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Hello Falgarwood Families:
Hard to believe but we are at the start of yet another month! According to the groundhog it is going to be an early spring, and it seems that most of the students were happy with that forecast. Next week we will be shifting our math focus to Addition and Subraction of two digit numbers and we continue our science focus on Liquids and Solids. Here is an overview of the things we will be studying over the next little while:
Mathematics: Numeracy Language: Procedural Writing/Discussing how to give better written answers using a fomat called A.P.E.+. More information will be coming home about this organizer. Science: Liquids and Solids Social Science: Current Events
I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms. Lively to our classroom. She is a student teacher who will be with us a couple days a week starting now until May. As always if you have any questions please let me know.
Be happy,
R. D'Alesio
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With all the different items coming home I know it can sometimes be confusing. Here is a reminder of what needs to come back to school each day:
Monday: Agenda, Spelling Book/Duo tang, Library Book
Tuesday: Agenda
Wednesday: Agenda
Thursday: Agenda
Friday: Agenda, Black Book Bags
** Other items: Sharing Projects on assigned Days, Green Reading Bingo Duotangs, Newspaper clipping of current events are always welcome for class discussion.
Students accumulate points for being responsible for their belongings and coming to school prepared.
A few parents have approached me asking how they can further assist their child at home. I would say that the greatest area of need has to do with writing and basic numeracy skills. Here are some ideas for your consideration:
In grade 2 the big writing focus has to do with generating ideas about a topic, for example considering questions such as the five W's (who, what, when, where, why) and using other primary and secondary sources to sort ideas to prepare for writing. This year the students will write a variety of text forms such as friendly letters, scientific reports, procedural writing, and story writing. The students will be encouraged to use checklists to edit their work in terms of spelling, and basic punctuation and to reflect on their strengths and next steps as they go along. If you would like to give you child extra practice at home perhaps they could start a journal to write about things they are doing. For example, if you go out for dinner they could write about the experience including as many details as possible
(who was there, what was the name of the restaurant, what did they eat, what did they like best about the experiece etc.) The goal is to move away from just 'listing' what they did to giving rich details that paint a picture in the readers mind. In math we will move through a variety of topics but numeracy is a thread that runs throughout the whole year. Any practice your child can do on counting to 200 in a variety of ways (1's, 2's, 5's, 10's, 25's) both forward and backward and from different starting points (count by 5's starting at 45 and ending at 135) will help with their fluency in math. I hope these few suggestions are helpful, feel free to contact me if you require further clarification.
Have a great day,
Take care,
R. D'Alesio
"If you want to keep children's feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders"
Unknown
"Organization is not an option, it is a fundamental survival skill and distinct competitive advantage."
P. Woods.
"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With [self-regulation] each step you take, you grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful."
Mark Victor Hansen
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