Grade 2/3 Connection

Welcome Families!  This website is here for you to read more about our curriculum – summaries of Teach for Understanding, Writer’s Workshop, Reader’s Workshop, and Everyday Math.  You can access helpful, educational websites for you and your kiddos, and find our weekly spelling lists.  If you’d like to donate, please visit our ongoing Wish List.  We appreciate it!  Please check your email for weekly newsletters on upcoming lessons within the classrooms.  Feel free to contact us with any questions!

Daily Homework Routine

Read a minimum of 10 minutes for second grade.

Read a minimum of 15 minutes for third grade.

Verbally use Thinking Stems while you read

Math (Just Right worksheet) – No math on Wed.

Journal writing for 10 -15 minutes (use prompts in binder) or write about what you know.

*Writing is a process so that can include brainstorming, and a written piece might take the whole week.  Click here for more information about journal homework.

Talk with your child about their day.

Nightly Spelling choice (Check your spelling list and the list of nightly activities.  Read directions for how to receive credit).  Spelling Choices (.pdf)

Click on your child’s designation to find this weeks list;

Grammar skill of the week worksheet

Occasional Social Studies of Science homework

*On the weekends (Fri. – Sun.) your child should read everyday.  They may write for pleasure.

Writing Workshop Timeline

February 25 – April 1

2nd and 3rd will engage in Non Fiction Writing – Procedures and Reports.

April 2 – May 7

2nd: The Craft of Revision

3rd:  Breathing Life into Essays

May 8 – End of the school year

2nd and 3^rd will write fiction:  “Big Dreams…Tall Ambitions”

 Click here for more information about the Writing Program

Reading Workshop Timeline

Lucy Calkins’ Reader’s Workshop Pacing Outline:

January – Mid Feb.:  Fiction: Following Characters into Meaning:  Analyzing Characters and their Actions

Children build theories about characters and gather evidence.

**Students continue to discuss elements of stories (plot, setting, characters)

Mid February – Mid March: Historical Fiction (Critical Thinking skills now emphasized)

Children synthesize their perspectives on characters

Mid March – Mid April: Historical Fiction

Children interpret ideas and messages

Mid April – Mid May: Non-Fiction

Children learn and use text structures to comprehend (i.e. cause and effect, problem and solution)

Mid May – Mid June: Non-Fiction

Children determine the importance of non-fiction piece and synthesize information

End of June: Wrap-up Reader’s Workshop – students selecting the books for their reading bags and creating book clubs based on choice. 

Ms. Kathryn utilizes Thinking Maps for children to use to organize their thoughts.

Circle Map: Brainstorm

Flow Map: Sequence

Multi-Flow Map: Cause and Effect

Brace Map: Whole to Part

Bubble Map: Description

Double-Bubble Map: Compare and Contrast

Bridge Map: Analogies

Tree Map: Classification

**Throughout all units Ms. Kathryn teaches Big Idea vs. Supporting Details

Click here to learn more about the Reading Program

Math: Math Curriculum Guide for January-June 2013

February

Red & yellow groups

• using alternate addition strategies
• elapsed time
• drawing and naming line segments
• identifying parallel lines
• identifying polygons
• 3-D shapes
• identifying symmetry
• working with multiple addends
• estimating
• data: charts and graphs
• subtraction with borrowing
• introduction to multiplication

Blue & green groups

• working with data
• drawing and naming lines, line segments, and rays
• more work with perimeter
• decimals
• indentifying parallel and intersecting lines
• geometric turns
• types of polygons
• identifying and measuring angle types
• exploring symmetry

March

Red & yellow groups

• more work with patterns
• doubles and halves
• weighing
• working with data
• finding median
• frequency distributions
• equal parts of one
• fractions

Blue & green groups

• building fluency with multiplication and division facts
• number sentences with parentheses
• extended work with data
• working with fractions in many ways

March

Red & yellow groups

• more work with measuring
• linear measurement
• perimeter
• long distances
• capacity
• area
• weighing

Blue & green groups

• advanced multiples
• mental math strategies
• advanced work with multiplication
• alternative methods for long multiplication
• long division
• working with negative numbers

April

Red & yellow groups

• decimal notation
• estimating costs
• more work with polygons and determining area
• place-value to the ten-thousands and more
• grouping with parentheses

Blue & green groups

• more work with probability
• more work with data
• advanced skills in multiplication and division

May/June

The month of May will focus on year-end review of all skills taught throughout the year. In June, we will do long-term math projects and will begin looking ahead to next year’s skills.

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