The Week of September 25th

NEWS

In reading have been exploring comprehension strategies. Specifically understanding that the purpose of reading is to gain understanding, whether of a topic of a story, and that just saying the words without understanding the context is of little value in our lives as readers. We added a few word solving strategies to our repertoire and practiced apply more than one strategy at a time in our reading.

In writing, through mentor texts, students learned to add more craft to their writing emulating

"master" authors such as Mo Willems. Specifically, adding details in our writing through dialog, action, and setting. We also revised how to hook our readers with bold beginnings and making sure we wrap up our stories with strong endings. All the pieces to writing powerful personal narratives are now there and we just need more time to practice independently.

In math we have been applying our understanding of numbers in base ten to solve challenging word problems and riddles. We have also been identifying patterns in skip counting mentally and in writing, as well as extending our understanding of how numbers are composed through number bond modeling which is another way of decomposing numbers.

In social studies we focused on responsibilities of individuals in their social group and what it means to be good citizens in our community. Namely what jobs or roles do people have in their community and what happens when one chooses not to contribute in a way that is expected.

Important Dates

IMPORTANT

By popular demand, I have been instructed by 2AL students to send out the link for the KidPresident video that we watched in class this week ... here it is below. 2AL students love him and the videos he puts out are always great for conversations around citizenship particular and "being awesome" in general.

UPCOMING

Our first mini-academies will be held on Tuesday, 26 September from 1:30 p.m. in the grade 2 common area. There is still time and space to sign-up for mini-academies. Please click here to access the Google doc (you must be signed in with your ISKL email). It is still not too late to sign up! Alternatively, please let our room parent know the activity that you want to lead and we’ll be happy to add your name to the list.

Free dress day is on Friday, 29 September .

DINNER QUESTIONS

* If you are skip counting by 100 from 105, will 300 be in your count?

* Why is it important to be good responsible citizens?
* What are some strategies that have helped you read a tricky word?
* What can you do to make your writing more interesting?

The Week of September 18th

NEWS:

In reading our focus this week was "word attack" strategies. Basically this entails first cross-checking ourselves to see whether what we are reading makes sense and if it doesn't then using strategies to solve words successfully by looking at the beginning, middle, and ending of words. We are also continuing to jot down notes on our reading about things we find interesting, puzzling, or want to explore further as a means to aid our comprehension.

In writing our focus this week remained on developing our small moment personal narratives and extending them further by elaborating on details using the senses to make our writing more interesting, adding dialog, and action to our stories. Some of us have published stories on SeeSaw and our hope is that as we keep publishing other stories you will see the evolution of our writing in action as we learn to apply what we learn more independently.

In math our focus remains on work with base ten relationships and modelling. This week we played games and solved riddles around the value of digits in each place, representing numbers in various forms (expanded, standard base ten). We are also working on skip counting, especially what happens when you go over certain milestone numbers (for example from 90 to 100 when skip counting by 10s). This work will continue for another week or so before we transition to time.

In social studies we started building our own ideal communities, discussing what needs we have and what we would like in our community. During the next week we will be discussing rules, laws, and leadership and will be putting our community together in a BookCreator book that we will share with you.

Home learning has started. Here is the menu of options. This page can also be accessed through the "Class Documents" page of our class blog.

IMPORTANT

Book Universe is an an app that was introduced last week. In your child's home learning journal you will find a username/password to login from home. This app is for reading books online and there is an app that you can download as well as logging in through a desktop/laptop. Click here to go to the website.

RazKids is another app that we have started using this week.  Your chid should have in their take-home baggie a username/password combination.  Click here to see the web based site.  You can also get an app to use on tablets.  The purpose behind this app is to have a selection of "just right" books that the kids can choose from virtually at home that is fun and engaging.  Please let me know if you have any difficulties logging in.  

We have updated pictures! Click here or navigate to the "Photos" tab at the top of this page.

Please subscribe to this blog via email to receive notifications of blog posts. New posts for the upcoming week will go out every Sunday around 4pm.

UPCOMING

ES Parent Teacher conferences will be held on Monday,  October 9th and Tuesday, October 10th. We will send more information regarding specific dates and times for appointments soon.

Subscribe to the ISKL ES Google Calendar and also our Grade 2 rotation calendar to stay up to date with any last minute changes (on the right hand side of your screen).

DINNER QUESTIONS
*What was your favorite Hari Raya station?
*What strategies have you learned to solve tricky words?
*What kind of laws will you have in your community?

The Week of September 4

NEWS:

In reading our focus this week was on comprehension strategies for "holding on" (ie. remembering) what is going on in the stories we are reading, building stamina as readers, and jotting our thinking on post-its. As a side note, one of your child's SeeSaw posts this week had them reading aloud a portion of a "just right" book along with their reading level. This reading level is determined through a standardized formalized assessment system used by many schools world-wide, the details of which are tedious and boring to share with you. This level reflects a reader's ability to not only read fluently but also converse intelligently about the text and vocabulary. What this means in practice is that your child's reading level (A, H, G, what have you) is meant as a guide to inform you of your child's current instructional reading level - it should not be "limiting" or a "race" to reach the next letter in the alphabet. If your child is happy to be reading a certain book, (or is able to read it without feeling frustrated) and can explain what is happening in the story by all means let them go ahead. We want to foster a love of reading while building our reading muscles, not squashing the love of it for the sake of a letter. For more strategies on choosing "just right" books with your child click here.

In writing our focus this week remained on developing our small moment personal narratives and extending them further by elaborating on details using the senses to make our writing more interesting, adding dialog, and action to our stories. We also targeted making bold beginnings and strong endings to our narratives. Our next steps will be to revise, edit, and then to finally publish!

In math our focus remains on understanding how the base ten system works and composing and decomposing numbers into the tens. We will continue this, practicing more, and extending our understanding with numbers into the hundreds. We especially talked about the role of "0" as a place holder indicating no value but very important when talking about numbers.

In social studies we explored the chaos of being stranded on a tropical island and realized that we needed food, water, clothes, shelter, and a system for communicating and staying at peace without using up all our resources. In the coming week we will see how our community develops ... stay tuned.

Home learning will start in September. Here is the menu of options. In the future this page can also be accessed through the "Class Documents" page of our class blog.

IMPORTANT

Book Universe is an an app that we have introduced the kids to this week. In their home journal you will find a username/password to login from home. This app is for reading books online and there is an app that you can download as well as logging in through a desktop/laptop. Click here to go to the website.

PE days are in full swing. We appreciate the students coming out in their PE kit on these days (even days) but would like your help in making sure they have their ISKL uniform ready to change into at the end of PE. Some students take their school bags to PE on those days (if they are small bags) others have smaller bags in their backpacks with their PE kit. Either way works so long as students are able to carry their kit to PE and then change into their ISKL uniform at the end of PE. Thanks for your help with this.

SeeSaw posts will become more frequent as the year progresses. A big thank you to all the parents who are engaging and interacting with their child's learning. The artifacts your child posts on SeeSaw reflect their current level of learning and understanding. The purpose behind a digital portfolio is to document growth over time and not to "showcase" only the best work. You will see mistakes. You will see work that will have you wondering - what is this? Learning is a process. We reflect, we learn, we do better. Converse with your child about what they post. Compliment them for their growth mindset and thank you for joining us on your child's learning journey.

Open House was a big success. It was nice to see so many of you in our room. Here is a link to the presentation for those that are interested in looking at it again.

After-School-Activities start this coming week.  Please log in to your PowerSchool account to view details relating to your particular child.

Want to see some pictures? Click here or navigate to the "Photos" tab at the top of this page.

Please subscribe to this blog via email to receive notifications of blog posts. New posts for the upcoming week will go out every Sunday around 4pm.

UPCOMING

Swimming will start on Wednesday September 6th Day 2 and will then take place every Day 2.

Students will need to bring:

• Swimsuit

• Towel
• Long hair to be tied back

Goggles and swim caps are optional. There is no "ISKL school swimsuit". Appropriate swim attire (one piece swim suit or swim bottoms and rash shirt).  

If students forget their swim gear, they can borrow a swimsuit if available or they can use their PE uniform. If students cannot swim for any reason, a detailed email or note must explain why.

Please see the Swim Schedule or ES Physical Education Website for more detailed information.

Subscribe to the ISKL ES Google Calendar and also our Grade 2 rotation calendar to stay up to date with any last minute changes (on the right hand side of your screen).

DINNER QUESTIONS
*How can you add details to stories?
*What strategies can I use to help me remember what I read?
*What is the responsibility of leaders in our community?

The Week of August 28

NEWS:

In reading our focus this week was on growing stronger as readers. Making good book choices, reading for longer, and exploring how to check out books using the library catalog system. In the coming week we will be working on some word solving strategies as well as comprehension strategies for "holding on" (ie. remembering) what is going on in the stories we are reading.

In writing our focus this week was on developing a small moment personal narrative (a story about us) and elaborating on details using the senses to make our writing more interesting. We will keep this focus into the next week as well as including how to craft bold beginning and strong endings.

In math our focus was on understanding how the base ten system works and composing and decomposing numbers into the tens. We will continue this, practicing more, and extending our understanding with numbers into the hundreds.

In social studies we explored the chaos of being stranded on a tropical island and realized that we needed food, water, clothes, shelter, and a system for communicating and staying at peace without using up all our resources. In the coming week we will see how our community develops ... stay tuned.

IMPORTANT

There was an incident of inappropriate words being spoken this week. The word was F***. The comment was not directed at any individual but was more young curious minds on the playground repeating inappropriate words they have heard in the past and sharing with friends. We had a class meeting and discussed our expectations. The essence of the conversation revolved around inappropriate words not adding any meaning to our conversations and making us look foolish - and it not being language that we use at ISKL.

Home reading is very important. This week in library we started exploring how to check out books at our "just right" levels. This work will continue this week and once the students have all the tools and skills in place I will also send out a link so you can also help your children make appropriate choices from the ISKL library catalog from home. The expectation by mid-September is that 2 out of the 4 library books are at your child's "just right" level. When your child finishes a library book they are strongly encouraged to bring them back to school where they can return/check-out other books during morning and lunch recess in addition to their usual library times.

Want to see some pictures? Click here or navigate to the "Photos" tab at the top of this page.

Please subscribe to this blog via email to receive notifications of blog posts. New posts for the upcoming week will go out every Sunday around 4pm.

UPCOMING

Swimming will start on Wednesday September 6th Day 2 and will then take place every Day 2.

Students will need to bring:

• Swimsuit

• Towel
• Long hair to be tied back

Goggles and swim caps are optional. There is no "ISKL school swimsuit". Appropriate swim attire (one piece swim suit or swim bottoms and rash shirt).  

If students forget their swim gear, they can borrow a swimsuit if available or they can use their PE uniform. If students cannot swim for any reason, a detailed email or note must explain why.

Please see the Swim Schedule or ES Physical Education Website for more detailed information.

Subscribe to the ISKL ES Google Calendar and also our Grade 2 rotation calendar to stay up to date with any last minute changes (on the right hand side of your screen).

DINNER QUESTIONS
*Tell me about yourself as a reader?
*Show me what it means to make a number in Base Ten?
*What story are you working on now?

The Week of August 21

NEWS:

In reading we will be launching Reader’s workshop and getting students working with fluency, stamina and comprehension. Lessons are focused on getting students to think about which strategies they will use as they read, how much they will read and self-monitoring their reading.

In writing the unit focuses on students seeing the experiences in their lives worthy of writing about.
 Students will learn to craft stories from their lives using detail in a step by step order and from studying mentor texts extensively. The writing process is highlighted as students learn how to cycle through collecting, choosing a seed idea, nurturing the idea, drafting, revising, editing, publishing, celebrating. Over the course of the next couple of weeks the students will stretch out and magnify their small moments, writing these with great attention to detail and craft powerful beginnings and endings.  

In math we will be focusing on the number system in base ten. Understanding how to represent a hundred as a group of tens, representing three digit numbers based on the properties of the digits in the ones, tens, and hundreds place, and understanding the concept of "0" as a place holder of no intrinsic value.

In social studies we will begin with a review of the concept of family and explore the question, "Why do families live in communities?" Students will then investigate common characteristics of a community including location, physical characteristics, history, government, people, and businesses.

IMPORTANT

Here is a great link to the Parent Learning Connection page where there are some resources for how you can support your child's learning at home.

Thank you to all of those who have already signed up to your child's SeeSaw account. If you haven't already please click here to do so. We will use the SeeSaw platform to document our learning throughout the year. Please feel free to comment on your child's account, they love it!

Home reading is very important. In grade 2 the expectation is that students ready a minimum of 20 minutes daily of a "just right" book - meaning at their current reading level. Your child should know what this looks like in a book and how to choose appropriately. The expectation is that 2 out of the 4 library books are at your child's "just right" level. When your child finishes a library book they are strongly encouraged to bring them back to school so they can return them and check out different ones so they can grow their reading muscles.

If you are interested in being a room parent please contact our Grade Level Coordinator Ms. Angela Taylor.

Want to see some pictures? Click here or navigate to the "Photos" tab at the top of this page.

Please subscribe to this blog via email to receive notifications of blog posts. New posts for the upcoming week will go out every Sunday around 4pm.

UPCOMING
Grade 2 Open House will be on August 21st from 6:30pm-8:30pm.

Class Pictures on August 22nd.

Subscribe to the ISKL ES Google Calendar and also our Grade 2 rotation calendar to stay up to date with any last minute changes.

DINNER QUESTIONS
These questions are meant to stimulate conversation so that you avoid scenarios like the cartoon below.

*Who do you think will be a good friend for you this year and why?
*What is the proudest moment you had in your class?
*Tell me about a book you read?
*What story are you working on now?