Word Study Homework

This week your child started their Word Study Homework. Our Word Study program, called Words Their Way is how we teach spelling in second grade. This program focuses on learning spelling by identifying patterns found in words. The program introduces and builds on patterns as children learn to read and write them at their developmental level. The children learn how to spell their words by identifying the patterns and sorting the words into categories based on their patterns.

Here is an example:

This sort is for a child who has learned short vowels and is beginning to distinguish between long vowel sounds and patterns.

pig (short i)......... kite (long i).......... oddball

.........skip..................... nice....................... give
.........still..................... knife
........kick....................... dice

The students should notice that each of the long i words follows the pattern CVCe (consonant, vowel, consonant, e). The students recognize this pattern as "magic e". This is one pattern that makes the long i sound. They will learn others in later sorts such as "oa" and "ow". The oddball is for words that in some way don't fit the pattern. In this example the word give has the short i vowel sound but follows the CVCe pattern. We learn these patterns in class on Mondays.

Homework:

Mondays: Students will sort their words and copy the words in their categoeis into their journal (as shown in the above example).

Tuesdays: Students will sort their words as fast as they can ("speed sort"). Then they will choose 5 words and write each in a sentence. I expect the students to write complete sentences with correct capitals and punctuation. I also encourage them to number their sentences and skip lines after each sentence.

Wednesdays: Students will complete a "blind sort". This is to be done with an adult. For this sort the students don't see their words. The adult reads a word. The child listens for the pattern and points to the category it belongs to. The students will then choose 5 words and write them in alphabetical or a,b,c order.

Thursdays: Students will sort their words one last time then glue the words neatly into their journals in their correct categories.

Assessment:
On Fridays the students will be tested on their words. Students will be asked to spell 10 of the words. 2 points are given for each word spelled correctly. 1 point is given if only the pattern is spelled correctly.

Example:
For a pattern identifying the long o pattern "oa":
2 points: coach 1 point: koatch

Week 3 Updates

Thank you to all who attended back to school night on Tuesday! If you were not able to make it and have any questions regarding homework or second grade policies please e-mail me.

Classroom updates:

Math:
This week the students switched classes for math and started working with their new math teacher. A letter went home in the Homework Folder on Tuesday that states whom your child's math teacher is. Math homework will be given in math class every day from Monday-Thursday.

Reading:
The students began meeting in their small reading groups with me this week. We have 4 reading groups in our homeroom grouped by instructional reading level. This week we have been focusing on analyzing story structure by charting the plot of a story from beginning, middle to end. For questions regarding levels or assessments please contact me. A packet will be sent home each Monday for homework to be completed by Friday. I suggest you have your child reread the story each night and work on one page in the packet.

Home-School Connection *You can build on our reading group strategy by asking your child to identify the main characters, setting, problem and solution in a story read at home.

Writing:
We have been learning how to come up with good ideas in writing. We learned that a good idea or topic is clear, specific and interesting!

Health:
Germs, germs, germs! We learned all about germs this week from where they hide (everywhere!) to how they enter your body and how they can make you sick. We also learned how to stay safe and healthy from germs. We talked about eating right, exercising, and of course, the importance of washing our hands and bodies with soap and water!

Science:
We have just begun our unit in Science in which we will investigate the properties of soil. A letter was sent home in the Wednesday Folder asking each child to bring in a small sample of soil and 2 small rocks that we will use in our investigations in class.

Thanks for your help and support!

We Are Kicking Off Week 2!

Here are some highlights from week 2:

Math
-Students will complete a pretest in math covering skills they will learn in quarters 1 and 2
**Students will begin their new math placements on Monday! A letter will be sent home to inform parents of whom their child's math teacher will be.

Health (Content)
-We are learning all about germs! We talked about different types of illnesses and we will learn what we can do to stay healthy and prevent the spread of diseases.
**Ask your child what communicable and non-communicable illnesses are! :)

Writing
-We finished writing exciting sentences about our favorite summer memory. We wrote first drafts, revised them and created a beautiful sun display out of our completed sentences. Look for them in the hallway at Back-To-School Night! (Tuesday Sept. 15th)
-This week we are focusing on the writing trait: Ideas. We are learning how to narrow down our ideas and choose a clear writing topic.

Reading
-Students began their reading journals by writing a response to a book we read in class. Students described their favorite part, or explained why they didn't have a favorite part!
-We are beginning to meet in our reading groups and practice our reading "rotation" routine.
**Our reading block is structured so that students meet in small groups with the teacher and rotate through independent work centers.

We moved our seats into table groups this week! Students will be completing activities to learn how to work cooperatively with their group members.

Look out for week 3 updates, including Back-To-School Night information to be posted soon!