Scaredy Cat, Splat

October 20-October 24
This week we will be reading the book Scaredy-Cat Splat!.  We will read this book as a read aloud in class each day this week.  We will also do different activities in class using this story.  (sequencing, character study, setting study, discussing the plot)  We will have a quiz at the end of the week on questions from the story.  Because this is a read aloud, students will not be able to bring the book home to read.  They will be tested on their listening skills.  Everything on the test will be covered this week during class.

In English, we will write a paragraph for a test grade.  The paragraph will need a topic sentence, 3-4 details, and a conclusion sentence.  Sentences must be written correctly with a beginning capital letter and correct punctuation.  We will follow the writing process of prewriting, writing a rough draft, editing our work and writing a perfect final copy.

Due to the recent weather disaster that has hit our area, the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana is critically low.  River Oaks School will have a food drive this week to help replenish their supplies.  Please send canned goods or nonperishables to class this week.  Please do not send glass or breakable containers.  If everyone can donate 2-3 items, we will greatly help our community!   I will place a box inside our classroom door for any donations.

First Full Week of October

It was great to meet so many grandparents today!  I hope everyone enjoyed their lunch!  I know the kids were all so excited about their book purchases from the book fair!  Thank you SO much for all the donated books!  I can't wait to introduce them to the class.

This week in reading, we will focus on phonics skills and accuracy  (How to read words) strategies.  We will focus on blends (2 or 3 letters that blend sounds together.  You can still hear each sound.  Ex. tr, fl, gr, pl, pr, etc.)  and digraphs (2 or 3 letters that work together to make one sound.  Ex.  ch, th, sh, wh, ph, etc.)  Our test on Friday will be on blends, digraphs and a comprehension story with questions.

The sun will come out, tomorrow!!!  We will go see Annie tomorrow!  Since my own little "orphan" will be in the play, I am really excited about going to see this play.  I know the kids at SYAA have been working SO hard to present a great performance!  The version we will see tomorrow will be an abbreviated version.  To see the entire production (It is the full Broadway version that goes about 2 1/2 hours), you will need to purchase tickets for the weekend shows.  Please remember that since we are going on a field trip, ALL students need to wear their school uniforms tomorrow.  That means school polo, khaki pants, skirts or shorts...  NO BLUE JEANS.

I am looking forward to a great week!  This is the last week of the first quarter.  Reports cards will go home next Wednesday.

Friendship Week

Thank you so much for sending in all the apples!  The applesauce was a huge success!  As an extra bonus, our classroom smelled so good Friday!

This week we will be talking about friendship in my class.  In reading, we will be reading stories about Frog and Toad.  Frog and Toad are best friends who help each other out.  We will have a test on Friday on the story, The Surprise.  Students will bring their reading book home Wednesday and Thursday to practice reading this story.  We will also continue to compare fiction and nonfiction stories.  This week we will compare/contrast the Frog and Toad stories with nonfiction books about frogs and toads.

In English, we will write a paragraph about our best friend.  The paragraphs will be graded as an English test grade.  I will be looking for basic paragraph format:

• Indention
• Complete Sentences
• Topic Sentence
• 3-4 details
• Conclusion Sentences
• Few or no grammar and spelling mistakes (We will edit in class)

In spelling, we will continue to practice the spelling pattern of consonant, long i, consonant, silent e.  We will have a spelling pretest on Thursday.  If the students make a 100% on their pretest, they do not have to take the spelling test on Friday.  They also will not be responsible for spelling homework on Thursday night.

The Rachel's Challenge Assembly is Tuesday, September 30 at 8:30.  This is a wonderful program to teach the children about friendship and creating a bully-free school.  I highly encourage everyone to attend the assembly if you are able to come.

September 22, 2014

We have a busy and exciting week ahead of us!  This week in reading we will read fiction and nonfiction books about Johnny Appleseed and the life cycle of apples.  We will learn how to complete fiction and nonfiction book responses.  Learning how to complete book responses is important because we will soon begin taking notes about the books we are reading.  There will be no reading test this week.  Instead we will have a test on Vocabulary Workshop Unit 2 on Friday.  This will count as a reading test grade.

Our spelling list will consist of 15 words that follow the "long a, consonant, silent e" pattern.  We will also begin having 5 words that will come from the "No Excuses" spelling list.  This is a list of words leveled kindergarten - second grade that children are expected to always be able to spell correctly.  We will begin this list using the kindergarten leveled words as a review.  The words will progressively get harder as the year goes on.  I will include a list of the No Excuses words in our spelling binder.

Our English Chapter 3 test will be on Wednesday.  On Tuesday the students will complete a "Chapter Check-up" in class.  The first page of our test will look VERY similar to the check-up.  Be sure to look over the check-up when you are helping your child study Tuesday night.  I will also include a chapter review for homework Tuesday night to help them prepare for the test.

Thursday, we will taste different kinds of apples.  We will write a descriptive paragraph using our senses to describe how an apple looks, smells, feels and tastes.  We will learn about the parts of a correctly written paragraph:  Topic Sentence, 3 or more details, and a Conclusion Sentence.

On Friday, we will use the extra apples to make applesauce in class.  We will sample homemade applesauce and store bought applesauce.  We will make a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two.

Here are just a few reminders:

• Tuesday - Johnny's Pizza Night - Come eat at Johnny's Pizza on McKeen Place from 5:00-8:00 and be served by River Oaks teachers and staff!  A percentage of the profits made during those hours will go back to our school.  I will be working the 5:00-6:00 shift!  I hope to see everyone there!  You may also call your order in and pick it up to take it home to enjoy!  
• Wednesday - Picture retakes
• Thursday - Send 2 apples to school!
• Friday - Applesauce Day
• Tuesday 9/30 - We will have a Rachel's Challenge Assembly in the morning.  I will send a note about the exact time later this week.  

September 15, 2014

Reading:  This week in reading we will be discussing the difference between fiction and nonfiction.  We will make this chart in our reading notebooks:

Fiction

• Not real
• Story talk
• Read to enjoy
• Read books in order
• Has illustrations
• Has a beginning, middle and end
• Has a problem and solution
• Has characters and a setting

Nonfiction

• Real
• Fact talk
• Read to learn
• Can usually read it in any order
• Has photos, charts and graphs
• Has a Table of Contents and an index
• Uses true information or gives directions on how to do something
• Uses real people and real places

We will learn how to sort books into fiction or nonfiction.  We will also go to the library and learn how to check out fiction and nonfiction books.  Students will be asked to check out one fiction and one nonfiction book from the school library.  Please make sure they return their previously checked out books so they can check out new ones!   (Mrs. Morris' homeroom will go to the library on Tuesday.  Mrs. Funderburg's homeroom will go on Wednesday.)  Our test on Thursday will have both a fiction passage and a nonfiction passage that students will have to read and answer questions.  They will also have to answer multiple choice questions about our fiction/nonfiction chart.   

Henry and Mudge Week!

Reading

This is one of my favorite weeks in reading!!  It is Henry and Mudge week!!  All this week, we will be learning about the author Cynthia Rylant and one of her book characters, Henry, and his goofy dog, Mudge.  We will read books written by Ms. Rylant during Read To Self time.  We will also learn about characters, setting and sequencing the story.  We will complete activities, in class, that will be counted as a reading test grade.  If you have any Henry and Mudge books at home, you may send them to put in your child's reading bag.  The public library has MANY Henry and Mudge books also. (That's where I get the ones we read in class!)  Be sure to ask your child what predicament Mudge found himself in each day!

Spelling
This week in spelling, I will try something new.  I will begin having 3 different spelling lists.  One child may have 12 words, one may have 15 and another may have 20.  Most of the words will be the same on the 3 different lists; some will just have more than others. The grades on the previous week's list will determine which list your child will receive.  Hopefully, this will help all children ease into the transition of second grade spelling.

First Full Week Down!

We had a great first full week in second grade!  The children are getting the hang of switching classes, the rules and procedures.  Next week we dive right into Daily 5.  The five parts of Daily 5 are

• Read to Self - Students will choose a quiet spot in the room to read quietly to themselves.  They will get to read any book of their choice. 
• Work on Writing - Students will sit at their desk and write in their journal about anything they choose.
• Word Work - Students will use centers to practice their phonics skills and spelling words.
• Listen to Reading - Students will listen to a story being read to them by the teacher, a guest, CD's or the computer.  They will then respond to what they heard.
• Buddy Reading - Students will pair up with a partner and quietly read a book together.

Last week we learned how to pick "Good Fit" books in class.  We use the acronym I PICK to help them to remember to choose a book based on Purpose (Why do I want to read it?), Interest (Does it interest me?), Comprehend (Do I understand it?), and Know (Do I know most of the words?).  

We also discussed what Read to Self time will look like.  Students are expected to:

• Get started right away
• Stay in one spot
• Read quietly the entire time
• Work on stamina

We will also begin working on our CAFE' board.  CAFE' is an acronym that stands for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanded Vocabulary.  We will discuss the strategies of Check for Understanding, Tune into Interesting Words, Back Up and Reread this week.  

On Friday, we will have a quiz in which students will need to know the parts to Daily Five, how to pick a "Good Fit" book, the parts to CAFE', and the behaviors for Read to Self.  

English Test

After reviewing the materials on our upcoming English test, I have decided to postpone the chapter test until next Thursday, August 28.  We will still have an English test this Friday though.  The students will have to write 5 complete sentences.  I will grade them on correct capital letters, correct punctuation, complete thought (subject, verb and no missing words), and neatness (neat handwriting and spaces between their words).  The children need to write their own sentences, but you may practice with them at home before Friday.

Notes

I wanted to included a copy of the notes I sent home this week on this blog.  I hope to see everyone at  our Open House Tuesday night, August 26.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

English – We will continue to use Shirley English for our language program.  We will take chapter tests wherever they fall during the week.   It may not necessarily be on a Friday.  The students will always have a chapter review for homework the night before a chapter test.  We will also have mid-chapter tests and journal grades in English.  If you would like to provide extra English practice for your child, have them practice writing sentences that contain at least five words; have them sort words into groups of nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs; or have them write stories at home.

Reading – As explained in the letter sent home last week, we will use a reading program called Daily 5/Café.  We will spend our first weeks working intensely on building our reading and writing stamina and learning the behaviors for Daily 5.  I will also spend time learning about your child’s strengths and greatest needs as a reader in order to best plan for each student’s instruction.

            One thing you will notice is a direct decrease in the number of worksheets your child will bring home.  While worksheets keep students busy, they don’t really result in the high level of learning I want for your child.  Another change that you will see is that we will stop using a weekly story from a reading book.  Instead, your child will be taught to select “Good Fit Books”, or books they can read, understand, and are interested in.  They will be spending most of their time actually reading, which research supports as the number one way to improve reading.  I anticipate the motivation and enjoyment of reading will skyrocket when this gift of choosing their own books is accompanied by extended practice and specific reading instruction for each individual child.  

Spelling – Each week we will learn a different spelling pattern or rule.  We will practice that rule all week using spelling worksheets, centers and computer games.  The students will have nightly spelling homework.  On Monday nights, homework will usually consist of a worksheet to be completed.  This worksheet will help the children to see the pattern or rule we are learning.  On Tuesday night, the children will write sentences using some of their words or put their words in ABC order.  Wednesday and Thursday nights are “Speller’s Choice” nights.  The students may choose an activity from the Speller’s Choice page in their binder. 

Graded Tests – Graded tests will be sent home on either Monday or Tuesday in the “Return to School” section of the binder.  Please look through the tests, sign the conduct sheet and return the papers to school the next day. 

It is helpful if students arrive each morning around 7:45-7:50.  When they come into the classroom, they unpack their book bag, make their lunch choice, go to the restroom, copy the homework assignments, and begin their morning work.  Being on time helps your child feel better prepared for his/her school day.   Please do not send your child to the classroom before 7:30, as there is no teacher on duty until that time.

I use a texting app to send reminders and notes to all parents in my classes.  You do not need to download the app to get my text messages.  To receive the texts I send to the group, please send a text to (786) 329-4784 with the message @509e6d.  I will get a message that tells me you have joined our group!

I hope these notes will be helpful to ease your transition into second grade.  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.  I am looking forward to a great year!

Welcome to Second Grade!

Welcome to second grade!!  I am so excited to have the opportunity to teach your child this year!  Let me take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is Nicole Morris and this is my thirteenth year of teaching.  I have taught PreK through 5th grades in the states of Louisiana, Michigan, and Colorado. My true passion is teaching second grade!

I will teach your child reading, English, and spelling this year.  Mrs. Funderburg will teach math, science and social studies.  The students will change classes every day, so they will see both of us each day.

I hope to see everyone at our Open House on August 26.  If you cannot make it to Open House, please try to send someone in your place.  Second grade is very different than first grade.  I will explain, in detail, what you can expect as a parent of a second grader.  I will also be available to answer any question you might have.