Upcoming Dates:
Week of: January 4th
Week of: December 13th
Upcoming Dates:
Week of: December 6th
Upcoming Dates:
Week of: November 22 and 29
Upcoming Dates:
Social Studies/Science: We will continue our learning about having a growth mindset all year long. We are continuing with our science unit: The States of Matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases. Last week we focused on the materials that solids are made from and how the properties of those materials useful. We have also continued to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we added two more states: Idaho (ID) and Montana (MT). Ask your child about who does the dishes in Chef MIMAL's kitchen. It's "Ida" and "ManTAn"! (Idaho and Montana)
Week of: November 15th
Upcoming Dates:
Social Studies/Science: We will continue our learning about having a growth mindset all year long. However, this week we will be learning about the three different types of communities: urban, suburban, and rural. We We started a new science unit last week on the states of matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases. We focused on how to describe solid objects by their properties. We have also continued to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we added one more state: Washington (WA). Ask your child about Chef MIMAL's "Washing Machine".
Week of: November 1st
Upcoming Dates:
Math: This week we will continue our work with Module 3: "Place Value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1,000". In this unit the kids will learn all about place value as well and composing and decomposing numbers. It will set the foundation for adding and subtracting larger numbers later on in the school year. This week we will learn to count the total value of $1, $10, $100 bills up to $1,000. We will also learn to use a hundred's chart and an empty number line to skip count using different units.
Social Studies: We will continue our learning about having a growth mindset all year long. However, this week we will be learning about the three different types of communities: urban, suburban, and rural. We focused on "urban" and "suburban" communities last week and this week we will learn about "rural" communities. We have also continued to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we added three more states: TX, ME, and FL (the "three corners" of Chef MIMAL's kitchen).
Week of: October 25th
Upcoming Dates:
Nov. 2: Institute Day - No School for Students
Math: This week we will continue our work with Module 3: "Place Value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1,000". In this unit the kids will learn all about place value as well and composing and decomposing numbers. It will set the foundation for adding and subtracting larger numbers later on in the school year. This week we will learn to write numbers in three different ways: unit form, expanded form, and word form. We will also do a special pumpkin-carving lesson and use our place value skills to count and bundle the seeds! :)
Social Studies: We will continue our learning about having a growth mindset all year long. However, this week we will be learning about the three different types of communities: urban, suburban, and rural. We have also continued to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we reviewed all of the states that we have learned so far.
Week of: October 12th
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 18-22 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week - Early Dismissal on Thursday and Friday (11:00)
Nov. 2 - Institute Day - No School for Students
Math: This week we continue will start a new math module, Module 3: "Place Value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1,000". In this unit the kids will learn all about place value as well and composing and decomposing numbers. It will set the foundation for adding and subtracting larger numbers later on in the school year. This week we will bundle and count ones, tens, and hundreds to 1,000. We will also count up and down between 90 and 1,000 by ones, tens, and hundreds.
Social Studies: Our first unit in social studies will focus on building classroom community and building a growth mindset. Both of which will help us to have a successful year in second grade! This week we will continue to focus on one of the 5 habits that help with having a growth mindset and those are: Empathy, Flexibility, Persistence, Resilience, and Optimism. We will most likely focus on one or two words per week! This week our focus will be on "Optimism". We have also continued to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we reviewed these new states: MI and WI. Ask your child about the "mitten and the scarf" as well as the "wire whisk".
Week of: October 4th
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 18-22 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week - Early Dismissal on Thursday and Friday (11:00)
Nov. 2 - Institute Day - No School for Students
Math: This week we continue with our work in Module 2, "Addition and Subtraction of Length Units". This is a measurement unit that focuses on centimeters and meters. This week we will use string to measure lines and items that are not straight. We will also learn to use tape diagrams to compare the lengths of two objects. Finally, we will work on solving two-step word problems involving length. We will finish up this math module on measurement, ending the week with an end-of-the-unit assessment.
Social Studies: Our first unit in social studies will focus on building classroom community and building a growth mindset. Both of which will help us to have a successful year in second grade! This week we will continue to focus on one of the 5 habits that help with having a growth mindset and those are: Empathy, Flexibility, Persistence, Resilience, and Optimism. We will most likely focus on one or two words per week! This week our focus will be on "Resilience". We have also continued to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we reviewed these new states: IL, IN, and OH. Ask your child what happened with Chef MIMAL got an upset stomach and how that can help us remember these new states (warning....it's gross!).
Week of: September 27
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 18-22 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week - Early Dismissal on Thursday and Friday (11:00)
Nov. 2 - Institute Day - No School for Students
Math: This week we continue with our work in Module 2, "Addition and Subtraction of Length Units". This is a measurement unit that focuses on centimeters and meters. This week we will learn to compare lengths using centimeters and meters. We will also learn to relate measurements to unit size. Finally, we will work on solving addition and subtraction word problems using the ruler as a number line.
Social Studies: Our first unit in social studies will focus on building classroom community and building a growth mindset. Both of which will help us to have a successful year in second grade! This week we will continue to focus on one of the 5 habits that help with having a growth mindset and those are: Empathy, Flexibility, Persistence, Resilience, and Optimism. We will most likely focus on one or two words per week! This week our focus will be on "Persistence". We have also started to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we reviewed these states: MN, IA, MO, AR, and LA. Ask your child to tell you about "Chef MIMAL"!
Week of: September 20
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 18-22 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week - Early Dismissal on Thursday and Friday (11:00)
Nov. 2 - Institute Day - No School for Students
Writing: We will also be continuing our first unit in our writing curriculum, Lucy Calkins Writing Units of Study. The first unit is called, "Lessons from the Masters: Improving Narrative Writing". We will learn how to stretch out the story of a tiny moment by using and adding details to our writing. The kids will learn to zoom in on the small moments in their stories in order to add details that involve the senses!
Math: This week we will start a new math module, "Addition and Subtraction of Length Units". This is a measurement unit that focuses on centimeters and meters. This week we will learn about concepts of a ruler as well as estimating lengths using different measurement tools.
Social Studies: Our first unit in social studies will focus on building classroom community and building a growth mindset. Both of which will help us to have a successful year in second grade! This week we will continue to focus on one of the 5 habits that help with having a growth mindset and those are: Empathy, Flexibility, Persistence, Resilience, and Optimism. We will most likely focus on one or two words per week! This week our focus will be on "Flexibility and Persistence". We have also started to learn the locations of the 50 states. This past week we learned about these states: MN, IA, MO, AR, and LA. Ask your child to tell you about "Chef MIMAL"!
Week of: September 13th
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 18-22 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week - Early Dismissal on Thursday and Friday (11:00)
Nov. 2 - Institute Day - No School for Students
Writing: We will also be continuing our first unit in our writing curriculum, Lucy Calkins Writing Units of Study. The first unit is called, "Lessons from the Masters: Improving Narrative Writing". This week we will learn to capture everyday moments in our "Tiny Topics" notebooks and save them as possible story ideas. We will also learn how to stretch out the story of a tiny moment by using and adding details to our writing.
Math: We will continue with our first math module called: "Sums and Differences to 100". Much of the first unit (only 8 lessons) will be a review of first grade material. This week we will subtract single-digit numbers from multiples of 10 within 100. We will also learn the "take from ten" strategy. This will complete out first second grade math module. I am hoping to start our next module, on measurement, this week as well.
Social Studies: Our first unit in social studies will focus on building classroom community and building a growth mindset. Both of which will help us to have a successful year in second grade! This week we will start to focus on one of the 5 habits to help with having a growth mindset and those are: Empathy, Flexibility, Persistence, Resilience, and Optimism. We will most likely focus on one word per week! This week our focus will be on "Empathy".
Week of: September 7th
Upcoming Dates:
Sept. 6 - Labor Day - No SchoolOct. 18-22 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week - Early Dismissal on Thursday and Friday (11:00)
Writing: We will also be starting our first unit in our writing curriculum, Lucy Calkins Writing Units of Study. The first unit is called, "Lessons from the Masters: Improving Narrative Writing". This week we will talk about how you can learn craft moves from mentor authors. We will also learn to capture everyday moments in our "Tiny Topics" notebooks and save them as possible story ideas.
Math: We will continue with our first math module called: "Sums and Differences to 100". Much of the first unit (only 8 lessons) will be a review of first grade material. This week we will add and subtract like units, make 10 to add numbers up to 20, and mand 10 to add numbers up to 100. We will also learn about subtracting single-digit numbers from multiples of 10 (up to 100).
Social Studies: Our first unit in social studies will focus on building classroom community and building a growth mindset. Both of which will help us to have a successful year in second grade! This week we will start to focus on one of the 5 habits to help with having a growth mindset and those are: Empathy, Flexibility, Persistence, Resilience, and Optimism. We will most likely focus on two words per week!
Week of: August 30th
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 18-22 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week - Early Dismissal on Thursday and Friday (11:00)
Reading: This week we will be working on building our independent reading stamina. We will also learn about how to choose a "Just Right Book". Finally, we will work on getting comfortable with a couple of the reading applications on the iPads. Next week we will officially start our first reading unit: "Second Grade Reading Growth Spurt".
Writing: We will be starting our first unit in our writing curriculum, Lucy Calkins Writing Units of Study. The first unit is called, "Lessons from the Masters: Improving Narrative Writing". We will start the unit with a writing sample that will help me know more about your child as a writer. We will also talk about how you can learn craft moves from mentor authors.
Math: We will start our first module in math this week. We are using the Eureka math series. The first module is called, "Sums and Differences to 100". Much of the first unit (only 8 lessons) will be a review of first grade material. This week we will work on adding and subtracting like units, making ten to add within 100, and subtracting single-digit numbers from multiples of 10 (within 100).
Social Studies: Our first unit in social studies will focus on building classroom community and building a growth mindset. Both of which will help us to have a successful year in second grade!
Welcome back to school!
Second grade is such an exciting year! It is so rewarding to see how much second graders will grow, both academically and socially. There are many things I love about teaching, but one of my favorites is the relationship that I get to build with my students AND their families!
This will be my 19th year teaching in Oak Park. I started my career here and could not imagine being anywhere else. I have two kids of my own, so I know how important it is to teach with the whole child in mind. Social skills are just as important as academic skills and we will be working hard at both this year. My daughter, Emmy, will be a freshman at Lyons Township High School. My son, Charlie, will be in seventh grade at a middle school near our home in Western Springs.
As we start the year, please know that I am always available through email and am happy to answer any questions you might have. My email address is: lpelling@op97.org. I'm eager to get started and meet all of you very soon!
Week of: June 1st
Upcoming Dates:
Week of: May 24
Upcoming Dates:
Week of: May 10th
Upcoming Dates:
Writing: This week we will continue our work with our current writing unit: "Writing About Reading". In this unit the children will learn to write about their opinions. They will share their opinions about their favorite books. This week the kids will learn to write "nominations" for books that we love! These nominations will include text evidence to prove our opinions to others. Finally, we will learn to add quotes from our books to further support our opinions.
Week of: May 3rd
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: This week we will continue our work with our current writing unit: "Writing About Reading". In this unit the children will learn to write about their opinions. They will share their opinions about their favorite books. This week the kids will learn that writers must look for multiple pieces of evidence to support their opinions about a text. We will also study how and why authors use capital letters in different ways. Finally, we will learn to add fun little extras in order to "fancy up" our writing before sharing it with others.
Week of: April 19th
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: This week we will continue our work with our current writing unit: "Writing About Reading". In this unit the children will learn to write about their opinions. They will share their opinions about their favorite books. This week the kids will learn that writers who write about books often need to retell part of the story in order to help their readers better understand their opinion. We will also learn that writers write with a specific audience in mind. Finally, we will learn to use a checklist to set goals for ourselves as writers.
Week of: April 12th
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: This week we will also start a new writing unit: "Writing About Reading". In this unit the children will learn to write about their opinions. They will share their opinions about their favorite books. This week the kids will learn that writers are often inspired by their reading and reach out to others to share their ideas about characters. They will also learn to look closely at the the pictures in their books to help them develop opinions.
Week of: March 22
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will continue work with our writing unit: "Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages". This unit is all about writing poetry and focusing on line breaks, rhythm, and meaningful phrases. Making sure our words rhyme is completely optional (poetry is so much more than that!).This week the kids will learn that there is a relationship between structure and meaning in poetry. They will learn to choose structures that best match what they are trying to say. We will also learn that sometime writers write from a point of view other than their own. Finally, we will also work on revision this week.
Week of: March 15th
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will continue work with our writing unit: "Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages". This unit is all about writing poetry and focusing on line breaks, rhythm, and meaningful phrases. Making sure our words rhyme is completely optional (poetry is so much more than that!).This week the kids will learn to stretch their comparisons across many lines in their poems and to add actions that connect with the comparison. They will also experiment with different poem structures. We will study different structures by doing some close reading of mentor poems.
Week of: March 8th
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will continue work with our writing unit: "Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages". This unit is all about writing poetry and focusing on line breaks, rhythm, and meaningful phrases. Making sure our words rhyme is completely optional (poetry is so much more than that!).This week the kids will learn that poets repeat words, line, sounds, and images to give their poems rhythm. They will also learn that poets need to consider the mood they want to convey in their poems. Finally, we will talk about using comparison in our poems as a way to make meaning.
Week of: March 1
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will continue work with our writing unit: "Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages". This unit is all about writing poetry and focusing on line breaks, rhythm, and meaningful phrases. Making sure our words rhyme is completely optional (poetry is so much more than that!).This week the kids will work on editing their poems for spelling. We will also work on our word choice and try to find precisely the right words to match what we wish to say. Finally, the kids will learn that poets repeat words, lines, and sounds to give their poems rhythm.
Week of: February 22
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will continue work with our writing unit: "Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages". This unit is all about writing poetry and focusing on line breaks, rhythm, and meaningful phrases. Making sure our words rhyme is completely optional (poetry is so much more than that!).This week the kids will learn that poets choose topics that mean a lot to them, anchoring those topics in small meaningful moments. We will also talk about ways to come up with topics for our poems.
Week of: February 16th
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will start an exciting new writing unit: "Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages". This unit is all about writing poetry and focusing on line breaks, rhythm, and meaningful phrases. Making sure our words rhyme is completely optional (poetry is so much more than that!).This week the kids will learn that poets see the world through special lenses. They will see with both their hearts and minds, writing about the world in fresh, unusual ways. We will also work on listening for line breaks.
Week of: February 8th
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will be wrapping up our writing unit: "Writing Gripping Fictional Stories". This unit is all about character and plot development. The kids have so much fun making up their own characters and stories! This week the kids will "publish" one of the stories that the have written for this unit. They will be given a chance to share and celebrate their work with each other too!
Social Studies/Science: We will add new states to our United States map practice and continue to learn about the states of matter (solids, liquids, and gases). Ask your child about these states: VA, WV, and MD. Who is "Virginia" and what state makes her "WaVee" hair? She is dreaming of getting married. What state is her flowy wedding vail? For social studies, we are learning about the history of technology. Students are also sharing their technology interviews with each other.
Week of: January 25th
Upcoming Dates:
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will be continuing with our writing unit: "Writing Gripping Fictional Stories". This unit is all about character and plot development. The kids have so much fun making up their own characters and stories! This week the kids will learn how to add "transition words" to their writing. Examples of transition words include: first, next, afterwards, finally...
Social Studies/Science: We will add new states to our United States map practice and continue to learn about the states of matter (solids, liquids, and gases). Ask your child about these states: MA and CT. What tiny state is "cut" from ConnectiCUT? Chef Mimal has a "Massive" hook sticking out into the ocean to catch fish. For science, we are going to continue to learn about the properties of liquids.
Week of: January 19th
Upcoming Dates:
Feb. 1-5 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week (Sign-up will be sent out soon!)
*Italics are repeated from last week.
Writing: We will be continuing with our writing unit: "Writing Gripping Fictional Stories". This unit is all about character and plot development. The kids have so much fun making up their own characters and stories! This past week we learned how to add dialogue with the proper punctuation. We also learned how to keep our story organized. Next week we will do some editing and add transition words to our stories.
Social Studies/Science: We will add new states to our United States map practice and continue to learn about the states of matter (solids, liquids, and gases). Ask your child about these states: VT and NH. Can your child tell you about Chef Mimal's "v-shaped cooking knife" and his "new pet hamster"? For science, we are going to continue to learn about the properties of liquids.