The Bacher Blog For parents of students in Room 16 Monday, September 16, 2013 Fundations: This week we begin Unit 2, which continues to review concepts from Grade 1. We will still be working with closed syllables...words with short vowel sounds. This week we will especially focus on bonus letters f, s, and l. These letters are bonused (or doubled) only if they follow a short vowel sound and come at the end of a syllable. We will also be introduced to glued sounds, beginning with -all. I'll be giving word work time to practice Level 1 trick words as well. Please make sure your child is completing his/her Fundations packet a little each night! Important Announcements: Be sure to look at the back of this paper for the Homework Log It can get cold in our building. You might want to make sure your child dresses in layers and has a sweater/sweatshirt everyday. I can't control the air in my classroom Conference sign up forms will be coming home in the next couple of weeks with my newsletter/log. Consider joining PTA! Students wear red, white, and blue on Tuesday 9/17. Volunteer sign up sheets for my class sent home today. The Daily 5/Work on Writing We will be continuing DOL Week 2. Last week, we made an I Chart for Work on Writing, and student used their writing journals for the first time. You might notice that your child underlines words he/she does not know how to spell. This is a writing target I am teaching in class so that students are less worried about spelling, and more focused on getting ideas down on paper. Everyday Math This week we will be exploring equivalent names for numbers, counting patterns, and relations (<, >, =). I'm hoping to get to Lesson 1-11 on Thursday, and that means that Home Links are about to start on a nightly basis. Some Home Links papers have a symbol in the corner of an open book with a number. This tells you the page number in the hard cover book (MRB) to refer to for help at home. You can access this book on line with your child's username and password on the computer. ***Continue to encourage practicing +/- math facts at home! Your child must be able to complete 100 math facts in 5 minutes by the end of this year. Counting on fingers is discouraged in 2nd grade...these facts must be memorized! Homework: Reading Log: “A Real Bouquet” – read every night Math Log: Mon. – clock wksht Tues. – GMM #1 wksht Wed. – GMM #2 wksht Thurs. – H.L. 1-11 wksht Fri. – GMM #3 wksht Fundations packet: U2 packet due Friday, 9/27/13 The Daily 5/CAFÉ time/Reading: Read to Self practice time is continuing, and we are attempting to continue building stamina! I have finished benchmarking in the area of reading and am just reviewing data now. I have begun the process of reading interviews with each child, and I'm hoping that by next week I'll be able to have individual reading conferences to begin assigning CAFE goals for independent reading. Sometime in the next two weeks you'll also start to hear more about AR. This week I'd like to finish up with Officer Buckle and Gloria, but we might have to go a bit into next week as well. We'll be recalling events in a story and using information to answer questions. In honor of Constitution Day, I'd also like to incorporate a short readers' theatre into this week's reading class. We have a lot going on in reading!!! Science/Social Studies: This week we honor Constitution Day on September 17. We will be partnering with Mrs. Rogaliner's class to talk about what the constitution is and how it can be to be. Recommended Website: www.everydaymathonline.com I have shown your children how to access the website and log in with his/her login card (located inside the Take Home Folder). Your child might need help logging in the first few times. I encourage checking out this site. You can access Family Letters, Home Links, an interactive MRB (textbook), and online games. It's definitely worth checking out! 1