Second Grade Team

Mrs. Elman Contact: phone: (847) 433-0090 x228, after hours dial x2282 for voicemail e-mail: kelman@nssd112.org

Mrs. Herdrich Contact: phone: (847) 433-0090 x228, after hours dial x2322 for voicemail e-mail: mherdrich@nssd112.org

Mr. Meekhof Contact: phone: (847) 433-0090 x231, after hours dial x2312 for voicemail e-mail: dmeekhof@nssd112.org

Ms. Polakoff Contact: phone: (847) 433-0090 x236, after hours dial x2362 for voicemail e-mail: lpolakoff@nssd112.org

Teachers Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:40 - 3:17

Units of Study: Reading: While fluency is often the first measure used when assessing reading, comprehension is an important barometer that indicates if your child has understood what he or she has read. Comprehension is essential because it crosses all areas of curriculum. Students will need to read and comprehend information in all subjects. Following are a few ways to help build comprehension when you read with your child. Ask your child to retell what was read in his/her own words. Ask questions that require your child to predict what the story will be about, what is likely to happen next, or how it may end. Ask your child to describe people, places, objects, and events in a story. Ask your child to tell you what happened first, next, and last in a story. Have your child tell about characters' feelings or attitudes and why they might feel that way. Ask your child to describe similarities and differences between two characters, settings, or problems in a story. Have your child tell you what the problem and solution were in the story. Ask your child how he/she is similar to or different from a character in the story. Ask your child to find details which tell about the main idea or about the topic. Ask your child to tell you which details in a story or passage are important and which are not as important. Help your child turn headings, subheadings, and bold print into questions and then read to find the answer. When reading nonfiction or informative texts, have your child read the first sentence of a paragraph and then tell you what information is likely to be in that paragraph. Have your child read and interpret everyday types of reading material, such as newspapers, advertisements, sale notices, bulletins, announcements, labels, road signs, and billboards. Ask questions about these reading materials. At school you will see teachers... Continuing to teach letter-sound relationships for children who need more practice. On average, children need about two years of instruction in letter-sound relationships to become good spellers as well as readers. Teaching the meaning of words, especially words that are important to understanding a book. Teaching ways to learn the meaning of new words. Teachers cannot possibly teach students the meaning of every new word they see or read. Children should be taught how to use dictionaries to learn word meanings, how to use known words and word parts to figure out other words, and how to get clues about a word from the rest of the sentence. Helping children understand what they are reading by teaching specific reading strategies. Good readers think as they read and they know whether what they are reading is making sense. Teachers help children to check their understanding. When children are having difficulty, teachers show them ways to figure out the meaning of what they are reading. We also teach how to use the following reading strategies: making predictions, inferring, retelling, visualizing, making connections, determining importance, and questioning. Spelling: Your child's list of spelling words will be sent home each week. Students should study their words every night. Spelling tests will be given on Fridays. Students are also expected to use words they have studied in their writing. After winter break, students will be responsible for writing sentences for their spelling words. Parents can help their child by editing the sentences for grammar and mechanics. Different ways to Study Weekly Spelling Words : Good spellers develop strategies that allow them to learn how to spell a large number of words, even those they have not attended to in formal instruction. They do so because they have internalized a network of word-solving strategies, a few important principles, and many basic spelling patterns. The following is a list of ways your child can practice his/her weekly spelling words. Because we know children learn differently, we have included a variety of ideas to meet the needs of all students as they work to master the spelling of weekly words. Alphabetize the words. Divide each word into syllables. Write each word and circle the vowels. Write each word and circle the consonants. Write each word neatly in pen. Write and neatly frame each word. Make a set of flashcards for studying your words. Write each word with vowels written in red and consonants written in black. Use each word in a sentence and underline the spelling words. Write the word and a synonym for each word. Write the word and an antonym for each word. Type the words three times each. Cut the words out of a magazine or newspaper. Record words on a cassette tape and practice with a tape recorder. Make a word search using the words (graph paper works well when making the word search). For each spelling word, write three words with the same spelling pattern. Write tongue twisters with the words. Use the words in similes. (Ex: He was quiet as a mouse. She sang like a mockingbird.) Write a story or letter using the words. Underline each word. Write the words in code. (Ex: numbers for each letter) Math: In math, our units of study include: addition and subtraction strategies, geometry, place value, estimation, telling time, counting money, and measurement. Students are also expected to solve problems and explain how they arrived at their answers. Science: The students study the following units in second grade: Habitats Weather States of Matter Sound Social Studies: Our school district's social studies curriculum is the Social Studies Alive! program. The students study communities. They learn what a community is and the different types of communities. They also practice map skills.

The Home/School Connection: The expectations and routines that you establish in your home greatly affect your child's school success. Some simple things that you can do to support your child include the following: Read to your child. Enjoy stories, poetry, and informational writing together. Read with expression and discuss the selection. Have your child put the selection in his/her own words. This will build your child's vocabulary, improve his/her comprehension, and motivate him/her to read. Provide your child with experiences. Trips to the grocery store, zoo, park, skating rink, etc. provide experiences that build vocabulary. A larger vocabulary will strengthen your child's reading and enrich his/her writing. Encourage your child to read. Children become good readers by reading. Give your child books as gifts. Visit the library often. Whenever possible, allow your child to choose books from book orders, book fairs, and bookstores to add to his/her personal library. Keep a tote bag full of books that's easy to take for visits to the doctor's office, on car trips, etc. Encourage your child to write. Children become good writers by writing. Supply your child with paper, pencils, markers, etc. and encourage him/her to write letters, stories, cards, lists, poems, etc. Children are often more motivated to write when they can illustrate what they've written. Writing experiences will help your child improve his/her reading and writing. Establish and maintain a homework routine that supports the child's learning. Use the class routine for assignments and tests to plan a workable homework routine. Provide your child with a homework materials caddy (pencils, markers, ruler, paper, crayons, scissors, etc.) and a quiet place to work. Encourage him/her to check his/her work. Provide your child with a dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and other references to support his/her completion of homework..

Classroom Procedures : Birthday Celebrations: Every child loves to feel special, so on their most special day, their birthday, we celebrate together. Peanut-free, healthy treats should be sent in with your child or dropped off at the office by noon. When buying store-bought treats, please make an effort to get all the same flavor. This helps your child to pass out treats without hurt feelings. Please send any needed utensils and paper products (plates, napkins, forks, etc.). We do not have these items on hand at school. We celebrate half birthdays for children with summer birthdays. Water Bottles : We strongly encourage you to send your child to school with a water bottle, especially during the warm weather. We have no drinking fountain in our room and it is disruptive and time-consuming for students to be leaving the room for drinks many times during the day. Portfolios: Your child will be keeping a portfolio of their second grade work. Portfolio papers will be both teacher chosen and student chosen. All portfolio work will be returned at the end of the year. Guest Reader: On most Fridays we will end our day with a guest reader. Guest readers should plan on bringing a book to read to our class for approximately 15 minutes. Picture books are good choices. Some guest readers also like to entice the children to finish a chapter book by reading a chapter or two to us and then challenging the students to check it out of the library to finish it. If you signed up to be a guest reader, you may want your child to help you choose a book he/she thinks the class would like to hear. We will send a reminder note home to guest readers. Communication: Communication is very important to us, so please feel free to ask questions, and express any concerns or ideas you may have regarding your child. Your child's education and well being are our priorities. We want to work together to make this year a success for all of us!

Second Grade Homework: Math Home Links and spelling homework are the only activities that are sent home on a regular basis. Math Home Links are always due the day after they are assigned. From time to time a child may be asked to take an assignment home if it was not finished at school. In addition to work sent home: Children are encouraged to study their math facts on a daily basis. Children should read every night and track their reading on their reading Log. your child may read silently, read aloud, read to someone else, or have someone read to him/her. Consider having "Family Reading Time." Modeling reading for your child will help him/her see its importance. In addition to our classroom journals, your child may want to keep a diary of their life in second grade, thus strengthening their writing skills. This also serves as a nice memory of their second grade year. How much help should be given with homework? This depends on each child's study habits. At the beginning of the year, students may need extra homework help. First, make sure the child understands the directions. Do a few problems together, then watch your child do a few. When your child is finished, check the work. Praise right answers, and show how to correct mistakes. Avoid doing your children's homework for them. Teachers need to see where children are having trouble. One of the most helpful things you can do is to show your children that you think homework is important.