Welcome Parents! MJS Second Grade Back to School Night

Welcome to Second Grade!  We will give you an overview of the Second Grade curriculum, our expectations and goals.

All About Us  Greetings from the Second Grade team! Mrs. Kathy Fiorentino, Mrs. Marlene Havrda, and Mrs. Elizabeth Hill.  We meet at least once a week, as a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to plan, evaluate and assess student work.  We consistently work to structure the curriculum to meet students’ individual needs.  Beyond our grade level, we collaborate with our building specialists, such as Mrs. Cebula, Miss. Morico, Miss. Burke, Mrs. McCarthy, Mr. Tims, Miss Fiorentino (literacy coach), and Mrs. Charles.

Our Goals  To give students the academic and social skills needed to succeed in second grade.  To provide a supportive, safe and fun classroom environment.  To help students make new friends and discover new interests.  To engage students everyday in rigorous lessons and experiences designed to meet their individual needs.

Class Subjects  The subjects we cover during second grade are:  Reading  Word Study/Vocabulary  Writing  Math  Science  Social Studies

Reading  The focus for reading in second grade is to increase fluency and comprehension.  Students will be exposed to a variety of genres.  Students make the transition from“ learning to read to reading to learn”.  Independent reading sustained for 20 to 30 minutes with grade level texts.

Reading  Grade level expectations for entering 2 nd grade achieving a DRA level 18, and exiting 2 nd grade on a DRA level 28.  Just Right Books, are available to each student. If you need a supply for home please let your teacher know.  Lessons are delivered through whole group, small group and one on one instruction.  At home reading and listening is imperative to your child’s reading success.

Read as Much Non-fiction as Fiction Students must... o Read more non-fiction (biographies, informational texts, essays, articles) o Know the text features used in non-fiction o Enjoy and discuss the details of non-fiction Parents can...  Supply more non-fiction text  Read non-fiction texts aloud or with their child

Discuss Reading Using Evidence Students must... o Find evidence to support their thinking o Form opinions about their reading o Discuss the author’s message. Parents can... o Talk about text o Ask for evidence to support their thinking. “How do you know?” “Show me an example from the text.”

Writing  Guilford Schools are using Lucy Caulkins and Guilford created units of study.  The program focuses on expanding students thoughts and adding detail.  Students use mentor texts to learn different writing techniques.

Writing From Sources Students must... o Form opinions in writing using evidence o Compare multiple texts in writing o Write to explain, using details Parents can... o Encourage writing at home (notebook or journal) o Write “books” together and use evidence/details

Genres Covered in Writing  Small Moments  Narratives  Opinion  Non-fiction  Book Reviews  Lab Reports  Poetry

Word Study  This year, all Guilford Elementary Schools will be using the Sitton Word Study program to support the language arts curriculum.  A few examples of what we will be focusing on:  word patterns  vowel skills  irregular spellings  homophones  Contractions  Compound Words  Work pages will be sent home regularly for homework.

Math  Guilford Public Elementary Schools use Bridges in Mathematics to support the math curriculum.  Math homework will be sent home a few times a week.

Topics Covered in Math  Number Sense/Operations  Addition and Subtraction facts FLUENTLY 0 to 20  Using math strategies to add and subtract two and three digit numbers successfully  Solving word problems  Measurement and Geometry  Algebraic Patterns and Functions  Data

Science  Science is studied throughout the year and is supported by Foss Science kits, conducting experiments and creating predictions  Topics covered in Second Grade Science:  Properties of Solids, Liquids and Gases  Life Cycle of Plants  Properties of Soil  Nutrition

Social Studies  Social Studies is integrated throughout the year. Each class uses Scholastic News, National Geographic magazines and books to support our curriculum.  Topics covered in Second Grade Social Studies curriculum:  Communities  Traditions  Geography

Specials Each class has specials 5 days a week. Students receive:  Physical Education~ 2x for 30 minutes. (Sneakers required)  Music~ 30 minutes.  Library~ 30 minutes.  Art~ 40 minutes.  Spanish~3x for 30 minutes.

Classroom Community  At MJS we use the Responsive Classroom model which focuses on,  Morning Meeting  Rule creation with logical consequences  Modeling  Positive teaching language  Guided discovery  Academic choice  Classroom organization  Collaborative problem solving skills  Our school is a Bucket Filling school which focuses on caring and respect for others.

Homework  What to expect….  Math Homework, several days a week  Word Study/Spelling, weekly  Reading/Listening daily for 20 minutes  Reading Logs  MUST be completed and turned in EVERY Friday  Counts for a homework grade.

Other Info  School starts at 9:00 A.M.  After 9:00, students are tardy and MUST check-in, at the office  Recess is at 10:55 and lunch is 11:15  Snack AM and PM.  School ends at 3:25!  If your child is going home a different way than normal, they MUST have a note indicating they are:  a pick up, and by whom  going to Suncatchers  taking a different bus  Or getting off at a different bus stop

Let’s Have a Great Year!