Upcoming Happenings in Room 210

Hello again! I apologize for the lapse in postings - hopefully all of the following information will help get everyone back up to speed. Please also check out our updated wish list tab above, as there are several things that we need for the classroom. Thanks in advance! Here is an overview of the exciting things to come in second grade... Reading - We are coming to the conclusion of our study of fables and folktales. The children have learned so much and are working on demonstrating that knowledge through a final book report on a chosen fable or folktale. They can't wait for you to see their beautiful finished work! (Common Core RL.2.2 Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.)  Next month we will switch our focus to non-fiction texts. The children will learn about the organization and special features that help readers gain the most information out of a text. (Common Core RI.2.5 Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.) Math - We have just begun our unit on metric measurement and continue building our knowledge of basic math facts. Before the February break, they will take the Math in Focus Mid-Year Exam which covers all concepts they have learned since September. This is a lengthy exam that will be broken up over three days.  Writing - Our creative writing stories almost finished! Next we will be moving on to researching and writing our polar animal reports. Stay tuned for more details! (Common Core W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations.)) Science - After learning about the Arctic and the Antarctic, we will soon move on to learning about penguins, along with other polar animals. 'The Penguin Lady' is scheduled to visit us on February 10th! 

A visit from an author!

Today we were fortunate enough to meet a published author! Matt Tavares, author of Zachary's Ball, spoke to us about how he comes up with ideas, the writing process, and ultimately publishing a book. He gave us lots of helpful and useful tips to become better writers and illustrators. It was exciting to hear that Matt begins writing much like we do in our classroom! He often takes real experiences from his life (personal narratives) and adds in details from his imagination to make an interesting story. He also mentioned using illustrations to tell a lot of the story. Afterwards, the children couldn't wait to come back to the room and write/draw some ideas. We have a great group of authors in our class!

Click here to learn more about this great author!

Our friend Hailey posing for an illustration!

(Common Core Standard W.2.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagines experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structure event sequences. )