We have jumped back into the swing of things, after a nice summer-feeling vacation, with both feet. We have been reading about both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We know lots of facts about both. This is great because next week we need to write a biography for the district.
To help us prepare for this district writing assessment, we have combined both second grades and have been working on writing autobiographies with our special guest teacher..............Mrs. Maloney!!!! They are coming along beautifully. Her experience with Writers Workshop has helped us write fantastic leads. I can't wait to read their finished products.
Some students got REALLY rusty with subtraction. We have practiced all week and will continue to do so until we work out all the kinks.
The PTO has a trivia night planned. I hope lots of grown-ups plan to attend. It's a fun night that you won't want to miss.
********Notes from Mrs. Potamis' Class
Friday, March 3, 2017
Friday, February 17, 2017
Valentine/Hundred Day
Tuesday was a very exciting day in second grade. Not only was it Valentine's Day but it was also the 100th day of school. The day was a whirlwind. We flipped flopped back and forth from one "holiday" to the other all day. One activity was to write about being 100 years old, they could have written about their life at that time or what they've done in their hundred years. We read them aloud and I LOVED hearing about their future selves. To add even more excitement to the day, it was the first day back after an extended snowy weekend.... crazy fun!
We watched a read aloud of our mentor text, Each Kindness. I told the kids I both hated and loved this story. I hated how the students were mean to the new girl but loved how one student realized how terrible she had been. I'm glad she learned her lesson. The author writes that kindness is like tossing a stone in a puddle, the ripples reach far and wide (those weren't her exact words but close enough). I thought it was an excellent lesson to learn. Unfortunately, the main character learned it a little to late.
As a follow-up activity, we played a game that the student were super excited about. We secretively pick a name and watched that student throughout the day. We were like detectives and spies. At the end of the day, we shared the kind things we observed our student do. Students loved it so much they begged to play again. The second day, the students wrote about the kind things they observed. It was certainly a feel good activity and made each student strive to be even MORE kind than their usual awesome selves.
Have a fun vacation everyone!
We watched a read aloud of our mentor text, Each Kindness. I told the kids I both hated and loved this story. I hated how the students were mean to the new girl but loved how one student realized how terrible she had been. I'm glad she learned her lesson. The author writes that kindness is like tossing a stone in a puddle, the ripples reach far and wide (those weren't her exact words but close enough). I thought it was an excellent lesson to learn. Unfortunately, the main character learned it a little to late.
As a follow-up activity, we played a game that the student were super excited about. We secretively pick a name and watched that student throughout the day. We were like detectives and spies. At the end of the day, we shared the kind things we observed our student do. Students loved it so much they begged to play again. The second day, the students wrote about the kind things they observed. It was certainly a feel good activity and made each student strive to be even MORE kind than their usual awesome selves.
Have a fun vacation everyone!
Friday, January 27, 2017
Alexander
This week has been lots of fun reading about Alexander. There are lots of stories staring him and things just never seem to go his way.
In math, we started subtracting across zero. This means tricky math problems like 200-164. The kids are totally rocking it. Let's hope they keep up the hard work because this can be TRICKY.
I happy to report we have a new student. He started Thursday with us from the Altavesta. Luckily, he already knew a few students so is fitting in right away.
Our animal reports are moving right along. Next Wednesday, the dioramas are due. Hopefully we will have finished our final copy of our report and be ready to present. Students really seem to be enjoying this project.
We have finished reading Amber Brown is Not a Crayon. I just love this story. Amber and Justin get in a fight but they work it out at the end.
In math, we started subtracting across zero. This means tricky math problems like 200-164. The kids are totally rocking it. Let's hope they keep up the hard work because this can be TRICKY.
I happy to report we have a new student. He started Thursday with us from the Altavesta. Luckily, he already knew a few students so is fitting in right away.
Our animal reports are moving right along. Next Wednesday, the dioramas are due. Hopefully we will have finished our final copy of our report and be ready to present. Students really seem to be enjoying this project.
We have finished reading Amber Brown is Not a Crayon. I just love this story. Amber and Justin get in a fight but they work it out at the end.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
MLK and Iditarod
The past two weeks have been lots of fun. We studied Martin Luther King Jr. last week. We read lots of stories about him and even wrote our own "dream" for the future.
This week Akiak was our mentor text. Akiak is a fictional Iditarod sled dog that ran the race by himself, well most of it anyway. Did you know that the Iditarod race is 1,151 miles and lasts up to 10 days? Your student has more facts they can share with you.
We were thrilled to have the fifth graders come and write a paragraph about habitats with us. Coincidentally, they are working on biome projects and dioramas at the same time as us. The fifth graders were awesome. They had lots of interesting facts to share and helped us write bold beginnings and conclusion sentences. I think both grades benefited from the experience.
Everyone passed in their animal notes and we started writing our reports. The first two paragraphs went smoothly and students were heard saying, "this is fun". Some students have already finished their dioramas. They look great. I can't wait until we are ready to present.
Amber Brown's best friend, Justin, is moving. Ask your child to tell you more about their story. We have been reading about them all week.
Next Tuesday is a half day and dismissal is at 12:30. Teachers will be working on progress reports that will be going home next Friday.
This week Akiak was our mentor text. Akiak is a fictional Iditarod sled dog that ran the race by himself, well most of it anyway. Did you know that the Iditarod race is 1,151 miles and lasts up to 10 days? Your student has more facts they can share with you.
We were thrilled to have the fifth graders come and write a paragraph about habitats with us. Coincidentally, they are working on biome projects and dioramas at the same time as us. The fifth graders were awesome. They had lots of interesting facts to share and helped us write bold beginnings and conclusion sentences. I think both grades benefited from the experience.
Everyone passed in their animal notes and we started writing our reports. The first two paragraphs went smoothly and students were heard saying, "this is fun". Some students have already finished their dioramas. They look great. I can't wait until we are ready to present.
Amber Brown's best friend, Justin, is moving. Ask your child to tell you more about their story. We have been reading about them all week.
Next Tuesday is a half day and dismissal is at 12:30. Teachers will be working on progress reports that will be going home next Friday.
Monday, December 19, 2016
Showtime
I hope you had a chance to watch us perform Friday. If you were there, I'm sure you are thinking second grade was EXCEPTIONAL! Our Hippo song had a LOT of words and we totally rocked it and what grandparent doesn't swoon when a kiss is blown their way? We were awesome!
We read three great "gingerbread man" stories this week. Each one had it's own special twist. We have been sequencing all week using our transition words. So, it only made sense to use those transition words to sequence how we eat a gingerbread cookie.
If you haven't already heard, Rudolf the elf has been visiting us all week. He was hugging Wally, tangled in tape and he even colored a picture of Santa.
We are still counting coins and practicing addition with regrouping. On top of that, we did a little measuring with centimeters. I have a fun Rudolf themed shape bingo game saved for next week. We better review our 2D and 3D shapes before then.
If you are out shopping for the perfect gift this week. You may want to freshen up your child's school supplies. By now, almost everyone's glue sticks have run out and most crayons have lost or broken.
We read three great "gingerbread man" stories this week. Each one had it's own special twist. We have been sequencing all week using our transition words. So, it only made sense to use those transition words to sequence how we eat a gingerbread cookie.
If you haven't already heard, Rudolf the elf has been visiting us all week. He was hugging Wally, tangled in tape and he even colored a picture of Santa.
We are still counting coins and practicing addition with regrouping. On top of that, we did a little measuring with centimeters. I have a fun Rudolf themed shape bingo game saved for next week. We better review our 2D and 3D shapes before then.
If you are out shopping for the perfect gift this week. You may want to freshen up your child's school supplies. By now, almost everyone's glue sticks have run out and most crayons have lost or broken.
Friday, December 9, 2016
Back At It
It was nice to be back this week after quite a long Thanksgiving break I am feeling better each day and thank you for all the well wishes. It's nice to be missed . Stone Soup was our mentor text for the week. We compared three different version of the story and worked on making sentences "soup"-er by adding more details and proper capitalization and punctuation. Ask your child to tell you about the stories.
We have been working hard on counting coins. By now, your child should be able to count coins to $1.00. Please practice at home if your student isn't there yet.
For fun, students made gingerbread people. They look very festive on our bulletin board. We read Gingerbread Baby and The Gingerbread Man then compared and contrasted them.
We are reading Ready Freddy Second Grade Rules as well. Freddy is excited to go trick-or-treating with the new boy in school, Josh. They have a great idea for their costumes.
Next week, we will be performing in the Holiday Program. I'm not going to lie, we are fantastic and will probably steal the show. We practiced Holly, Jolly Christmas for the first time today and we nailed it. The words to our songs were sent home to practice. The show is Friday morning 9:00.
We have been working hard on counting coins. By now, your child should be able to count coins to $1.00. Please practice at home if your student isn't there yet.
For fun, students made gingerbread people. They look very festive on our bulletin board. We read Gingerbread Baby and The Gingerbread Man then compared and contrasted them.
We are reading Ready Freddy Second Grade Rules as well. Freddy is excited to go trick-or-treating with the new boy in school, Josh. They have a great idea for their costumes.
Next week, we will be performing in the Holiday Program. I'm not going to lie, we are fantastic and will probably steal the show. We practiced Holly, Jolly Christmas for the first time today and we nailed it. The words to our songs were sent home to practice. The show is Friday morning 9:00.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Thanksgiving Feast
Monday, the second graders will be having a Thanksgiving feast. We will make Pilgrim hats or Native American headdresses, bake cornbread and celebrate all we are thankful for with Ms. Cotter's class. It's going to be crazy fun and everyone is looking forward to it.
This week, we spent quite some time working on narrative writing. Students learned about small moment, seed stories, and applied it to their writing. They brainstormed ideas, created an organizer for their story, and wrote. Students then revised their stories to ensure it had a bold beginning. They revised, yet again, adding transition words. Our stories look great.
Our mentor text this week was Turk and Runt. Runt is a smart little turkey who saves his family.
Some Halloween pictures have been added to edline. Go check them out if you haven't yet.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with food, fun and family!
This week, we spent quite some time working on narrative writing. Students learned about small moment, seed stories, and applied it to their writing. They brainstormed ideas, created an organizer for their story, and wrote. Students then revised their stories to ensure it had a bold beginning. They revised, yet again, adding transition words. Our stories look great.
Our mentor text this week was Turk and Runt. Runt is a smart little turkey who saves his family.
Some Halloween pictures have been added to edline. Go check them out if you haven't yet.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with food, fun and family!
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