Thank you!

A big thank you to those of you who were able to make it to back to school night last night. It was great to meet you (some of you again!) and I look forward to working with you throughout the year.

Here are the spelling words and skills we will be covering this next week. Although it is only a four-day week I still plan on giving the spelling test on Friday. Have a great three-day weekend!

You can support your child’s literacy skills by reviewing, discussing, and practicing the skills and concepts below:

Big Idea/Big Question (This is the theme of our unit in class.)	Question of the Week (This is the theme/question for this week’s instruction in class.)
Exploration:  What can we learn from exploring new places and things?	What can we discover by exploring nature?
Phonics Skills (These are the letters and sounds we are learning in class.)	Spelling Patterns and associated Words (These patterns connect to our phonics skills we are learning this week.)
Consonant Blends	Consonant Blends ask   brave   breeze   clip   hand   mask   nest   state   stop   strap   stream   twin
High Frequency Words (These reading words should be practiced and memorized.)	Story Words (These reading words are words from this week’s main selection.)
bear   build   couldn’t   father   love   mother   straight	drooled   lanterns   shivered   snuggled
Oral Vocabulary (Try using these words in your conversations at home.)	Handwriting Practice (Students can practice the writing of these letters in manuscript this week.)
detective   fascinating   fledglings   galaxy   secure   slimy   tranquil   wildlife	Ee, Ss

Back To School Night

Just a reminder that Back to School Night is tomorrow (August 29th) at 6:00pm. A note went home about it last week but just in case you missed it, there will be three rotations throughout the classrooms, as well as an information session on the new report cards. Please make every effort to be there. Thank you!

Spelling Tests

Your child took their first spelling test on Friday and you will be getting them back on Monday. We have 12 words every week, as well as 3 sentences which I give orally. These sentences are each worth 5 points and given one point for the following criteria: capital letter, punctuation, spelling, handwriting and spacing. If you have any questions regarding your child's spelling test please let me know. Thank you!

First Week in Second Grade

We had a great first week in second grade! Here are the literacy skills we will be practicing for this coming week. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me.

 You can support your child’s literacy skills by reviewing, discussing, and practicing the skills and concepts below:

Big Idea/Big Question (This is the theme of our unit in class.)	Question of the Week (This is the theme/question for this week’s instruction in class.)
Exploration:  What can we learn from exploring new places and things?	What can we learn by exploring space?
Phonics Skills (These are the letters and sounds we are learning in class.)	Spelling Patterns and associated Words (These patterns connect to our phonics skills we are learning this week.)
Long vowels:  vowel_e   (VCe)	Long vowels:  vowel_e blaze   fine   huge   late   mice   nose   page   race   rice   size   space   vote
High Frequency Words (These reading words should be practiced and memorized.)	Story Words (These reading words are words from this week’s main selection.)
everywhere   live (/liv/)   machines   move   woman   work   world	astronaut   experiment   gravity   shuttle   telescope
Oral Vocabulary (Try using these words in your conversations at home.)	Handwriting Practice (Students can practice the writing of these letters in manuscript this week.)
ascend   descend   enormous   journey   launch   meteorite   orbit   universe	Gg, Cc

Welcome to 2nd Grade!

We had a great first day of school yesterday, I am so excited for this upcoming year! Below you will find what we are working on in language arts this week. Please review this with your child at home, as well as practice spelling words for our spelling test on Friday.

Below are the skills and vocabulary we will be working on for the next 5 days.  (*Please note: our literacy lessons are based on 5-day plans that may or may not align with a M-F schedule. In an effort to teach the entire grade level core, we will send home the “weekly study skills” on the day that we begin a new 5-day instructional sequence.)  You can support your child’s literacy skills by reviewing, discussing, and practicing the skills and concepts below:

Big Idea/Big Question (This is the theme of our unit in class.)	Question of the Week (This is the theme/question for this week’s instruction in class.)
Exploration:  What can we learn from exploring new places and things?	What can we learn by exploring different communities?
Phonics Skills (These are the letters and sounds we are learning in class.)	Spelling Patterns and associated Words (These patterns connect to our phonics skills we are learning this week.)
Short vowels and consonants	Short vowels and consonants: rock   list   desk   job   sad   chop  sack  tag  rib   mess   dust   drum
High Frequency Words (These reading words should be practiced and memorized.)	Story Words (These reading words are words from this week’s main selection.)
beautiful   country   friend   front   someone   somewhere	cousins   meadow   parents   promise
Oral Vocabulary (Try using these words in your conversations at home.)	Handwriting Practice (Students can practice the writing of these letters in manuscript this week.)
downy  founders  investigate  muttered  perch  rural  unanimous  urban	Aa, Dd, Oo,

This Coming Week

Just a reminder that this Thursday is our first grade program at 1:00pm and on Tuesday (5/28) is our field trip to Discovery Gateway Museum. Below you will find our last set of weekly study skills! Please continue to read daily and practice math facts. Have a great week!

First Grade Weekly Study Skills

Unit 5, Week 6, “The Stone Garden”

Below are the skills and vocabulary we will be working on for the next 5 days. You can support your child’s literacy skills by reviewing, discussing, and practicing the skills and concepts below:

Big Idea/Big Question (This is the theme of our unit in class.)	Question of the Week (This is the theme/question for this week’s instruction in class.)
Great Ideas:  What difference can a great idea make?	What can happen when someone has anew idea?
Phonics Skills (These are the letters and sounds we are learning in class.)	Spelling Patterns and associated Words (These patterns connect to our phonics skills we are learning this week.)
Prefixes un-, re- Long o: o; Long i: i	Words with prefixes un-, re- refill, reopen, repay, retell, rewind, undo, undress, unhappy, unkind, untie
High Frequency Words (These reading words should be practiced and memorized.)	Story Words (These reading words are words from this week’s main selection.)
carry, answered, poor, different	buried, bush, curious, miracle, neighbors, woman, young
Oral Vocabulary (Try using these words in your conversations at home.)	Handwriting Practice (Students can practice the writing of these letters in manuscript this week.)
accomplish, doubt, original, (un)manned, glider, soar, exclaim	Word Spacing

Time Flies!

I can't believe how quickly the year is coming to an end. Just a reminder that May 23 is our first grade program at 1:00pm. They have been practicing very hard, you won't want to miss it!

First Grade Weekly Study Skills

Unit 5, Week 5, “Alexander Graham Bell:  A Great Inventor”

Below are the skills and vocabulary we will be working on for the next 5 days. 

You can support your child’s literacy skills by reviewing, discussing, and practicing the skills and concepts below:

Big Idea/Big Question (This is the theme of our unit in class.)	Question of the Week (This is the theme/question for this week’s instruction in class.)
Great Ideas:  What difference can a great idea make?	How can a great idea change the way we live?
Phonics Skills (These are the letters and sounds we are learning in class.)	Spelling Patterns and associated Words (These patterns connect to our phonics skills we are learning this week.)
Vowel Sound in ball:  aw, au Syllable Patterns	Words with aw crawl, draw, hawk, jaw, law, lawn, paw, saw, straw, yawn
High Frequency Words (These reading words should be practiced and memorized.)	Story Words (These reading words are words from this week’s main selection.)
early, learn, science, built, through	Alexander, Canada, dehusker, Graham, heard, piano, telephone, Thomas
Oral Vocabulary (Try using these words in your conversations at home.)	Handwriting Practice (Students can practice the writing of these letters in manuscript this week.)
determined, inventor, technology, stable, stalled, biplane, sketch, speech	Sentences: Word Spacing