11/20/08 Study for Spelling & Vocabulary Tests

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Spelling): We have a Spelling Test tomorrow. Are you ready?

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/19/08

Part 1 Reading
Part 2 Comprehension
Part 3 Minute Math
Part 4 Finish Mental Math (Using the Hundreds Chart)

11/18/08 Mental Math, Word Order

Part 1 (Reading)

Part 2 (Word Order): Tonight’s homework is simple enough: your student needs to re-order the words on the worksheet to make sentences that make sense. After sentences A 1-3 they need to right the word question or statement depending upon what kind of sentence it is. For sentences B 1-2 They just need to re-order the words in a way that makes sense and pay special attention to using proper punctuation marks.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. How is your child doing with subtraction minute math?

Part 4 (Mental Math): We continue to learn little mental ways to quickly add up numbers. The idea is to have the students do quick

mental equations to be able to easily come up with answers when adding and subtracting.  It can be rather tricky to get across to 2nd graders, though.  I need a LOT of help on this one. We’ve been working on a concept called "Making the Next Ten."  The students are learning that when they add numbers together they need to start thinking about how to get to the next "ten" on the number line (10, 20, 30, 40... etc).  Consider this example: I am adding 19+4.  Now, the next ten is 20.  I am one step away from being at 20.  So, using mental math, I change the problem from 19+4 into 20+3!  I just move one of my ones over and the problem gets easier!

If I were adding 57+5 I would go through a similar series of steps:  the next "ten" would be 60 so I know that I need to turn the 57 into 60...  hmmmm....  I "take" 3 from the 5 and move it over to the 57... the 57 turns into 60 and the 5 turns into 2.  The whole problem has changed from 57+5 into 60+2 and is now an easier problem because I made the next ten. Today we worked on adding tens and ones. Here is an example: When Your child gets to problem #20 they need to explain how they add 14+41. For example, they might say first I added the tens... 10 plus 40 is 50. Then I added the ones... 4 plus 1 is 5... then I put it all together: 50 plus 5 is 55! Please check your child’s understanding. Have a nice night!

11/17/08 Mental Math "Get to the Next Ten," Drops in the Bucket

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Mental Math, Get to the Next Ten): We are in a unit called Mental Math and the children are figuring out ways to quickly add up numbers in their heads. Please have them finish today’s math math.  We are working on the concept of getting to the next "ten".  If you are adding 28+4 then the next "ten" to get to is 30.  Use up 2 of the ones you are adding and get to 30.  The problem changes from 28+4 into 30+2.  This can be a tough concept so have a bit of patience if your child is still struggling with it...

Part 3 (Math): Drops in the Bucket Math: we are reviewing many of the math facts that we have learned to date: comparing numbers, patterns, adding and subtracting, how many in all, money, place value, time, and shapes.
When working on Drops in the Bucket with your student please constantly ask them to explain themselves to you. Say things like: “How do you know that?” and “Tell me why.” when they give you answers. On problem #3 the students are asked to do some double digit addition and subtraction. Check to see if your student starts in the ones place. Problem #9 deals with telling time. Many of the children don’t know how to tell time on a clock with a face yet. If this is still hard for your child read the face to them, “4:35” and then have them write the time on the digital clock. Please work with your child on telling time! Please let me know if you are starting to work with your child on telling time on an analog (face) clock and how it is going.

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/13/08 Study for the Spelling & Vocabulary Tests Tomorrow

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Spelling): We have a Spelling Test tomorrow. Are you ready?

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/12/08 Get Ready for Tomorrow's Math Test, Comprehension

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): There is no reading homework tonight. I’d rather your student spend time going over the math pre-test that they took today to be ready for tomorrow’s big test. See Part 2 of tonight’s homework... :) Also, I’m not saying not to read... read if you want to... I’m saying that you aren’t required to read tonight.

Part 2 (Go Over the Math Test): Tomorrow we are participating in a district-wide math benchmark. It covers everything we’ve learned this year. Today I gave a pre-test over the material. Please review the test with your child tonight and check their understanding. I found that many children are having problems with two-step problems (see problems #12 & #14). Please send your child to school tomorrow well rested, well fed, and ready to think! I am very proud of these kids and know the class will do well.

Part 3 (Reading Comprehension): One of the main focuses of our year has been reading comprehension. Simply reading a book, article, or passage isn’t enough. Readers need to be able to re-tell what they’ve read in their own words! After reading the passage “Pet Day at School” they need to answer 4 questions about it. Please discuss with your children why they are answering the way they are. If there are two good answers is one of them better than the other? Is your child able to tell you why he or she is giving the answers he or she gives?

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/11/08 Past Tense Verbs

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Past Tense Verbs): From early on in your child’s education, they have probably heard about “action words.” We are studying verbs. Tonight’s homework is simple enough: your student needs to choose the correct verbs to fit the story and then change them to past tense. Help becomes helped. We have a chant we say in class. It goes, “Verb! It’s what you do! Verb! It’s what you do!” Please let me know how your child does with this concept.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/10/2008 Mental Math & Drops in the Bucket

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Mental Math): We are starting a unit called Mental Math and the children are starting to figure out ways to quickly add up numbers in their heads. Go over the work they’ve already done and then work through problems #19-21 on the math mat. Check their understanding as they go. Please make sure they create their own journal story of problem #21.

Part 3 (Math): Drops in the Bucket Math: we are reviewing many of the math facts that we have learned to date: comparing numbers, patterns, adding and subtracting, how many in all, money, place value, time, and shapes.
When working on Drops in the Bucket with your student please constantly ask them to explain themselves to you. Say things like: “How do you know that?” and “Tell me why.” when they give you answers.  On problem #3 the students are asked to do some double digit addition and subtraction. Check to see if your student starts in the ones place.  Problem #9 deals with telling time. Many of the children don’t know how to tell time on a clock with a face yet. If this is still hard for your child read the face to them, “11:40” and then have them write the time on the digital clock. Please work with your child on telling time!

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/6/08 Study for the Math & Spelling Tests

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Money): Tomorrow we are having a test about money. Please give your child the money test I am sending tonight. See how they do. Tonight’s test is almost exactly the same as the one I’ll be giving tomorrow so you should have a pretty good idea of where your child is tonight. Don’t help them solve any answers tonight. Let them figure out their own solutions. After giving them the test go back and “grade” it with them and check their understanding. Let me know how it goes!

Part 3 (Spelling): We have a Spelling Test tomorrow. Are you ready?

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/5/08 Counting Money, Comprehension

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Below, please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Reading Comprehension): One of the main focuses of our year has been reading comprehension. Simply reading a book, article, or passage isn’t enough. Readers need to be able to re-tell what they’ve read in their own words! Tonight your student is reading a passage about dollar coins. (Is there anyone out there that remembers when the Susan B coin came out? I sure do!) They need to answer 4 questions about the passage. Please discuss with your children why they are answering the way they are. If there are two good answers is one of them better than the other? Is your child able to tell you why he or she is giving the answers he or she gives?

Part 3 (Get Out Some Coins & Count Them): Please get out some coins and have your child  show off his or her money counting skills. We have a BIG math test next week. How is your child doing with counting money? How about skills that were covered earlier in the year? How about basic addition and subtraction skills? Below, please let me know what you are seeing in the home setting. We’re all in this together! How did the coin counting go?

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/4/08 Verbs

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Below, please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!
What was read? Time spent reading parent’s initials

Part 2 (Verbs): We have another night working on verbs! The kids need to read the sentences and then write the verb from each sentence on the given line. This is a pretty simple assignment as the students are doing well identifying verbs. Problem B requires the students to write their own sentence and then circle their own verb.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

11/3/08 All Kinds of Math!

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Below, please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Comparing Collections of Coins): Today’s math lesson requires two things to be done. First, the kids need to be able to count collections of coins. Next, they need to compare those collections. Some kids are still confused by the symbols for less than, equal to, and greater than. Please check your own student’s understanding. The journal problem (#10) has your student drawing a collection of coins that adds up to a value that is less than 55¢. Have them draw it and add it up.

Part 3 (Math): Drops in the Bucket Math: we are reviewing many of the math facts that we have learned to date: comparing numbers, patterns, adding and subtracting, how many in all, money, place value, time, and shapes.
When working on Drops in the Bucket with your student please constantly ask them to explain themselves to you. Say things like: “How do you know that?” and “Tell me why.” when they give you answers.
On problem #3 the students are asked to do some double digit addition and subtraction. I’ve taught them to re-write the problems “up and down” and then solve them.   Problem #9 deals with telling time. Many of the children don’t know how to tell time on a clock with a face yet. If this is still hard for your child read the face to them, “7:10” and then have them write the time on the digital clock. Please work with your child on telling time!

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.