Mrs. Bice's Second Grade

Kicking Off Quarter 3

We had a great start to 2021 in welcoming back 4 new classmates into our cozy community in room 248. Our class is complete now with 22 eager to learn 2nd graders! It’s hard to believe we are now halfway through 2nd grade. Today your child will bring home their 2nd quarter report card home. Please feel free to reach out to me with any concerns.

NWEA MAP Testing

We will be taking the winter MAP reading test next Wednesday and the math test on Wednesday, January January 20. In the fall we took the screener test which consisted of 20ish problems. During the winter and spring testing cycles we will be taking the full test which will be double the amount of questions. Once I have the results I will be sure to share them with you. As always, this is one piece to your child’s academics and there are so many other ways we gage the standards.

Reader’s Workshop

This week we began exploring the world of nonfiction. We began the week comparing fiction and nonfiction books. We looked closely at both text types to see what makes each of them unique. As you read with your child, be sure to identify whether the book is fiction or nonfiction and how they know.

Then we looked closer at non fiction to identify text features. Students loved going on a hunt in their books to find all the text features. We found maps, headings, titles, photographs, captions, labels, table of contacts and so much more! Next week we will start to work on the comprehension piece of reading nonfiction texts.

Writer’s Workshop

We had so much fun launching our unit on non fiction writing. We began by thinking of topics we know a lot about. The second graders loved sharing with their peers all the things they feel they are experts on! The topics ranged from soccer, rollerblading, drawing butterflies, Minecraft and even being a big sister. We looked at some published nonfiction books to study the author’s craft to learn from the experts. Our reading and writing will tie in nicely with each other as we study different mentor texts in reading we can use those new skills in writing!

Phonics

We also began a new unit in phonics titled Big Words Take Big Resolve. This unit is coming at a perfect time for the readers. We learn many different strategies for reading bigger and longer words. These skills will be really helpful as the students learn how to navigate bigger words in their non fiction books. We practiced solving words methodically by breaking it up into familiar parts. The students LOVED being a able to read bigger words and felt so much confidence once they broke it up into parts. (example: fan-tas-tic)

Math Workshop

We continued to move through Chapter 4 and started the year learning how to measure to the nearest inch and centimeter. The students loved measuring anything and everything within the classroom. Need a fun indoor activity this winter? Gibe your child a ruler and let them measure anything they want! They would love it! Next week we will review some of the concepts we learned in December and take our unit test!

Snow Gear

The kids have done a wonderful job being responsible with their snow gear and getting it on quickly! On Fridays I will remind the class to bring all their gear home so it can get washed!

Snacks

We are looking for some families to donate and help replenish the extra snack drawer in the class. Some students don’t always have the means to bring in a snack each day and my supply has diminished. If you are able to send in a a few extra snack, I would greatly appreciate it!