Soaring Into 2nd Grade - Pine-Richland School District



We have a “Sports” theme this year. We will learn how to work with one another, as well as work independently. We will learn to be kind, caring, responsible, and respectful.

A Typical Daily Schedule in Our Classroom

Morning

Arrival - check in, turn in homework, morning work

Pledge of Allegiance/School pledge & Morning Meeting

Calendar

Math

Language Arts- Guided Reading, reading, grammar, handwriting, spelling

12:00 – 1:00p.m. Lunch/Recess

Afternoon

1:15-1:55 – Specials: Phys. Ed, Music, Library, Art

Read Aloud/ DEAR time

Language Arts – Guided Reading, reading, grammar, handwriting, spelling

Science/Social Studies

3:35 p.m. Pack up

3:45 Dismissal

Reading

• McGraw-Hill Wonders materials: provide phonics practice, vocabulary, reading skills and strategies, high frequency words, and grammar lessons.

• Students will participate in guided reading groups 2 – 3 times per week.

• A reading comprehension/vocabulary test is given 4-5 times each grading period.

• Every six weeks, students will have a scored cumulative unit assessment.

• Reading comprehension checks are given periodically in Guided Reading groups.

• Fountas & Pinnell oral reading and comprehension assessments are given to determine your child’s independent and instructional reading levels in September, January, and May.

Fluency

Our goal is for students to read fluently and to love reading!

• The AIMS WEB assessment will be given three times during second grade in order to monitor fluency.

• Reading aloud is crucial to building fluency rates. Homework will include having your child read aloud to you each week for a total of 75 minutes. Read-aloud books at your child’s own independent reading level will be chosen from the classroom library. Your child may also utilize the RAZKids website on their reading log. Use the weekly reading log to record the number of minutes read each week. This is due every Friday.

Spelling

• Fundations

• The spelling list contains 15 pattern words and 5 bonus words.

• Spelling practice will be completed in class through a variety of learning activities.

• Spelling homework is to practice spelling words at home and to complete weekly practice packet due each Thursday.

• The spelling test is on Thursday (unless otherwise noted).

Writing

• McGraw-Hill Wonders

• The focus will be on personal narratives, informational writing, friendly letters, persuasive writing, and poetry.

• Finished work will be compiled in a student writing folder that will be sent home at the end of the school year.

• Second grade writing goals are: to write a paragraph with a topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences, and a closing sentence; and to self-edit for specific grammar/language objectives.

• Cursive will be taught in the second half of the school year.

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Science & Social Studies

• Science materials consist of hands-on ASSET kits (Allegheny Schools Science Education and Technology) –Balance & Motion; Change; Earth’s Changes.

• Other science and social studies topics will be embedded into the Language Arts Curriculum including Earth Day, plants, fossils, habitats, and landforms.

• Social Studies materials are from Houghton Mifflin and include studies of communities, cultures and traditions, goods and services/economics, America’s past, citizenship, Pittsburgh Then and Now, and Everyday Heroes.

Math

❖ Our enVision Math materials from Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley will give students opportunities to explore math concepts through the use of math manipulatives, as well as through paper and pencil assignments. These lessons are aligned with PA Common Core Standards.

❖ Students will work in both large and small groups.

❖ Practice pages will be sent home on an as needed basis for homework.

❖ Each topic has a quiz and test.

❖ Chapter topics:

*Understanding Addition & Subtraction

*Addition & Subtraction Strategies

*Place Value: Numbers to 1,000 * Measurement and Data

*Counting Money *Multiplication Concepts

*Graphs & Probability *Time

*Geometry *Fractions

*Adding and Subtracting Two- & Three- Digit Numbers *Numbers & Patterns to 1,000

*Operations and Algebraic Thinking

❖ Differentiation will be provided in the classroom throughout the school year based upon your child’s needs.

❖ Our 2nd grade “Math Rockets” program is designed and implemented differently than 1st grade. We place great importance on the memorization of addition and subtraction facts to 18. At the start of the program, students are assessed to determine their individual mastery of facts and their individual writing speed. Those scores are used to determine the child’s starting point and goal.

❖ Math Rockets includes addition, subtraction, mixed addition and subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Birthdays

• We love birthdays! The second grade teachers request that children select a book to donate to their classroom. On your child’s special day, he or she may read all or a portion of the book (10 minute time limit) before placing it in our classroom’s special Birthday Book basket. The book may be wrapped in birthday paper to add to the day’s festivity. I will place a special bookplate in front of that book acknowledging your child’s gift. If you have a small picture of your child, please send it in with the book to be included with the bookplate.

• Summer birthdays will be celebrated near the end of the school year.

• Birthday favors (such as erasers, bookmarks, and especially pencils) may be distributed to students in the classroom if you wish.

• *Birthday party invitations and thank you cards should NOT be sent to school for distribution. Please mail all invitations and thank you cards. The Wexford Student Directory should be available in late September or early October.

Book Clubs

Several book club flyers will be sent home throughout the year. If you are interested in purchasing any books, there are two ways to order books.  You may order directly online and pay with your credit card.  Each order placed online earns our class a free book for our classroom library. Or you may fill out the paper order form and send to me with one check (no cash, please) made payable to “Scholastic Book Clubs.” Please send your order form and payment in to school in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and “Book Club Order” written on the front. Either way, the books will be mailed to me and I will distribute orders to the students. 

Second Grade Behavior Plan

Second graders will be expected to be respectful, kind, responsible, and the very best they can be! To encourage best behavior, there will be a positive reward plan consisting of:

✓ Incentive stickers for incentive charts for desired behavior (neat work, being kind, being responsible, homework turned in on time, neat desks, etc.)

✓ Opportunities to choose a reward when a filled sticker chart is redeemed.

All second grade teachers will use the following behavior plan:

✓ First occurrence of misbehavior: child receives a verbal reminder.

✓ Second occurrence: child receives second verbal reminder and loses a sticker from incentive chart and changes his/her card to yellow.

✓ Third occurrence: child changes card to red, loses recess, and completes a self-reflection form that will come home to be signed by you and returned to school. The teacher may contact you.

✓ Fourth occurrence: child loses recess and completes a self-reflection form. You will be contacted to set up a parent/student/teacher conference.

✓ Fifth occurrence: child loses recess and is referred to the office for disciplinary action.

Star Student

When your child is Star Student:

❖ Monday – send in your child’s photo page with pictures and captions, the “Player of the Week” page, and place 4-5 items that your child would like to show the class in the Star Student bag. The items must fit into the bag.

❖ A reminder the “Player of the Week” page, the Star Student bag, and a page for your child’s photos with page protector will be sent home the Wednesday before it is your child’s turn.

A Few Housekeeping Items

Bus Procedure:

If your child is going home in a different way than he or she usually does, a note must be sent to me. If a child is coming home with your child, again a note must be sent. Otherwise, the children will not be permitted to vary from the normal routine. You may call the office if you forget to send the note. Please notify the office if there is a change in plan after 8:15 a.m. and they will let me know!

Labeling:

Please label your child’s backpack, jackets, mittens, hats, etc.

Toys:

Per the Wexford Elementary handbook, please do NOT send toys or locker decorations to school. They are often broken or lost, which usually results in disappointment and tears.

Lunch Money:

Make checks payable to Pine-Richland School District. Put your child’s name and pin number on the check. You may also pay online – see the district website.

Absence from School:

• When your child returns to school, you must send a note stating the reason for the absence within 3 days of the absence.

• For special travel absence, a “Request for Special Absence” form (downloadable from the district’s website) must be completed 1 week prior to the absence. Some work will need to be done while your child is absent.

Make-Up Work

Make-up work will be made available on the second consecutive day of your child’s absence unless you request it earlier. Please notify your child’s teacher via e-mail or by calling the school office by 10:00 a.m. if you would like to have your child’s work. It can be sent home with another student or you will be able to pick it up at the school office after 3:45 p.m. The school office is open until 4:15 p.m.

Communication

Please allow 24 hours for a response from your child’s teacher. The exceptions to this would be Fridays (please give your child’s teacher until Monday to reply) and holidays. Thank you!

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Regular Homework Schedule

Math: 1 page/night, each night, after Math Rockets starts; occasional math sheet as needed

Reading: read aloud for a total of 75 minutes each week beginning mid-September – reading log due every Friday

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