Second Grade News and Homework

March 8, 2010

Dear Parents,

 

It was good to see so many of you at the auction.  Last week was a very busy week for second grade!  Students did a wonderful job at the Mass on Friday!  What good public speaking skills they now have!  Each day this month, two students a day are leading the Afternoon Prayer for the school over the intercom.  On Friday our 2nd grade will attend the daily Mass in the small chapel at 8:30.  Parents are welcome to attend. 

 

This week in math students will start work on their subtraction facts and working on two digit subtraction.  Next week we will start regrouping with subtraction, usually called “borrowing.” 

To make sure that everyone has solid memorization of their math facts, the new speed drill routine will be that students must have passed their speed drill test on Thursday with 40 or more problems completed correctly in three minutes before they move on to the next set.   Each child will have a speed drill sheet in his or her Take Home Folder that he or she will be studying for the week.  Some students will have make up tests to do if they were absent and/or have not mastered a set of facts.  The speed drill sheets that your child has in his or her homework packet today will be the set he or she is studying for this Thursday’s speed drill.   A great math resource for parents to use is macmillanmath.com.  We do not have access the password, but there are still many activities to do.  This site has practice tests, reinforcement activities, math fact games and more!

 

In class this week for reading we will read a story called “Animal Camouflage.”  To learn more about this story and the vocabulary, see the attached sheet.  Students will bring home the decodable reader:  Did You Know?  to read on Monday night. Students need to not only decode words as they read, but they need to make sure they don’t rush through so that they comprehend what is read. 

 

In religion we will learn about the Mass and how the first part of the Mass, called the “Liturgy of the Word” covers the “Opening Welcome,” the Penitential Rite, where we tell God we are sorry for any sins we committed during the week, giving glory to God in the “Gloria,” listening to the Word of God from the Bible readings, the “Homily,” and it ends with the “Prayers of the Faithful,” also called “petitions.”  We will learn about the second part of the Mass, the “Liturgy of the Eucharist” in a few weeks.  The family focus during Lent can be the Mass since students are learning about it and preparing for First Communion.  Families are encouraged to attend Friday night soup suppers at the parish.  The second graders and eight graders will be especially encouraged to attend soup supper on March 19th.

 

Monday:  Complete spelling pages 71-72.  Turn in tomorrow morning.  We will correct and discuss it together in class.  Read the decodable book to a parent and review math facts for about 10 minutes.

 

Tuesday:  Complete the math carrying and story problems worksheet pages 43 & 227.  Read to one of your parents for 10 minutes and then read some more on your own and review math facts for about 5 minutes. 

 

Wednesday: Write a spelling story using the spelling words.  It will need a beginning, a problem to be solved in the middle, and an end where the problem is solved.  Each sentence must start with a capital and end with an “end mark,” and be a complete thought.  Use neat writing and finger spacing between words.  Then copy all spelling words down that were not used in the sentences. Turn these into me tomorrow morning.  Be sure to proof check it.  Read to one of your parents for 10-15 minutes and review math facts for about 5 minutes.

 

Thursday:  Have a parent give you a "practice spelling test" and speed drill in preparation for our weekly tests.  Read to one of your parents for at least 10 minutes and review math facts for about 10 minutes.  Pack your Reading Log which is due tomorrow.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Linda Mitchell