A Few Reminders

I just wanted to update on a few reminders for the upcoming weeks.

Math Benchmark Assessments (an assessment to measure progress on math skills taught so far this year) will be taken on Thursday, October 24, 2013. Please stress to your child the importance of this assessment. The results will be used as a guide for teachers to use to create instruction to meet the individual needs to each student. Benchmarks will be taking in the morning hours, so it is imperative that your child arrives to school on time and has had a good breakfast to eat. You will be notified about your child's results during Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Reading Benchmark Assessments will be taken on Thursday, October 31st. 

First Quarter is coming to an end and report cards are on their way. Parent-Teacher Conference notices for scheduling will be coming home shortly. Conferences for Quarter One will be held Tuesday, October  29th through Friday, November 1st.  All of these days are early dismissal days (12 noon). 

First Quarter Award Ceremony will be Nov.7th. Time is TBA.

Picture Day is scheduled for Thursday, October 24th. Information for purchasing picture packages was sent home before Fall Break. Students are still required to be in full school uniform on Picture Day. 

Fall Festival is also scheduled for Thursday, October 24th. Please come out and enjoy food, games and music. Fall Festival begins at 6pm.

I DECLARE WAR!!!!!

A war has begun among the second grade classes at SCCS. It is a Penny War! We are asking students to bring in their pennies and silver coins. The class with the most pennies will win! Students will put their silver coins in the coin jars of their RIVAL classrooms. Silver coins are a negative and hurt the other classes' chances at winning. Students should bring as many pennies as possible to their own classroom, and take their silver coins to the other classrooms.

The Penny War started on Monday, September 16th and will end Friday, September 27th. The class who wins will receive an ice cream sundae social. The purpose of the Penny War is to help raise money to purchase supplies we need for our classrooms, and to purchase items for Green Team parties and other classroom activities. The kids have a blast with this fundraiser and the teachers get much needed supplies in the classroom. It's a win, win for everyone. 

Thank you in advance for your support! Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

The Second grade Team

Comparing Numbers

WHEW! We have gotten off to a very fast start this school year and I am finally finding a moment to breathe and update the blog. Sorry! 

In math, we have begun learning to compare numbers. Comparing numbers can be a difficult concept for second graders to understand. It is can also be very confusing to learn to use the vocabulary and symbols that go along with this concept. Using their knowledge of the meanings of hundreds, tens, and ones digits, students will be able compare two three-digit numbers. They are then able to put numbers in order from least to greatest or vice versa, and correctly use the >, =, and < symbols when comparing numbers. Students will need to be fluent in many mathematical process to be able to make comparisons accurately. For example when given to numbers such as 287 and 304, students will need to understand that place value is important.

Greater the Alligator

Ask your scholar about our friend, Greater the Alligator.  ---------->

Check out these strategies:

Ask your scholar about our little "secret"

_______________________________________________________
In class, we play a game called Greater Than, Less Than and they love it! Click the image below for the directions. If you have a deck of cards, you and your scholar are ready to play. *WARNING* They love this game!

You can also have them write it down on paper using the symbols for extra practice (ex.  8 > 7)

Try these online games:
Toon University: Comparing Number Values

EZSchools: Comparing Numbers

ABCYa!: Comparing Number Values

Welcome to a Brand New School Year!!!

Welcome to a brand new school year (for some, welcome to Sugar Creek!) and welcome to Mr. Roberts' Learning Zone.

This classroom blog serves as a resource for parents (and students) to stay up-to-date with what's going on in the classroom and tips and ideas on how you, as parents, can help your child from home. This blog will be frequently updated with homework tips, important dates and other information that you may need, so visit often!

During the first week of school you will be getting a lot of important information, such as the Student Handbook, the 2nd Grade Newsletter, etc. Some of this information you may be asked to sign and return it to school with your students. Don't be overwhelmed! If you have any questions about any of the information, please do not hesitate to contact me or your child's homeroom teacher.

To the right of this page, you will find a section titled "Contact Information". There you will find my contact information. The line of communication is ALWAYS open, so feel free to contact me for any reason.

We have an exciting, engaging and challenging school year ahead of us and I look forward to working with you this school year to ensure the success of your scholar.

Summer Learning Loss

 

Don't let your child be a victim of Summer Learning Loss! 

What is Summer Learning Loss?

Summer learning loss is the loss in academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer vacation. The loss in learning varies across grade level, subject matter, and family income. Summer loss for all students is estimated to be equal to about 1 month, but this varies across subject matter. It is critical that students retain the information they've learned during the school year throughout the summer. 

Help your child keep their math and reading skills sharp over the summer. They should be reading everyday for approximately 30 minutes. After they finish reading, ask them these basic comprehension questions:

• Who are the main characters in the story? Describe how they look and act.

• Are there any important supporting characters? If so, name them.

• Where does the story take place (setting)? Is the setting critical to the story, or could this story take place anywhere else?

• What is the problem the main character must solve or overcome (conflict)?

• How does the character solve his problem? Do other obstacles get in the way of solving the main conflict? What are they?

• What character do you most identify with? Why?

• What did you like most about this story? The least? If you could have changed anything about this story, what would it be?

Help you child in math by letting them visit these academically enriching math sites:

• Math Playground

• Cool Math Games

• Hooda Math

• Funbrain

• Cool Math 4 Kids

• Primary Games

• PBS Kids

• Play Kids Games

HAVE A WONDERFULLY SAFE SUMMER!!

A Few Update

Hello parents,

I wanted to create a post of a few updates for the remaining of the school year.

June 4 - 7 is End-Of-Grade testing (state test for 3 - 8 graders) week, which will be half days (12:30, instead of the normal 12:00). Please let your day care providers know of this time change.

The second graders will be taking their math Summative Assessment on Tuesday, June 4th.

Please make sure your child arrives ON TIME during EOG week so that test is not disturbed due to late arrivals.

-------------------
Field Day will be June 10th - I will send more information home as I receive it. Volunteers are needed!

-------------------
Our field trip will be June 11th - Money was due on May 28th. If you haven't yet paid, please do so ASAP! Chaperones are still needed.

-------------------
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be June 12th and 13th. These days are half days. Conference schedule forms will be sent home next week.

-------------------
June 12 - June 19 are all half days (12:00pm). Please let your day care providers know.

-------------------
June 19th is the LAST DAY of SCHOOL!!! Enjoy the summer with your children.
Be on the look out for Summer School letters.

Happy New Year!!

Welcome to 2013!! We have come along way since the start of school in August. This month, we started our new unit on Measurement, Data, Time and Money. This is a big unit because it covers 4 very important skills (and because it's going to take us about 2 months to complete everything).

In this hands-on unit, students recognize the need for standard units of measure (centimeter and inch) and they use rulers and other measurement tools with the understanding that linear measure involves an iteration of units. They recognize that the smaller the unit, the more iterations they need to cover a given length.

They will also learn how to tell time to the nearest five-minutes (ex. 4:45, 3:05, 5:10, etc.), and count money and make change.

Students will also be learning how to collect, record and analyze data using a bar graph, line plot and picture graph.

Key Vocabulary
The terms students should learn to use with this unit are: inch, foot, yard, centimeter, meter, ruler, yardstick, meter stick, measuring tape, estimate, length, equation, number line, equally spaced, point, clocks, hand, hour hand, minute hand, hour, minute, a.m., p.m., o’clock, multiples of 5 (e.g., five, ten, fifteen, etc.), analog clock, digital clock, quarter ‘til, quarter after, half past, quarter hour, half hour, thirty minutes before, 30 minutes after, 30 minutes until, 30 minutes past, quarter, dime, nickel, dollar, cent(s), $, ¢, heads, tails