshop.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Extended Weekend
Please be aware that there will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 6th in celebration of Labor Day. In addition, students will have NO SCHOOL on Tuesday, September 7th as all certified staff members will be participating in meetings during Building Articulation Day. Students please enjoy your time off, and I will see you on Wednesday, September 8th.
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