Open House July 2015

Agenda A day in the life of your second grader Morning routines Literacy block (Daily 5) Specials Literacy Block contd. Lunch Math Recess Snack/ Writing Science / Social Studies Dismissal

“I’m a Big Kid Now!” We will expect your student to:  Have good work habits  Take responsibility for his/her own learning  Focus without distractions  Ask for help when needed  Complete quality work in a timely matter

The Second Grade Team There are 6 second grade classes here at Heritage. We all work together through grade level meetings and the Professional Learning Community to plan lessons, units, and assessments for all subject areas. “First Grade, Second Grade, What’s the Difference?” Reading expectations change Curriculum is less focused on learning to read and more on reading to learn Students will be expected to use specific information from the text to answer questions. Math expectations rise Basic math concepts become more complex in preparation for third grade Written explanations are expected to show math thinking

Specials Our specials are PE, art, music, media, technology, math/science and guidance. On PE days, please send your child dressed appropriately for active play. We have open circulation every Monday when your child will check out books using their AR levels.

Literacy Block Focus lessons ( 3 mini lessons after 20 minutes each and wrap up) Strategy Groups- based on assessment data Guided reading and Daily 5  Read to self  Read to others  Word work  Writing Spelling tests will be administered every Friday.

Daily Five Rotation.. What does it Look like? StudentsTeacher *Work quietly *work on stamina *get started right away *get materials quickly *stay in one spot *work the whole time *Protect our time and our friends time *Work with students *Performing assessments *Guided reading *Strategy groups

AR (Accelerated Reader) The Accelerated Reader (AR) program, is an enrichment program sponsored by the PTA. It is offered to all students in 2nd - 5th grade and is designed to encourage reading and increase comprehension skills. AR is an optional enrichment program, but all students are encouraged to participate in order to build reading and comprehension skills. Weekly classroom awards and Quarterly AR rewards are given to students to meet their AR goals.

In Letterland this year we will move children away from using the Picture cards and just seeing the letters on their own. It is a research-based program that provides children with a systematic and motivating framework for learning all 44 sounds and their spellings and for developing full literacy. Please note that we will be following the pacing guide recommended by the county where children will learn a base pattern and then be asked to apply it in a multi- syllable word.

Math The Math Curriculum is grouped into the following categories: Operations & Algebraic Thinking, Number & Operations in Base Ten,Measurement & Data Geometry This lessons focuses on using Math talk, Student leaders, and Building a Community. Students will learn to explain their reasoning and problem solving by using proof drawing. Help your child practice math addition and subtraction facts at home to develop fluency. One minute assessments will be conducted every week starting second quarter to monitor fluency in math facts. Students will monitor their own growth over time by using graphs and charting their scores.

Home Work Daily HW  Reading  Math  spelling Enrichment HW opportunities  HOTS ( starts 1 st quarter)  Math Stars (starts 2 nd quarter)

Writing We learn to create plans using thinking maps, edit, revise (independently and with a writing buddy) and final draft We follow the Writers Workshop model  Personal narratives  Imaginary narratives  Non fiction writing  Research reports Every child is met with for writing conferences before starting the final draft

Social Studies Curriculum Topics that we cover are:  Geography & Environmental Literacy  Economics & Financial Literacy  Civics & Governance  History  Culture

Science Curriculum Topics that we cover are: Weather Sound Solids & Liquids Animal Life Cycles

Thinking Maps used through out all content areas Circle Map Bubble Map Tree Map Free Map (For writing) –Flow and Tree Double Bubble Map Cause and Effect Map Brace Map Bridge Map

Why Assess? All assessments are aligned with the Common Core Standards for second grade. We assess to find out which curriculum goals the students have mastered and which ones they need work on.

Formal Assessments Formal Assessments Common assessments Running Records/Dibels Case 21

Informal Assessments Informal Assessments Work Samples Classroom Observations Student Conferences

Volunteering Starts in October- For literacy and Math Mystery Readers – Every Friday Room Moms Conferences End of first quarter End of third quarter

Thank You For Coming! I look forward to a great year working with you