Mrs. Ortiz's Sensational Second Graders

Monday, January 11, 2016

2016!

Wow! What a great start to 2016! We had such a productive week.

Here are some highlights from our week.

I can tell time to the nearest quarter hour.

I can count money using coins.

I can collect data.

I can sort and organize numerical data into categories.

I can show my data by using a bar graph.

I am fluent with plus 10 facts.

I can write complete sentences using proper spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

I can model the writing process with guidance.

I can write a fiction story using a beginning, middle, and end.

I can write with dialogue.

I can write with paragraphs with guidance.

I can read multi syllabic words.

I can identify a verb.

I can use adjectives properly.

I can spell my words their way words correctly.

I can identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story.

I can identify the main idea of a story with guidance.

I can respond to the 5 W's comprehension questions after hearing/reading a text or passage.

We even began a new science unit getting deeper into insects and ecosystems. We began with collecting background knowledge, establishing our scientist's notebooks, and sketching information we think we know that could teach others.

We took another "gallery walk" to collect new information and generated "I wonder" statements from that.

We partner read to learn new scientific principles and vocabulary.

Stay tuned to see our "KLEWS" chart.

What a fantastic week!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

See you in 2016!

It was great to see your children's faces as I told them during our morning meeting that it would be next year when we had our next morning meeting. They couldn't believe it! Like a whole year will pass in this next week and a half! It was great and developed into a wonderful lesson.

We've spent the last couple of weeks working on a special creative writing piece for you all. I hope that you enjoy your child's creativity, penmanship, organization, and in many, exploration with paragraphs, quotation marks, and great voice. The growth we have made in our writing is astounding in such a short time. Enjoy!

In math we've begun collecting and organizing data. We are playing, "what's my rule" in order to think about common attributes as well as differences to help us eliminate possible rule choices.

If instances provide themselves over this next week, please try to provide your child with opportunities to tell time, count money, and solve random addition and subtraction facts. They love to make a game of this one like a relay or being timed!

We're also digging deep into text features to assist us with becoming part of the story as we read. We are practicing to stop and reflect on what we've read every few pages asking questions like, "Do I know where the setting is?" "Who is the main character?" "What do I like most about said character?" "Is there a problem?" "Are the characters working on a solution?" "Can I retell the beginning, middle, and end?"

I will miss all of your sweet children this next week but hope that you all have time to enjoy one another and get some good laughs in on maybe at least one "lazy" day as my girls and I like to call it.

Happy Holidays! I can't tell you enough how honored I am to be working with you and your child. I am truly blessed!

Some critical thinking and team work before we indulged in afternoon gingerbread cookie creativity.