Read Aloud

There are many ways to enjoy a book. One of our class’s favorite ways to enjoy a book is through a whole class read aloud. This is a teacher selected book that is read aloud chapter-by-chapter to the whole group. Read alouds give students an opportunity to practice making text-to-self connections and predictions about what will happen in the story. This also helps students inhance their listening skills. Students look forward to listening to these carefully choosen stories after lunch time. Right now, students are currently enjoying When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica S. Perl.

Writing

As we near the end of this writing unit, students are preparing to publish one of their personal narrative stories to another class. The final part of this process is to revise and edit their work. Once students have chosen the story they want to publish, they begin by revising, adding on and looking at word choice. Students enjoyed searching for their use of “said” and changing it to a more specific alternative. The next step is to edit their work. Second Graders focus on the use of capital and lowercase letters, end of sentence punctuation, and spelling. Using an editing checklist, students must edit their own work. Then they edit with the help of their writing partner.

Handwriting

We use the Handwriting Without Tears program at The Cooper School. Research supports the active teaching of handwriting, and this program does it in a fun and interactive way. In Second Grade, we are developing our printing skills, especially as they relate to words, sentences, and paragraph writing. Students enjoy the hands on practice. By the end of the year, students will move fluidly into learning cursive.

Important Dates:

Friday, October 7^th                                                   2^nd Grade Publishing Party

Monday, October 10^th                                              Fall Break – No School

Tuesday, October 11^th                                            Fall Break – No School

Monday, October 17^th                                              Parent Lunch – 11:00-11:30

Wednesday, October 26^th                                      Parent Morning Meeting

                                                                                    8:00-8:20

Thursday, October 27^th                                           Parent Forum 5:45 p.m.

Monday, October 31^st                                              Halloween Carnival – ½ Day