Grade Two November Newsletter Dates and Reminders PTA Book Fair December 8-12 PTA Winter Wonderland Saturday, December 13 Report Cards sent home Thursday, December 18 Early Dismissal at 11 AM Thursday, December 18 Winter Holiday Friday, December 19 - Sunday, January 4

Reading Each classroom teacher has their own focus of reading instruction for their students. We are all working on improving student reading strategies and their general reading skills, to help the students become better readers. Daily silent reading, focused reading instruction and teacher lead guided reading lessons are used during reading instructional time.

Writing The children have used the books by Ezra Jack Keats and many other authors to find different writing craft techniques that they can use in their small moment stories. It has been exciting to watch the children try different craft techniques and we hope they will continue to use the techniques in all of their writing. All the children have chosen their very best piece to publish into a book and each class has had a special celebration to share their writing with parents and friends. Our next unit of study will be realistic fiction.

Spelling Our second grade spelling words come from a variety of places. Reading Logs: It is important to let your child have spelling opportunities that arise from the Reading Log; so there is no need to correct the spelling. Writer’s Workshop folders and journals: Students spend time each day writing during Writer’s Workshop. Some of the misspelled words used in Writer’s Workshop become “Green Pen Words” and are used on spelling tests. Spelling Patterns: To supplement the “Green Pen Words” students also study various spelling patterns. Recent patterns have included, short and long vowel sounds and consonant clusters. Through the study of “Green Pen Words” each student has an individualized spelling program based on the words that they are already using.

Math The children are enjoying learning about adding and subtracting two digit numbers that they find in everyday things. Addition and subtraction stories were used as a way for developing mental arithmetic skills. The hands on activities with the thermometers and measuring tapes were favorites for all.

Integrated Studies In November all the second grade classes celebrated the end of our Frog, Friends and Change unit. We had a lovely day at Da An Park. The second grade teachers send a big Thank You out to all the parent volunteers who joined us. We are now embarking on our new Science unit: Pebbles, Sand and Silt. This unit provides students with the opportunity to complete four sequential investigations, each designed to introduce concepts in earth science. The investigations provide experiences that heighten students’ awareness of rocks as earth materials, natural resources, and fossils. This month your child will observe, describe and sort rocks based on their physical properties.

ESL We hope that all of the parents who attended the writing workshop walked away with a clearer understanding of the process of writing that their child engages in at TAS. All of the handouts, agendas, articles, language focus forms and activities for parent can be found on our ESL link on the Grade 2 website. Keep an eye out for information about testing and assessment, the topic for our December parent workshop. This workshop will be held on December 3 and 4.ESL link Our January workshop will be an opportunity to introduce you to the FOSS science vocabulary and what you can do at home to assist your child in acquiring the language skills they need to succeed in this unit. The new science curriculum is both fascinating and challenging. Some tips on how to better prepare your child to succeed in this content area can be found at our ESL link as well.ESL link