 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  Common Core Standards for all units of study  Useful website links to support your child’s learning

Important Reminders Remember you MUST fill out the emergency forms online. Please go to the computer lab this evening to complete the forms if you have not already done so. Click on the eForms tab on the left hand side of the Solon Schools home page.

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. 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 BIRTHDAY TREATS – Your child may bring a treat to share with the class on his or her birthday, or the next school day if the birthday falls on a weekend or break. We have 19 students at this time. NO DRINKS please - just a small, easy to share snack. Please send napkins!

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. To meet the reading goal, students should read an average of 20 minutes per night. Parents should complete the Weekly Reading Log and sign it. Please return the reading log each Monday. Math homework is sent home every day except when we introduce a topic or have a test. 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 website and the purple take home folder for extra assignments.

Behavior Expectations Schoolwide 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 Rocket Rewards: Students may also earn Rocket Rewards from any adult in the school for various positive acts. The reward slips are put into a drawing each Friday and prizes are awarded by the school office.

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 8:10 – 9:00 Special Area Classes *Schedule is posted on class website under files 9:00 – 10:00 Reader’s Workshop *Please send a small, healthy snack for your child daily 10:00 – 11:00Writer’s Workshop

Daily Schedule 11:00 – 11:55 Recess/Lunch 12:00 – 1:00Math 1:00 – 1:50Science/Soc Studies 1:50 – 2:20No New Instruction *Students work on independent activities and work with the teacher as needed to firm up concepts

Reader’s Workshop UNIT 1: Second-Grade 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. UNIT 2: Becoming Experts: 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. So this unit will put us on the cutting edge of primary language arts instruction.

Reader’s Workshop UNIT 3: Bigger Books Mean Amping Up Reading Power Second grade is a time for readers to experience an enormous growth spurt. Now is the time to help students soar to new heights with their reading. UNIT 4: Series Book Clubs Our second graders have now blossomed into almost-third-graders, and will be tackling chapter books in this last unit. This unit provides many opportunities to engage children in looking at the text carefully, thinking about what the text is saying and about how the writer is saying it. © 2015 by Lucy Calkins. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

Writer’s Workshop Unit 1: Lessons from Masters - 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. Unit 2: Writing About Reading - Opinion/Argument Writing In this unit, students write letters and essays about their opinions about characters, scenes, or whole books using examples from the texts.

Writer’s Workshop Unit 3: Lab Reports and Science Books - Informational Writing In this unit students write procedural texts, descriptions and analyses about experiments, then use that to write science-based information books. Unit 4: Poetry - Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages Children write collections of poems in this unit, 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.

Math EnVision Math *Program is aligned to National Content Standards which are divided into 16 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

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-$6 to join. Class with highest enrollment wins a prize! Please send in the $3 party fee for this year’s parties or give it to our Room Coordinator tonight.

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!