Welcome
Welcome to our world: 2nd grade, your child’s “HOME AWAY FROM HOME!” In Room 220, we will spend 180 days together, exploring everything and anything that I think might benefit your child. Don’t be surprised when the kids start noticing the world outside Palm Beach County, Florida. Soon they will have opinions on world affairs, know a lot of history, be able to recognize countries and different languages, and have heads filled with trivia of all kinds! We’ll be busy this year achieving that, plus all the traditional skills that kids are expected to master. We will think, work hard, share experiences, explore, practice, play and learn a lot. We must remember, however, that our students are still just young children who are lucky enough to be gifted. They all have their individual talents and accomplishments, making this motto important. ”EDUCATION IS NOT A RACE, IT’S A JOURNEY.” In 2nd grade, we will all enjoy that wondrous journey together.
Expectations and Rules
Our class lives by several mottos which are prominently displayed at the front of the room. This advice covers just about any situation that comes up in 2nd grade!
“NEVER HURT ANYONE ON THE OUTSIDE, AND NEVER HURT ANYONE ON THE INSIDE.”
“TREAT OTHERS LIKE YOU WANT TO BE TREATED.”
“DON’T STRESS, JUST DO YOUR BEST!”
“YOU GET WHAT YOU GET, SO DON’T GET UPSET!”
“BE FLEXIBLE!”
“BE A WINNER, NOT A WHINER!”
“SHORT AND SWEET, BUT COMPLETE!”
“A SMILE IS THE SAME IN ANY LANGUAGE.”
Class Schedule
Our special activity schedule is on a six day rotation. We have Music, Art, Science, Media, Guidance and P.E.
Typically, we do Language Arts in the morning, Math in the afternoon, and squeeze in the other activities wherever they fit. Specials are from 8:50 – 9:25, and lunch and recess are from 11:23 – 12:15. Our days fly by!
About once a month we have Early Release Day when our schedules totally change to accomodate a half day of school. Those days are usually special – we call them our “upside down, backwards day!”
Classwork
Each week I try to challenge my class with a variety of assignments. One of our favorites is the weekly poem. My kids are poets AND performers as they memorize a new poem every week during the year! They become comfortable with reciting in front of an audience, standing tall, and speaking in a clear voice. Throughout the year, we present our poetry on the televised morning announcements. We always wish our performers good luck with “break a leg!” and welcome them back to the classroom with a big round of applause. They are performing pros by the time they leave 2nd grade! Probably the highlight of our poetry experience is in December when the kids learn all three pages of the holiday poem, “T’was the Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore. This year, after earning one bell on their shoe per page, our class sounded like a herd of reindeer walking down the hall!
Every Monday we have a spelling list of ten words. That may not sound so hard, but these words often include difficult ones like appropriate, parenthesis, coordination. Also, our regular Monday spelling homework is to write the words in one column, put them into alphabetical order in the next column, and to add a rhyming word in the last column. Often this challenges parents too, when in some cases, there just isn’t a good rhyming word. No matter – my goal is met because the assignment has made my kids think!
“Think! Think! Think!” is our classroom motto, and not only do I remind the kids to do that, but they remind each other. (That makes my heart sing!)
My class also keeps a Reading Log where they record the books they read at home. It’s a good way for a parent to monitor their child’s reading progress since they must sign the Log. We are using the Pizza Hut “Book It” reward program this year – a month of reading earns a free pizza!
My class also loves to add points to their Reading Counts total at school. Their competitive spirits are challenged by reading a book and then taking a computer test to see if they can answer at least 90% of the questions correctly. This is an individual score but I’m proud to say that my class usually has one of the top total scores in the school!
Homework may include a variety of things, but never too much of anything. My philosophy is to teach my children responsibility by writing their assignments in their Agenda, accomplishing that task at home, and returning it to school the next day. I believe at this age, kids need time after school to play, participate in music or sports, and be with their families without homework stress.
The culminating activity in 2nd grade every week is the “Friday Test” which the kids love, but view as a major challenge. It is a test that includes spelling, comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, trivia, listening skills, math computation and logic. Everyone takes this test VERY seriously and they always perform at their highest level. In fact, visitors to our room during this time are astonished by the kid’s focus and total concentration. It’s a good way for me to see what they are really retaining, and a great confidence builder for them.
