 Welcome to Second Grade Curriculum Night

Family Information System Directory Amy Clark On my classroom website, you will find:  Calendar–upcoming activities, holidays, field trips  Class News and Photos  Useful website links to support your child’s learning

Planned absence forms must be filled out for any absence more than 2 days. The forms are on the Solon Schools website and need to be turned in and approved before the absence. We have a School Security Officer – Melanie Green. When visiting the school, you must enter through the front doors and sign in. Important Reminders

ALWAYS send a note or when there is ANY change to your child’s usual dismissal routine. If you are picking up your child after school, please list CAR RIDER or WALKER. If your child would like to buy the school lunch, you need to set up an account through EZPAy (link is on the Solon Schools website under the parents tab) OR send cash only to school in an envelope marked with your child’s name and labeled Lunch Money.

Important Reminders BIRTHDAYS We have a no food policy in place, but you may choose to send in a book donation for the class. We will put a nameplate in the book to commemorate your child’s special day.

Growth Mindset Roxbury is a Growth Mindset school. “When students and educators have a growth mindset, they understand that intelligence can be developed. Students focus on improvement instead of worrying about how smart they are. They work hard to learn more and get smarter.” ~

Homework Weekly Reading Log and Math Homework The weekly reading log is sent home every Monday. Please help your child complete the Weekly Reading Log and sign it. Please return the reading log each Monday. Math homework is sent home almost every day. Students should return math homework the next school day.

Homework Other Homework Students will also have assignments to complete at various times as we work through our units of study. Please check the purple take home folder for extra assignments.

Behavior Expectations Roxbury School Rules: 1. I choose to do my best. 2. I choose to follow directions. 3. I choose to use kind words, kind hands, and kind feet.

Behavior Expectations Classroom Rewards: Students start each day with a magnet on “Ready to Learn.” Throughout the day, each student’s magnet will move up or down according to behavior and effort. Students earn the number of points at the level they end on for the day. Points can be turned in for prizes which include bookmarks, iPad time, stuffed animal at the child’s table for a day, and lunch with the teacher.

Behavior Expectations Star Students: Every month, several students from each class will be chosen as Star Students. These are students who set a good example academically and socially. Star Students will have their names called during morning announcements and will get to eat lunch with the principal.

Behavior Expectations Consequences: If a child moves his or her magnet to “parent contact” at any time throughout the day, an will be sent home.

Daily Schedule 7:45 – 8:00Calendar and Prepare for the Day 8:00 – 9:10 Reader’s Workshop *Please send one or more healthy snacks daily 9:10 – 10:10 Writer’s Workshop 10:10 – 11:00Special Area Classes

Daily Schedule 11:00 – 11:55 Science/Soc Studies 12:00 – 1:00Lunch/Recess 1:00 – 2:00 Math 2:00 – 2:20No New Instruction *Students work on independent activities and work with the teacher as needed to firm up concepts

Reader’s Workshop Reading Growth Spurt Second grade is a year in which children grow by leaps and bounds, not just on the playground, but also in the classroom, as readers. They now have all the skills and strategies in place to propel themselves into the world of reading. Reading Nonfiction Research suggests that first-graders read nonfiction for only 3.6 minutes a day. Chances are good that most second-graders don’t get much more access to nonfiction than that. This unit will make sure that students have plenty of non- fiction texts to read on a daily basis.

Reader’s Workshop Amping Up Reading Power Mid-year in second grade is a time for readers to experience an enormous growth spurt. Students will soar to new heights with their reading, exploring different genres and having meaningful discussions about the books they are reading. Reading Book Clubs As the school year comes to an end, second graders have blossomed into almost- third-graders. Students will be reading series chapter books, looking at the text carefully, thinking about what the text is saying and how the writer is saying it.

Writer’s Workshop Narrative Writing Building on the skills and understanding from the previous years, our narrative writing units will engage students in writing about real and imagined experiences and events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Nonfiction Writing Students can take anything they know a lot about—soccer, an ice cream shop, ladybugs—and write in ways that teach their readers about the topic. This unit helps second graders feel the pride of being an expert and taps into their eagerness to show and tell by channeling them to write with details and craft.

Opinion Writing Second graders have strong opinions about almost everything. They will learn to write letters and essays stating their opinions about characters and story lines in books they have read using examples from the texts. They will also write persuasively about different products, such as toys or games. Poetry Children will write collections of poems, learning to go beyond the rhyming ditties that come to mind first to find precise images that represent big ideas. © 2015 by Lucy Calkins. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH. Writer’s Workshop

Math EnVision Math *Program is aligned to National Content Standards which are divided into 15 topics throughout the year *Students will become proficient problem solvers, use math flexibly, know when and how to apply math in different situations, and see connections between what they learn in math class and the math they use in everyday life *Homework will be assigned most nights– please check the purple take home folder. Return homework the next school day. *Assessments are given regularly to monitor student progress; Benchmark assessments are given 4 times a year

Math Procedural Understanding Conceptual Understanding Application across settings Rigor Increased Rigor and the Common Core *Rigor refers to deep, authentic command of mathematical concepts, not making math harder or introducing topics at earlier grades. *Students will develop procedural and conceptual understandings and apply these across settings.

Math In order to apply procedural and conceptual understanding across settings, mathematicians should develop these behaviors… 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Math Math Fluency Expectations for Grade 2: Students will structure to 20. Structuring numbers refers to the ability a student has to combine and partition numbers without counting. When we ask a child to list a way to make 17, we want them to be able to instantly say, "6 and 11” or “15 and 2” or “14 and 3” or “7 and 10". If they need to think about it or count, they aren't "facile" with their structuring and this foundation needs to be strengthened.

Social Studies Social Studies Units of Study: Government Economics Geography History Assessments are given at the end of each unit except for Government, which is addressed in our learning and social behaviors section on the report card. Student work from the unit and the test date will be sent home in advance.

Science Science Units of Study: Earth Science - Atmosphere Physical Science - Changes in Motion Biology - Animal Interactions Assessments are given at the end of each unit. Student work from the unit and the test date will be sent home in advance.

Assessments Ongoing, common grade level assessments in Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies Math, Science, and Social Studies assessments will be sent home to be reviewed and signed Report Cards sent home each quarter for parents to track progress in all areas Parent Conferences are held in November Sign up sheet is on the blue table

Volunteer Opportunities All sign-up sheets are on the blue horseshoe shaped table for class parties, field trips, etc… Please consider becoming involved with PTA-$8 to join.

My Contact Information You can contact me at any time with questions or concerns address: Voic number: ext Solon Schools website: Click on Staff Directory, then Amy Clark

Thank You Thank you for attending. I am looking forward to working with you to help your child succeed this year!