2 nd Grade Parent Orientation

Welcome to 2 nd Grade! We’re so glad that you are here to join the adventure!

Meet The Teachers… Mrs. Burns (ELA/Social Studies) Ms. Garvin (Math/Science) Mrs. Hopson (Math Science) Mrs. Hughley (ELA/Social Studies) Mrs. Long (Math/Science) Ms. Lucia (ELA/Social Studies) Mrs. Evans (Self Contained) Ms. Wang (Self Contained)

Goals  To help your child develop academically and socially to the best of his/her ability.  To give your child the academic tools she/he will need to progress to 3rd grade.  To provide a safe and supportive learning environment.  To have fun while we learn.  To make new friends and discover new interests.

Expectations Students are expected to follow the Marek Code Of Conduct: Manners Attitude Respect Enthusiasm Kindness

Parent Connection  To help your student be successful in 2 nd grade you can….  Create a checklist of responsibilities at home to prepare for school (i.e. homework, backpack, school binder/folder, lunch, snack, etc.)  Teach students to come to school prepared to learn  Discuss with your student the role of natural consequences as a learning opportunity.

Literacy (Reading)  Establishing good reading habits  Getting to know book series  Getting to know book characters  Understanding schema  Creating mental images  Understanding dialogue  Using reader’s response journal  Learning to read non-fiction books  Reader’s Theatre

Literacy (Writing) Establishing writing habits Adding details to writing Reshaping memories into letters Creating setting in writing Literary nonfiction and writing Research and writing Drafting, revising, editing, and publishing Writing poetry

Literacy (Word Study)  High frequency word assessment  Buddy Study spelling  Choose, Write, Build, Mix, Fix  Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check  Buddy Check  Making Connections  Spelling Tests

Social Studies  My Community  My Country  Celebrations – Thanksgiving and Winter Holidays  Historical Figures  Texas Culture  Economics – Good and Services

Parent Connection  To help your student in literacy, you can…  Read with them every night  Talk about what you’ve read  Ask students to explain their thinking about what they’ve read  Write about what they’ve read or their thinking (Summary, Connections, etc)  Look for new or interesting words

Math  Analyzing picture and bar graphs  Place value (numbers ) – composing and decomposing numbers  Addition and subtraction – sums to 20, 2 digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, addition and subtraction of numbers up to 999)  Measuring length and area  Telling time to minute  Money - identifying coins, using cent and dollar sign, making change  Fact families  Solve 1-step or multi-step word problems using Problem Solving Process (PSP)  Geometry (2D and 3D shapes/fractions)  Multiplication and Division  Fractions (including an introduction to mixed numbers and improper fractions)

PSP: Problem Solving Process  Summarize question in 5 to 7 words  Identify necessary information.  Solve for your answer.  Record your answer.  Justify your answer.  How many baseball cards?  5 cards, 4 cards  I will add.  5+4 = 9 Bob has 5 baseball cards. Diana gives me 4 more cards. How many baseball cards does Bob have now?

Parent Connection  To help your student in math you can…  Make students responsible for completing their own homework.  Review student’s math homework with them each night. Ask students to explain their thinking.  Encourage students to show their work.  Manipulatives can be used if needed (coins, paper clips, beans, etc)

Science  Unit 1: Scientific Processes – safety, simple investigations, science tools  Unit 2: Matter – Physical properties, changes in physical properties  Unit 3: Force and Motion – changes in position over time, patterns, in motion, magnets in everyday life  Unit 4: Energy – effects of increasing and decreasing amounts of light, heat, and sound energy  Unit 5: Natural Resources – natural vs. man-made, fresh vs. salt water, rocks, conservation  Unit 6: Animals – basic needs, physical characteristics, life cycles  Unit 7: Plants – basic needs, physical characteristics  Unit 8: Environments – interdependence of organisms, factors that affect growth and behavior, food chains.

Homework  Reading – Four nights a week  Math – Three nights a week  Science and Social Studies – as needed

If you have a question, please contact your student’s teacher.