Welcome to Parent Information Night! Thursday, September19 th

1. Welcome to Parent Information Night! Thursday, September19th

2. Agenda • Curriculum Overview • Differentiation and My Philosophy • Homework • Routines and Procedures • Field Trips • Building a Positive Classroom Environment • Star Student • Field Trips • Communication

3. A Little Bit About Me • Undergraduate: Western Michigan University • Major: Elementary Education • Minor: English, Math/Science, Early Childhood • Graduate: Western Michigan University • Literacy Studies • Previous Teaching: • Kalamazoo Public Schools • Western Michigan University

4. A Little Bit About Me

5. Our Daily Schedule Morning Work Morning Meeting Literacy Block Recess 10:15-10:30 Writer’s Workshop Lunch 11:25-12:15 Read Aloud Math Workshop Spanish 1:40-2:00 Recess 2:00-2:15 Science/ Social Studies Dismissal 3:25

6. Our Daily Schedule…Extras Specials on Monday afternoons P.E. (Mr. DeWildt), Art (Mrs. Centa), Music (Mrs. Killian-Boyd) Spanish (T, W,Th, F) 1:40-2:00 Reading Buddies with Mr. Pullen Every other Friday 11:05-11:25 Computer Lab Friday 2:20-3:10 Learning Commons (Library) Tuesday 2:15-2:45

7. My Philosophy I strive to meet the needs of ALL learners!

8. Reader’s Workshop • Combination of whole group, small group, and individual instruction. • Whole Group Instruction • Focus on comprehension, word study, fluency, and vocabulary. • Small Group Instruction • Guided Reading – groups of 3-6 students reading, discussing, and responding to texts at their instructional levels • Independent Practice • Independent Reading • Partner Reading • Responding to Reading • Word Work • Listen to Reading • Personal Inquiry

9. Reader’s Workshop Continued • Fountas and Pinnell Literacy Continuum • Thinking About Text • Thinking Within Text • Thinking Beyond Text • Use Assessment to Drive Instruction • My goal is to give students tools and strategies they might use to help them understand and comprehend the text. • Choice = Motivation • Build on student strengths • Reading is about making meaning!

10. Reader’s Workshop Continued • Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Buddy Reading, Independent Reading, and Read Aloud • Genres – poetry, fantasy, legends, drama, how-to texts, nonfiction including kids’ magazines • Reading “Just Right Books” • http://home.comcast.net/%7Engiansante/ • Book Wizard on www.scholastic.com

11. Writer’s Workshop • Lucy Calkin’s Unit’s of Study • Structure • Mini Lesson • Independent Writing (conferring), • Share Writing • Genres • Narrative- “Lessons from the Masters” • Informational- “Lab Reports and Science Books” • Opinion- “Writing About Reading” • Poetry- “Big Thoughts in Small Packages” • “Tiny Topic Notebooks” • Keep an eye open for writing celebrations!

12. Word Study • Students held accountable for K-2 High Frequency Words within daily writing • Weekly practice with word principles, word wall, making words • Differentiated practice to extend learning

13. Math • Numbers to 1,000 • Graphing • Geometry • Fractions • Time • Money • Measurement • Adding and Subtracting with regrouping • Multiplication

14. Math • Differentiating in Math: • pre-test to assess students’ needs and provide appropriate material for varied abilities • post tests at the end of each unit • games sent home cover skills within that unit in a fun, engaging way. These are for you to keep at home and do not need to be sent back. • Math centers in leveled math groups!

15. Math-Digging Deeper • The Standards for Mathematical Practice • Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. • Reason abstractly and quantitatively. • Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. • Model with mathematics. • Use appropriate tools strategically. • Attend to precision.  • Look for and make use of structure. • Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. 

16. Science • Plants • Life cycle • Characteristics • Plants’ needs to grow and reproduce • Measurement • Classifying objects according to characteristics • Metric measurement of length, distance, volume and mass • Single substances vs. mixtures • Earth’s Land and Water • Surface features of the land • Water cycle • Sources and uses of water

17. Social Studies • Communities • Mapping • Rules and Laws • Economics • Grand Rapids History

18. Technology • PowerPoint • Microsoft Word • Keyboarding Practice • Web Research • Learning Games • Lap top carts • Classroom Webpage • http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/ASeverns • Chrome Carts ~ Thank you PTO! 

19. Differentiation • Recognition of and commitment to plan for student differences • Provides different avenues to acquire content, to process, and to develop products • Maximizes student growth • Promotes individual student success

20. Homework It is the goal of the second grade team to provide meaningful, engaging, learning opportunities for all students. Reading Log- 20-25 minutes of reading a night Reading incentive-building a reader’s toolbox. Long term homework assignments- Monthly or weekly. Homework will always come home on Monday and a due date will be indicated. Study guides for tests

21. Routines in Room 7 Homework Folders- come home each night and need to be returned each morning to school. On Fridays they will include their work from that week, special notes and reminders, etc. Birthday Celebrations- Welcome to bring in enough treats for our class only (23). Will celebrate at the end of the day. If your child has a summer birthday, consider celebrating on their “Star Student week, or their half birthday. Please email me to set up a day that will work best in both of our schedules.

22. Building a Positive Classroom Climate • My philosophy on education is that if children are explicitly taught what is expected of them, they will make the right choices. • Because of this, I spend a great deal of time modeling and explaining my expectations for students • I use positive reinforcement in my classroom and rely on practiced routines to ensure correct behavior. • Individual Verbal Praise ~ I always strive to communicate to students all the good choices I see them making and kindness they show towards one another. I try my best to notice and name good choices 

23. Building a Positive Classroom Climate • Class meetings ~ problem solve concerns as a class, “compliments, celebrations, apologies,” • Bug and a Wish • Class Expectations ~ SOAR • Safe • Organized • Attentive • Respectful • Marble Jar Celebrations ~ whole group praise ~ when the marble jar is full we have a “celebration of learning” – ex: extra recess, treat, game, etc.

24. “All About Me” Week Letter sent home with a poster to be filled out and hung on the bulletin board Students bring in one to three special items Favorite book to share with the class 5-10 Pictures to hang on the bulletin board

25. Tentative Field Trips Art Prize ~ Friday, September 20th 8:30-11:25 Calvin College Plants Tour ~ Thursday, October 10th ~ 8:45-10:50 AM EGR public safety tour / Meet with the Mayor Play ~ to be determined Farmer’s Market – (economics) – May VanAndel Museum (GR History) – May End of Year Celebration- Manhattan Park Individual student magazines will be included in field trip fee (Scholastic News, Time for Kids, National Geo)

26. Parent – Teacher Communication • General Class or Child Concerns or questions • Email is often the best way to reach me. I will do everything in my power to return communication within 24 hours. • Weekly Newsletter • Check out our website (or your child’s blue folder on Friday) to see the current edition of our classroom newsletter. This will be updated weekly. • Daily Changes • Please contact the office. (snack or lunch drop off, end of day pick-up changes, or any detail that needs immediate attention) Please avoid any changes at the end of the when possible Thank you!

27. From all of us at Second Grade  Mrs. Michelle Day Mrs. Andrea Severns Miss. Whitney Mudge Feel free to stick around if you have personal questions