Blog & Newsletters

Readers Workshop This week readers not only looked for literary language in their books but we also looked into strategies to keep track of longer books! Now that a majority of 2nd graders are reading chapter books, kids need some strategies to keep track of these longer storylines. When they finish a chapter, they need to determine what’s most important. Second graders have a very difficult time determining importance! When they finish a chapter, it’s important for them to jot down on a sticky note the most important event!

Readers Workshop Our entire unit focuses on 2nd graders amping up their reading by reading longer and harder books! We have been learning how to become more fluent readers but have now transitioned into thinking about the comprehension piece of reading harder books. Readers learned that when they read something difficult they need to: notice, reread, remember and then think! These are really important tips for readers to remember when their books become more challenging!

Readers Workshop We had a wonderful time kicking off our next unit of study in Reader’s Workshop: Bigger Books Means Amping Up Reading Power. Readers will learn more about becoming fluent readers and reading like they speak. We practiced scooping words in longer phrases and paying close attention to punctuation. Often, 2nd grade readers take a pause at the end of a line instead of continuing on to the next line.

Nonfiction Readers & Writers This week we wrapped up our nonfiction units in reading and writing. In reading, students collaborated in a group to pick a topic to research and become an expert on! The worked hard to read across different books and synthesize the information. Then groups planned and created a poster to teach others everything they had learned. Today they presented their poster and answered questions by their peers.

Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop This week we looked closer at reading keywords in our text and making meaning of unknown words. Second grade readers are often quick to read words but have a difficult time understanding their meaning. Nonfiction readers find keywords and work to know what those words mean. They can use text features (ex. bold print, labels, glossaries, text boxes. etc.) to help learn more about those keywords.

Nonfiction Readers AND writers loved immersing themselves in the world of nonfiction this week! We looked closer at nonfiction and realized that when we read nonfiction, it is to learn more information. The comprehension piece is so important for 2nd grade readers to grasp. Often times, we find that 2nd graders are so excited that they can finally read harder and longer books that they forget to comprehend the text.

Phonics Readers worked hard this week to tackle multisyllabic words! They learned some great strategies for tackling long and tricky words. When tackling a word part by part it is helpful to look for digraphs and keep them together, break up a word between two consonants in the middle, and when you see a double consonant break it up! These are wonderful tips and tricks to help support your reader with at home!

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.

Readers Workshop We had a wonderful week in Readers Workshop finishing our unit where we focused on growing our reading skills as 2nd graders. We had a full day of celebrating on Thursday! Since we have been “growing like beanstalks,” we wrote on beanstalk leaves about our favorite reading strategies and what we do when we come to a tricky word. Then we continued our celebration by creating bookmarks with our favorite reading strategies that we want to remember to “bring” to the next unit with us!

Writer’s Workshop This week we began a mini unit on realistic fiction. We have really enjoyed learning about the craft of writing in this genre. We studied a few series that we have read this year and then started to dive into writing our own realistic fiction books. Our first step is to think of a pretend character, setting and a problem. The trickiest part has been to stretch out our stories across 5 pages.