Message from Mrs. Smith

Thanks for visiting my class page! 

 

Future third graders, I enjoyed working with you and I hope you'll come visit me in September!  Future second graders, I can't wait to meet you on September 7th!   

Enjoy your summer!

The summer reading projects were sent home in report card envelopes, along with supply lists.  If another copy is needed, visit the "Library/Media Center" section of the Constable website (It's to the left of here) and click on "projects." (After July 1st)

Second graders have worked so hard this year and accomplished so much!  Here are some ideas to continue that learning over the long summer months:

- Keep visiting Study Island.  User names and passwords should continue to work over the summer.  Another great website is www.funbrain.com.  Check it out for lots of fun learning games and activities.

- Keep practicing math facts with flashcards and telling time and counting money in everyday situations.  Never underestimate the value of this regular practice.

- Encourage your child to continue writing story ideas in his or here mini-writer's idea notebook.  They can also keep a journal to practice writing over the summer.  They can even bring their mini-writers' idea notebooks with them to third grade, so they'll be ready when they're asked to share about their summer and when they need to write stories at the beginning of the year.

 

Some useful web resources:

Greenbrook School has compiled a great assortment of website links:

http://www.sbschools.org/schools/gb/class_pages/grade2/index.php

 

This is a great site for creating mad minute type practice sheets, as well as time and money practice:

http://mathfactcafe.com/

 

Some sites that we've explored in class:

www.storylineonline.net

http://darhosta.com

http://www.census.gov/schools/census_for_kids/

http://www.brainpop.com/health/nutrition/nutrition/

www.scholastic.com

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/index.htm

http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/games_quizzes/electiongame/game.asp

 

Have fun!

 

 

 

As a district wide technology project, second graders created a podcast about their Wishes and Dreams for the school year.  Check them out here:

http://blogs.sbschools.org/cograde2/category/uncategorized/

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your support! 

Please let me know if you have any questions or requests! 

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Grading and Expectations

Throughout the week (and especially in Friday Folders,) your child will be bringing home many work samples.  Some of these assignments were completed in class and subsequently gone over in class as a whole group or in partners.  Other assignments (both classwork and homework) will be "graded" by me.  For these assignments, I use the following system:

A "check mark" means your child completed the assignment exactly as directed.  This is the standard "grade" for most papers.  

A "check plus" means that your child showed extra effort on the assignment.  This could be a bonus, extra problems/sentences/examples, coloring, or other exceptional work that is above and beyond.  

A "check minus" means that your child did not follow directions, did not complete the entire assignment, or did work that is not their best.

I also use the report card grading system for some assignments.  This helps the students, parents, and me start to look at things through this scale.  These grades are used to evaluate the subcategories of each subject, such as different areas of reading comprehension, writing strategies, topics in math, etc.  It is as follows:

I=Independent- "Acquired and mastered strategies needed to work independently.

"P=Progressing- "Making good progress and requiring less support.

"D=Developing- "Developing confidence and requiring some support.

"C=Area of Concern

Social Skills and Work Habits are marked according to the following scale:

+ = Area of Strength

S  = Satisfactory

-  = Area of Concern

*If your child receives a paper without any type of check mark, but with notes or corrections from me, please make sure that your child fixes any mistakes and turns the paper back in to me.  I will then assign a "grade" and record that grade into my gradebook.  If these assignments are not fixed and turned back in, your child will not get credit for that assignment.