Our Auction Project

With the auction creeping up on us, we were fortunate enough to have two phenomenal artists come in and help us with our project. We are now in the final stages of wrapping up our classroom's contribution (paintings of 14 different owl species! All of which are acrylic on canvas).  In the end we will have a total of thirty 6''x6'' owl portraits.

With only two or three owls waiting to be completed, we are almost ready for the auction. Next stop is scanning all of the paintings individually. 

Book Recommendations

I've started a new page for book recommendations.  Once upon a time (not that long ago), I received my BA in English.  Being an avid reader all of my life, I have never been able to get enough books, there just isn't enough time in the day.  Luckily my love for children's and young adult literature has stayed with me throughout the years, and I am now in a job that capitalizes on my love of books.

Throughout my time on this blog I will be compiling book recommendations, ranging from what we are reading in the classroom, books I have already read, books I am currently reading.  It is my goal to branch out and grab recommendations from students, peers, and other teachers in order to present a wide range of interest and scope.

Not only will I be posting recommendations and updates regularly to this site, but I will be creating a complete compendium  of titles over on my Book Recommendations page.

First up is:

Catwings 
Ursula K. Le Guine (Author); S. D. Schindler (Illustrator)  

(Age Range: 4 and up)

This is the first book in a series by the prolific writer Ursula K. Le Guine (winner of five Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards). With gorgeous illustrations and simple yet rich prose, this book is a fantastic read aloud (my students were enthralled). There are four books total (the whole series comes in at around 200 pages total) and all are worth a read aloud (or for an independent reader). 

Amazon.com description: Mrs. Jane Tabby cannot explain why all four of her kittens were born with wings. But when life on the city streets becomes too dangerous, it is clear that her dream for her children might some day come true. They can fly away from the city slums of their birth. And one day, they do. But not even their mother could have foreseen the hazards of country living.

Online Math Supplements

Below is a collection of online math games and resources.  They are a fun way to engage your child while still supporting them as mathematical learners.  For more on the mathematical learning targets for second grade [link].  These links can also be found under the pages tab, in the right column of this blog.  Just click the Online Math Supplements [link].

Sumdog [link]

An online resource where students can play interactive games to help build Math and Language Arts Skills. Sumdog's learning engine adapts its questions to each student's ability helping teachers deliver Common Core State Standards. Aimed at grades 1-8 [Covers number operations through to simple algebra].

Math Playground [link]

This is a collection of math games, sorted by topic and content. They were designed to correlate with Common Core State Standards in Mathematics.

Free Math Worksheets for Grade 2 [link]
A collection of online, randomly generated worksheets that provide additional calculation practice for many second grade math topics (aligned with the Common Core standards). Use them as you need!

Additional Math Resource List
Online math resource lists, divided by math topic and level

Online Reading Supplements

Below is a collection of different online resources to help young readers flourish.  These supplements are for any level of reader and are divided into different focuses to target different skills and strategies: Fluency; Comprehension; Phonics and Word Recognition.  These links can also be found under the pages tab, in the right column of this blog.  Just click the Online Reading Supplements [link].

Fluency:

      

Monroe County Public Library (link) 

This comprehensive list of predictable books is divided into eight categories such as circular stories, chain stories, and pattern stories.  A great resource for developing fluency in young children.







Speakaboos (link)

Speakaboos brings classic children’s entertainment into the digital world.  Treasured stories are given new life through celebrity performances,

 beautiful illustrations, and original music.

StoryPlace: The Children’s Digital Library (link)

This award-wining bilingual (Spanish and English) site includes a collection of online materials for elementary students including texts for reading along.

Comprehension:

Reading Rockets: Comprehension (link)

The National Education Association is a sponsored partner of this website, which includes articles for parents and teachers, lesson strategies, videos, and much more.

Phonics and Word Recognition

The Dolch Kit (link)

The Dolch Kit contains high-frequency word and phrase cards, as well as games and activities for practicing sight words.

Learn to Read (link)

Learn to Read includes stories that focus on onsets and rimes for primary grades.

ReadWriteThink (link)

This site provides a wide variety of phonics activities that involve word building as well as strategies for teaching onsets and rimes, high-frequency words, and context.

Links adapted from:

      Vacca, J. A. L., R. T. Vacca, M. K. Gove, L. C. Burkey, L. A. Lenhart, and C. A. McKeon. Reading and learning to read. 8th. 8th. Boston, MA: Allyn , 2012. Print.

Reading Comprehension Strategies

Below is a list of strategies that you can do with your child to help them develop and strengthen their reading comprehension.  For your benefit there is also a definition of reading comprehension and the Common Core State Standards that pertain to reading comprehension.  These strategies are just part of a comprehensive list of different reading strategies, found here [link].

Definition: “Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a text/message. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written and how they trigger knowledge outside the text/message.”

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Strategies to build Comprehension: These strategies are meant to eventually be internalized by the student and used independently of adult prompting.  In the beginning, adult guidance and support are important to helping students feel successful in their endeavors:

• Asking Questions:  This common strategy is to have children answer questions about what is read.  Questions have traditionally been organized into three categories:
1. Literal Questions: Students answer by using information explicitly stated in the text.
2. Inferential Questions: Students answer by using their background knowledge along with information from the text.
3. Evaluative Questions: Students answer by making judgments about what they read.
• 
  
• Reciprocal Questioning (ReQuest): ReQuest encourages students to ask their own questions about the material being read.  Some Question Prompts for ReQuest are:
• What does __________ remind you of?
• Do you know someone like the character _________?
• Do you agree with what _________ did in the story?
• What do you think will happen next in the story?
• Why do you think the author chose ___________ as the setting?
• Can you think of a different way to describe the action in this part of the story?
• What do you picture in your mind when you read this part of the story?

Strategies adapted from:

      Vacca, J. A. L., R. T. Vacca, M. K. Gove, L. C. Burkey, L. A. Lenhart, and C. A. McKeon. Reading and learning to read. 8th. 8th. Boston, MA: Allyn , 2012. Print.

Learning Targets for 2nd Grade Mathematics

       A pivotal step toward success in school (or really anything) is a firm grasp on the expectations of what is to be learned.  Thanks to the nearly universal adoption of the Common Core State Standards (Forty-Five states so far), there is a unified set of expectations that were designed to build upon each other all throughout one's educational career. 

       Below are the standards that guide instruction, assessment, and the progression of math all the way through high school.

   

 (Derived from the Common Core State Standards)

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

• Add and subtract within 20.
• Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
• Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.

    Number and Operations in Base Ten

• Understand place value.
• Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.

    Measurement and Data

• Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
• Relate addition and subtraction to length.
• Work with time and money.
• Represent and interpret data.

    Geometry

• Reason with shapes and their attributes.

    Mathematical Practices

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Homework Supplements

       The internet has an amazing plethora of resources to help students learn and practice their academic skills.  Realizing that it is hard to find the right tool among so many options, I have decided to compile a list of online resources, and strategies that parents and students can use at home to supplement the learning done in the classroom.

       As the year progresses, there will be less and less homework being sent home.  It is my goal that the focus of work done in the home be the reading log and the daily writing response journal.  While these will be the only required pieces of homework, I felt it would be pertinent for me to provide avenues for independent study and academic support.

       Below are links to the various pages I have created to house different strategies and online resources.  The goal of these is to support and foster student's as learners.  These pages are also have tabs linking to them at the top of blog for easy access when this post is buried under the myriad of new and exciting posts yet to come.

1. Online math supplements (i.e. interactive games and worksheets) [link]
2. Online reading supplements and resources for: Fluency; Comprehension; Phonics and Word Recognition [link]
3. Reading Strategies [link]

Many of the strategies and online resources were adapted from:

        Vacca, J. A. L., R. T. Vacca, M. K. Gove, L. C. Burkey, L. A. Lenhart, and C. A. McKeon. Reading and learning to read. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn , 2012. Print.

Up and running.

...

to the first post!

Hello y'all,

       It took six months (and a few iterations) but the website is finally up and running.  My goal for this blog is to both chronicle the day to day activities in my 2nd Grade classroom, but also to provide useful resources in one easy to find place.  For many parents, digital updates (through email, RSS feeds, or just online) is a much more convenient way to stay connected, and the classroom should be no different.
       With my solo teaching coming up (April 1st), it is important to me to establish and maintain a strong connection with families.  It is my hope, and belief, that establishing and maintaining a clear line of communication with families is key to best supporting my students.
       With that said, I am excited to use this place as a resource in opening up the classroom and strengthening our community of learners and makers.

-Nicholas Erickson

Academic articles that contributed to the formation of this exciting technological experiment in connecting with families:

     "Working With Parents: Advice from Teachers." Education Oasis. (2005): 1-3. <www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/working_with_parents.htm>.

     American Federation of Teachers. “Building Parent-Teacher Relationships.” (2008): 1-3.

     Danielson, C. Enhancing professional practice. 2nd. Alexandria, Virginia USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develop, 2007. Print.

     Berk, L. E. Infants, Children, and Adolescents. 7th. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.

     Shockley, B., B. Michalove, and J. Allen. Engaging families: Connecting home and school literacy communities. Heinemann, 1995. Print.

     Rothstein-Fisch, C., and E. Trumbull. "Managing diverse classrooms, how to build on students' cultural strengths". ASCD, 2008. Print.