Happy Holidays from Second Grade!

December 15 - 19

This will be the last week of instruction prior to winter break.  Classes will resume on January 5th.  We hope that everyone has a safe and peaceful holiday vacation. Here is what we will be working on in English this week:

• Finishing up our snowman stories: the blue class needs to finish writing the final copy and then illustrate, the red class is working on illustrating
• writing a Santa tale given a prompt
• phonics: letters a, b, f, d, and g
• phonics: common word list #1 - the, of, and, a, to, in, is, you, that, it
• phonics: building consonant-vowel-consonant words
• phonics: nonsense consonant-vowel-consonant words
• comprehension strategy: ask someone to define the word
• comprehension strategy: cause and effect
• comprehension strategy: compare and contrast
• math: begin working on the standard algorithm (see below) for two-digit addition with regrouping
• on Friday we will have holiday rotations to learn about different holiday customs around the world

November 9 - 12

I am so sorry that I didn't get the blog post up for this past week.  Things have been a bit crazy!  Hopefully they will calm down, and we can get back to life as normal.
Last year, the entire faculty sat down and determined what was essential for students to know at each grade level in math and language arts in order for them to be able to progress to the next level.  We know that there are many things that students need to know, but we came up with one per quarter that we were going to track.  We call these our "Big Rocks" because they are goals that absolutely have to be met.  Big Rock #1 for math in second grade is that 100% of students will demonstrate fluency with numbers through ten.  One of the ways we have been working on this is with ten bonds: 0+10. 1+9. 2+8, 3+7, 4+6, 5+5. 6+4. 7+3, 8+2, 9+1, and 10+0.  While we have not reached the 100% mark yet, I am happy to report that 89% of second graders know the ten bonds without having to use their fingers.  I sent flash cards home with the six DLI students that are still working on them, and I would appreciate it if you could work with them at home until they have mastered these facts.  We are now working towards Big Rock #2: 100% of students will be able to represent number to 1,000 in standard form, written form, pictorial form, and expanded form.  I will let you know our progress.
Here is what we will be working on this week in English:

• Holiday music assembly: Wednesday @ 1:00
• creative writing narrative: What does your snowman do at night?  Circle map, flow map with transition words and details, opening (who, what, and when) and closing (who, what, and how) sentences
• math: horizontal two-digit addition using expanded form (no regrouping yet) - see below
• math: vertical two-digit addition using expanded form (no regrouping yet) - see below
• power hour: continuing to work on becoming fluent readers who can effectively comprehend what they read
• fluency strategy: using punctuation to enhance phrasing/prosody
• comprehension strategy: main idea and supporting details

Here is what we will be working on in Spanish class:

• science: the phases of the moon (full - luna llena, half - cuarto menguante, new - luna nueve, quarter - cuarto creciente)
• science - color and brightness of stars, constellations (video)
• social studies - ponsettias (flor de la nochebuena)
• math: two-digit addition vertical expanded form (with and without regrouping)
• math: place value quiz (see big rock #2 above)
• words with z,c, or s that make an /s/ sound: salida, paso, sopita, hizo, dice, cereal, cima, taza, zorro, lazos, cien, solo
• high frequency words: escuchar, encima, tirar, fuerza, igual, facil, malo

We will teach the children three different algorithms for completing multi-digit addition problems.  Last week they learned how to use the expanded form algorithm (some people call it the partial-sums algorithm).  We have only worked with numbers that do not require regrouping so far.  It looks like this:

We have also been working on the expanded form algorithm in a vertical format.  It looks like this:

November 17 - 21

Here is what we will be working on in English class this week:

• math: greater than, less than
• math: hundreds place value quiz
• math: using place value to add/subtract tens and hundreds
• content: the importance of balance in a diet
• comprehension strategy: using pictures, illustrations, and diagrams
• comprehension strategy: using text features
• comprehension strategy: author's purpose (PIE - persuade, inform, educate)
• narrative writing about the best day you ever had - circle map, flow map, adding transition words and details
• Daily 5: continuing to work on becoming fluent readers who can effectively comprehend fiction and non-fiction text (ie: read grade-level text with purpose and understanding)
• word work: distinguish long and short vowels in regularly spelled one-syllable words

Here is what we will be working on in Spanish class this week:

• sight words: algo, caer, fuego, manera, nido, nubes
• discussing the characteristics of fiction versus non-fiction
• spelling words: gota, llego, apaga, ganso, persigue, regalo, guiso, gato, gol, alguna, guinda, fuego
• content: food words (vegetables, fruit, dessert, beverage) 
• content - making good food choices to maintain a balanced diet
• math: review skip-counting, place value (centenas, decenas, and unidades), number words (0-1,000)
• math: different ways to write numbers (standard form, word form, expanded form, and picture form)
• math: greater than and less than 

November 10 - 14

Here is what we will be working on in English this week:

• narrative writing - with details and transition words
• writing from a flow map
• writing a topic sentence
• writing a concluding sentence
• comprehension strategy: using pictures, illustrations, and diagrams
• fluency strategy: adjust rate
• comprehension strategy: using text features
• Daily 5: continuing to work on becoming fluent readers that comprehend text
• math: place value - multiple tens (ie: 14 tens = 140)
• math: using place value to add/subtract - subtracting hundreds and tens
• math: skip-counting by tens and hundreds when the beginning number is not a ten or hundred (ie: 237, 337, 437, etc)
• Tuesday: Veteran's Day assembly @ 1:00

November 3 - 7

Wow, October flew by!  Welcome to November. Here is what we will be working on in English class this week:

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• final assessment for writing a letter (ie: can they do it without my help)
• math test on Tuesday: chapter 1 - place value, odds and evens, skip-counting by fives and tens
• continued narrative writing practice
• reading comprehension strategy: summarize
• expanding vocabulary strategy: tune in to interesting words
• math: adding two digit numbers (no regrouping yet)
• sight words: many, these, time, no/know
• how to use a dictionary
• Daily 5: we've shuffled a few kids this week that met goals, or who needed different instruction - so, if your child says they have a new teacher for reading, you know why.  There will be big changes to Daily 5 for the red class next week.

October 27 - 31

We have a busy week ahead!  There will be picture retakes on Wednesday for anyone who was absent last time, or for anyone who was not happy with their last picture.  We will be going to the Ellen Eccles Theater on Thursday to see a production of Beauty and the Beast.  The buses will be loading at 12:00, and we will be returning at 2:30.  We have permission slips for everyone in the DLI program.  On Friday, we will have our annual Halloween parade through the school.  It will begin at 8:20.  Parents are invited to attend (there will be seating in the gym).  Please remember, students cannot wear masks during the parade.  We also do not allow weapons of any sort, or costumes with too much gore.  We want to make sure that the parade is fun for everyone!  Students will be required to remove their costumes after the parade, so please ensure they have appropriate clothing on underneath.
Red Ribbon Week schedule: Monday - wear pajamas, Tuesday - crazy hair day, Wednesday - sports day, Thursday - wear red, and Friday - costume day!
Here is what we will be working on in English class this week:

• writing a narrative paragraph using the entire narrative writing process (circle map, tree map, adding details, writing, editing, and illustrating)
• learning how to edit your own writing
• assessment of number bonds/facts to 10 (ALL students should be proficient in this by now)
• place value through hundreds
• expanded form
• assessment of basic place value (tens and ones) and expanded form (tens and ones)
• igneous and sedimentary rocks
• reading comprehension strategy: retell
• reading comprehension strategy: summarize
• expanding vocabulary strategy: tune in to interesting words

Here is what we will be working on in Spanish class:

• science: rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic)
• math: place value (tens-decenas and ones-unidades)
• math: number words (ones, 0-cero to 9-nueve and tens, 10-diez to 90-noventa)
• math: skip-counting by tens (diez, veinte, treinta, cuarenta, cincuenta, sesenta, setenta, ochenta, noventa
• math: skip-counting by fives (cinco, diez, quince, veinte, etc.)
• reading: Trees Everywhere - 1) identify important ideas and facts, 2) identify the main idea, 3) determine word meaning, 4) discuss ideas related to the literature
• high-frequency words: abeja, animales, dulce, hojas, naranja, pajaro, rama, sombra
• spelling words (words with j, g, and x): jabon, rojo, gente, jugada, gemelo, frijol, junto, jugo, Texas, jinete, jamas gesto

October 20 -24

Thank you for your attendance at conferences!  We almost had 100% attendance.  Here is what we will be working on in English class this week:

• writing a letter - greeting, body, and closing
• reading accuracy strategy: skip the word
• reading accuracy strategy: trade a word
• expanding vocabulary strategy: voracious reading
• expanding vocabulary strategy: tune in to interesting words
• reading accuracy strategy: flip the sound
• place value - tens and ones
• place value - expanded form, standard form, word form
• science: rocks
• Power Hour/Daily 5: working on becoming better readers and spellers
• the fire trailer from the Logan City Fire Department will be at Bridger on Thursday and Friday (don't know when our turn will be yet)

Conferences

All the conferences have been scheduled.  If you need to see the time you are scheduled, click here.  On Monday (all day) and Tuesday from 8-12:00, we will be holding the conferences in the blue computer lab (come in the front doors to the school, turn right at the library, and it is the first door on the left).  After noon on Tuesday, we will be in Mrs. Wright's room.  If you cannot make your scheduled time, please call the office (755-2345) as soon as possible.  We look forward to meeting with you!

We have a full day of school on Monday and a half-day on Tuesday.   Due to conferences we will have substitutes in our rooms from noon to 2:30 on Monday, and from 8-12 on Tuesday.  Please remind your child that is important to be respectful to the substitute, and that we expect them to follow the same rules they follow every day.

Reflex Math

We use a program at school called Reflex Math.  It is a fun online resource to help children learn math facts.  Your child can access it and play it at home, as well as at school.  The address is reflexmath.com.

Click on 'Launch' in the upper right-hand corner.  

The username for both the red and blue class is 'DLI'.  

You will get two options at this point: red class or blue class.  Select red or blue, and this will bring up a list of names.  

Select your child's name.  

Their password is their lunch number.
Have fun!

October 6 - 10

Here is what we will be working on in English class this week:

• writing several compound sentences on the same topic
• writing a letter
• Daily 5 - guided reading and spelling
• math: array - repeated addition
• math: counting up
• math: bar models
• math: bubble test practice
• reading strategy: flip the sounds
• reading strategy: ask questions
• Monday - last day of Good Touch/Bad Touch (had a mix-up and missed one day last week)

Here is what we will be working on in Spanish class this week:

• review of gravity
• rocks: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, and weathering
• math: subtracting using a number line
• math: vocabulary that indicates when to add or when to subtract
• reading: camping vocabulary for Henry and Mudge - acampar (camping), tirito (tremble), babeo (drool), faroles (lantern)
• sight words: ayer (yesterday), casi (almost), llegar (to arrive), siempre (always), carro (car), comida (food)
• writing a letter to a pen pal
• social studies: community connection (making a piñata for the Logan City Library Gallery Walk)

Conference Scheduling

Conferences are coming up on October 13th and 14th.  Please schedule a conference time as soon as possible.  To schedule, go to bridgerelementary.weebly.com and select the Online Scheduler link.  On the scheduler page: 

1. Choose 'Bridger' from the drop down list and click "go."
2. Enter the school password (bears).
3. Enter your student's ID (it is their lunch number).
4. Verify your student's birth date.
5. A list of teachers will be displayed - check the box next to the name of each teacher you would like to meet with.  Ms. Navarro and I will be conducting conferences together, so you only need to schedule one conference to meet with both of us.
6. Select the conference time that works best for your schedule.
7. Once you have finished, confirm your appointment details and print your schedule.
8. WRITE DOWN YOUR CONFIRMATION NUMBER - YOU WILL NEED IT IF YOU NEED TO CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT.       

September 29 - October 3

There will be no school this Friday so that teachers may prepare for conferences (they are coming up fast!).  The school secretary will be opening up the online scheduler this week, so please make sure to check the school website (there is a link to the right) to schedule your conference.  DLI will be conducting conferences from 12:20-7:00 on Monday, October 13th, and Tuesday, October 14th.  We look forward to meeting with you and discussing your child's progress.
Here is what we will be working on in English this week:

• compound sentences with details
• counting up (when subtracting, start at the bottom number and "count up" to the top number to get the answer)
• class mission statement
• reading strategy: infer
• reading strategy: predict
• Good Touch/Bad Touch - Tues.-Thur. @ 1:50
• gravity
• reading reward on Thursday @ 145 (this is only for those students that met the reading goal of 380 minutes in October)

September 22 - 26

We have two school-wide goals this year: 1) that students will be at school on time every day, and 2) that students will read for twenty minutes each night from their take-home books.  Our expectation is that 85% of our students will meet these goals each week.  We have been doing a fantastic job meeting goal #1; we have exceeded 85% every week so far.  We are not doing so well with goal #2; only 12 DLI students (out of 50 total) met the goal this week.  If students are doing their homework reading, they are meeting the goal.  
We have purposely structured homework to not last more than half an hour.  Students should be spending twenty minutes reading their take-home books in Spanish and English, and then ten minutes on math.  If it is taking longer or your student is getting frustrated because the work is too difficult, please let us know.
Here is what we will be working on this week in English:

• making compound sentences
• counting on
• bridging (or branching) in math
• fluency strategy: choosing appropriate level text
• comprehension strategy: infer and support
• comprehension strategy: predict
• hearing screenings - Friday morning
• healthy eating assembly - Monday afternoon
• We have officially begun Power Hour (our reading instruction time), so if your child has been talking about going to another teacher for reading, that is why.  We have grouped the students by their needs according to our DIBELS testing, and each teacher is working on one area of need.  For example, I work with students that need to improve their accuracy, while students that are working on letter sounds go to Mrs. Webb, etc.  We will be monitoring their progress weekly and move them to different groups as necessary.

Here is what we will be working on this week in Spanish:

• bridging (or branching) in math
• ten bonds and doubles
• math terms: sum, counting on, doubles, number sentence, addends
• comparing and contrasting seasonal weather patterns
• culture: Hispanic Heritage month, El Salvador, Mexico, Chile, Guatemala, and Costa Rica 
• Language arts: closed syllables (atan, otros, buscan, isla, pasta, mas, alma, corte, gustan, sol, alto, barcos)
• reading vocabulary: atronauta (astronaut), gravedad (gravity), telescopio (telescope), experimentos (experiments), transbordador (rocket/spaceship)

September 15 - 19

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted.  Both of us were down sick all weekend, and we're still moving a bit slowly today!  We have a busy week ahead.
Here is what we will be working on in English this week:

• Vision screening on Monday
• Picture  day on Wednesday
• doubles and ten facts
• counting on
• adjectives - what are they?  How are they used?
• begin official Daily 5 reading instruction (some students may be going to other rooms in order to meet their specific needs)
• comprehension strategy: use prior knowledge
• accuracy strategy: use the picture
• paragraph writing
• science: germs

Here is what we will be working on in Spanish this week:

Friday is a short day.  School will be out at 12:00.

September 8 - 12

Much better homework response this week!  Thank you for your help and support at home!  Of all 50 students, 39 turned in their homework packet; that's a 78% completion rate.  Of the 39 that turned in their packet, 23 completed all four nights of reading take-home books.  
We have had several questions/concerns about the homework being too easy.  At this point, we have only been reviewing first grade material to make sure that everyone is ready to move on to second grade content.  There will be one more week of review (this week), and then we will be sending home second grade appropriate math.  If it still continues to be too easy, we can talk about what to do at that time.
One of our school-wide goals this year is that (as an entire school) we will read 2 million minutes.  We can easily accomplish this goal by reading 20 minutes per night for five nights each week.  This week, 12 students(52%) in the blue class and 11 students (41%) in the red class met the goal.  Students that meet their reading goal for the entire month will be invited to an award activity at the end of the month.

Here is what we will be working on in English this week:

• writing simple sentences (have a noun and a verb, begin with a capital letter, end with punctuation, and make sense)
• didn't get to adjectives last week, so that is still on the agenda for this week
• ten frames
• even and odd numbers
• the meaning of the equal sign - this may sound really basic, but at this point most students don't have a complete understanding of what it means, and that it can be used in many ways.
• comprehension strategy: cross-checking
• comprehension strategy: monitor and fix-up
• pronouns
• continuing to work on our stamina for Daily 5 routines and procedures (the red group made it a full 20 minutes last week during their read to self time!)
• goal for take-home book reading - 5 nights this week (100 minutes total)

Here is what we will be working on in Spanish this week:

• continue with composing and decomposing numbers (6-10)
• doubles
• math terms: sum, counting on, doubles, number sentence
• phonics: closed syllables
• comprehension: main idea
• vocabulary skill: position words
• fluency: accuracy and rate
• high frequency words: viaje, aprender, lleno, dormir, mientras, limpio
• social studies: healthy relationships

September 1 - September 5

Please remember that we will not have school on Monday in celebration of Labor Day. Almost everyone knows their lunch number!  And everyone came in from recess on time this week!  We are still having problems with students not bringing their homework folders to school each day. We also had a few hiccups with homework this week.  Only 40% of DLI students turned their homework packet in today, and only 40% met their reading goal for the week.  Those are very disappointing numbers.  The homework packet is always due on the last day of the week (usually it is Friday, but not always).  To meet their reading goal (read their take-home book for 20 minutes a night for five nights), they must read their book and then show me their signed book list in the morning.  When they show it to me, I check it off and put a tally by their name.  If they have five tallies at the end of the week, they have met their reading goal (during short weeks, they may have fewer tallies).  I hope this helps to clarify.  If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of us. Here is what we will be working on in the English side this week:

• take-home book reading goal = 80 minutes (4 nights of 20 minutes)
• art - we will finish our self-portraits on Tuesday morning
• making and identifying simple sentences: starts with a capital, ends with punctuation, makes sense, contains a noun and a verb
• adjectives - What are they?  How do I use them?
• creating a class mission statement - What do we want to accomplish this year?
• comprehension strategy: back-up and reread (didn't get to this last week!)
• comprehension strategy: cross-checking
• social studies: choices and consequences
• Daily 5: continuing to increase our stamina for reading to self, continuing to practice our word work routine, and introducing our procedure for buddy reading
• math talk about 10

Here is what we will be working on in the Spanish side this week:

• math: fact families
• math: working with 6 and 7(bonds, composing/decomposing, counting by, etc)
• social studies: choices and consequences
• using complete sentences when they speak in Spanish
• math picture talk with numbers (showing the students a picture and talking about the groups and configuration of objects in the picture)
• comprehension strategy: back-up and reread (didn't get to this last week!)
• listening to songs, trying to sing along, and following along with the words on the screen ( the songs are Mi Gallito, Pollito Amarillito, and Pin Pon)

August 25 - 29

The first two days of school have gone smoothly.  We only had only one child that did not bring their homework folder back to school (that's awesome!).  Thanks for making sure it got back to school!
Here is what we will be working on this week in the English side:

• Comprehension strategy: check for understanding
• Comprehension strategy: back-up and reread
• The three things  needed to make a sentence: a capital letter at the beginning, punctuation at the end, and a complete thought (a noun and a verb)
• Nouns, verbs, and adjectives
• Words Their Way test to determine their spelling levels for word work
• We will begin working on our Daily 5 routines - focus on read to self this week
• Math Talk about 5

Here is what we will be working on in the Spanish side:

• Social Studies: community (people in the school)
• Math: working with 5 (bonds, composing/decomposing, counting by, etc)
• listening to stories and songs
• Comprehension strategy: check for understanding
• Comprehension strategy: back-up and reread

First Day

The first day went very smoothly, and everyone was well-behaved for the most part!  Please make sure that your child is working on their lunch number if they don't already know it (they should have come home with a lunch number sticker on their shirt).  Their lunch number will be used for their password when they visit the computer lab, as well as for lunch, so the faster they learn it the easier it will be for everyone.  Thank you for your help and support.  We are going to have a great year!

Ready or Not!

We spent last week at the statewide dual immersion conference, and we are now eager to get started.  School officially begins on August 21st at 8:10, bright and early in the morning.  We will have back-to-school night the evening of August 20th.  It will be from 6:00-7:30.  We will begin in the gym, and stay there until 6:20 getting important information from Mr. Grunig.  He will excuse everyone at 6:20 to visit classrooms.  After that, there will be three 20 minutes sessions: 6:20-6:40, 6:45-7:05, and 7:10-7:30.  We look forward to meeting you and your children on the 20th!
Before you spend too much on school supplies, please know that you do not need to buy anything to bring to school.  We will provide everything that your child needs at school, but it is convenient (and sometimes necessary) for your child to have certain things (pencils, erasers, crayons, scissors, glue) available to them at home.  And if you are feeling generous, we are always grateful for donations of tissues and hand-sanitizer!

Welcome to 2nd Grade!

We are so excited to have been selected to teach 2nd grade dual language immersion at Bridger!  We both believe strongly in the benefits of the dual immersion program, and are thrilled to be a part of it. We know that we have a very busy year ahead, but look forward to the challenge.  This blog will be our main means of communication to keep you updated about what we are doing on a weekly basis.  Once school begins, it will be updated every week, or more often if necessary.  As always, if you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us (e-mail works best).
Click here to find out more about the history of the  Dual Immersion program in Utah.

Utah Dual Immersion