October 19, 2012

Students are excited about the upcoming Halloween Party on Wednesday, October 31.  We will be eating breakfast in our costumes and enjoying a game and small craft.  Please be sure that your child has a bag to bring their costume home in so that nothing gets left behind in the classroom.

We started Raz-Kids this week which is an internet based reading program.  Some students used it last year and were familiar with the program.  We used it this week in computer lab so students know how to get on the program.  A note will go home today explaining how you can set up a free account for use at your home.  Title I funds paid for our classroom membership, so please check it out.  This is yet another way students can help to improve the amount of reading they are doing.   The reading progress has been good in this class.  Some students are able to read for longer periods than others.  Beginning on the 23rd, some students will be pulled for additional reading assistance from 9:00-9:40 everyday.  While students are gone, I will be meeting with small groups or individual students to monitor their progress in reading.

We are completing Chapter 2 in our math book; addition with and without regrouping.  I must say, this class is doing really well.  My method is to give students individual or small group assistance when I see they are not quite getting a concept.  This one-on-one time has really helped some students overcome their difficulty.  Once work is completed, I check it right away, make note of the students performance then have them correct minor mistakes, or meet with them to assist with difficulties.  I'm finding that the quick feedback to the student is really helpful.  Students are also getting used to finding their mistakes and correcting them by redoing the problem.  We will have our test on Tuesday, October 23 and I expect great results as we had with the first test.  Chapter 3 will cover subtraction with out borrowing to begin with, then we will move onto borrowing and finally subtracting across zeros.  Please check in with your child on their homework to show your support and give them the encouragement they will need to succeed.  Remember it is better to compliment hard work than to say they are smart.  Students who realize they must work hard to accomplish tasks perform better when tough problems come up.  They don't give up compared to students who are always told they are smart.   There is a difference.

We will also have a short quiz on science, October 29 and social studies October 30.  Students will bring home materials they can review.  

Please remember there is no school for students on October 26.  Enjoy the weekend, the weather is supposed to be quite nice.

October 12, 2012

Well we turned apples to applesauce this morning and are going to enjoy it soon.  Students are in Spanish at the moment and cannot wait to taste their creation.  This morning we began our investigation reporting form using the Scientific Method.  Students had to come up with a hypothesis on how a solid apple turns to liquid applesauce.  We also wrote a procedure.  Students did a great job yesterday working with a partner comparing their two apples.  Students were very engaged and came up with some good attributes.  

Today in math we practiced more addition with regrouping or carrying over to the column right next door.  I'm meeting with each student individually to have them check in with me to be sure they have the concept and so far we are all doing very well.  This week also brought in story problems that need to be read and we are starting to find key words that tell us that we need to add.  Being able to read and figure out what we need to do with the numbers is a very important skill. The words we are learning include: altogether, more, in all, total.  These need to be key words in your child's mind that help them to know they must add.  I think we are doing really well with a concept that has many steps.  

We have started a discussion in Social Studies about life in the past.  To begin the discussion and give the students a visual all the second grade classes watched Little House on the Prairie.  The students really enjoyed the program.  Students were able to see how clothing, homes, towns and transportation were in the past.  We will be doing some written work in class on this topic for this card marking.  In order to give the students a hands-on experience, the second grade teachers are planning a field trip to Cranbrook on November 28.  A note will be coming home next week with the details.  I will be needing chaperones to attend the field trip.  We will eat lunch at Cranbrook and learn about early Michigan Settlers.  

Accelerated Reader has also started.  We have library check out every Tuesday and students have to check out at least one non-fiction book each week.  My requirement is for each student to take and pass one test per week.  The student must score 80% or higher on the computer based test. Please help your child be successful by having them read their library book to you and then you can give them a short quiz on the book.  Students earn points for the quizzes and Ms. Barada in the library will award small prizes for points earned each month.  All students who pass at least two tests per month will be invited to an ice cream party at the end of the year.  In addition, top point earners in each grade level will be invited to a field trip at the end of the year.  If students keep up with the once a week classroom requirement, they should all be able to go to the ice cream party.  Every Wednesday in class I put a list of names on the board as a reminder of who needs a test by Friday.  If students do not take a test one week, I hold them accountable for two tests the next week.  Please contact me if you have any questions regarding Accelerated Reader (AR).


Here is a bit of how our week looked:  Comparing leaves, comparing apples, tasting applesauce and enjoying oranges from the lunch room.

October 5, 2012

We took our first math test and I must say the results were impressive!  The class average was 92%.  The kids are working hard and I do tell them that math takes hard work and concentration.  We started double digit and triple digit addition without regrouping today.  The kids seemed to pick up on it quickly. This chapter will also introduce the concept of story problems.  These are not easy, but I'm confident the students will understand them and be great problem solvers by year end.  Please be encouraging during homework time.  I know as a parent myself that this can be difficult at times.  It is extremely important that your child be the one to read the problem and try it on their own.  When you are asked for help, please start by asking your child what it is that they think they need to do.  Most times when I ask this question they know how to solve it and do have the correct answer, but do not have the confidence to believe they are correct.  The power of our words and the things we say to our children can make or break their confidence.  Here is an example, the day before the test I told the class that I believed that everyone of them could get 100% on the test.  I told them that they have all worked really hard and have completed all the work to prepare themselves.  I think our results help prove that positive words can make a difference.  Tell your child you believe in them and that you know they work hard, your words will go a long way!

We are continuing to practice using our reading strategies in class.  I want to thank all the parents who have been taping up all of our new books.  The students are so excited when I bring out new books.  The National Geographic books are very popular.  I am almost done meeting individually with students to set their reading goal.  I will then match students who have the same goal to meet with in small groups to be sure they are making progress on their goal(s).  This same format will also be happening with writing.  I am also in the process of adding a reading program called Raz-Kids to our classroom reading time and computer lab time.  Students will be able to access this site from home as well for more reading practice in a different format.  Again any books read on this site can also count on the weekly homework.  Please look for this information next week.  

Science has started with practicing process skills using leaves from our playground.  Students are observing attributes (size, shape, color, texture) of their leaves and will compare the similarities and differences as well.  I would like students to bring in an apple next Thursday, October 11 so that we can use our new skills with our apples and then transform the apples into applesauce.