Dear Parents,
Welcome back to a new year. I have a hard time believing it is the year 2012. It seems such a short time ago we were so worried about the effects of the year 2000. Where did the last decade go?? As a child when I thought of the year 2012 I imagined life like the Jetsons. I thought I would be flying to school in my spaceship! Some days that would surely be nice. At least the Christmas traffic is gone.
Well, it is time to settle back into the familiar school routine. January and February are two long months with few days off. We accomplish a great deal during this time. Pray for no snow! Some of the hardest parts of our curriculum are introduced this month. We will soon begin learning a few letters in cursive. Second grade students no longer are required to be proficient in cursive in second grade. It was moved to a third grade proficiency three years ago. We will simple introduce this new way of writing in second grade. We will also be working hard in math and begin the preparations for First Communion.
Most students are doing well in Accelerated Reading. They are reading books from the A.R. list and taking tests on the computer. These tests are comprehension tests. Each book has a different level or point value assigned to it. Most of the books our students are reading are from one half to one point in value. Most of the tests are five to ten questions. There are a few students however that seem to lack the motivation to participate in this excellent reading program. It is not a requirement but strongly encouraged that all children participate in AR. It is not an option in third grade. Please encourage your child to participate in this reading challenge. Your child has a 20 minute reading assignment nightly so use that time to read from AR books. Meet two goals with one assignment!
January Subject Highlights
Reading
We will be covering r controlled vowels (ar,or,ur,er), variant vowels (oo, ou, ui, ew, au, aw), compare and contrast, inferences, predictions, antonyms, inflectional endings,linking verbs, helping verbs, irregular verbs, and contractions. Remember the reader comes home two times for each story. The first time a reading slip is to be signed and the second time is the night before the weekly assessment. Rereading the story helps review the facts and vocabulary words that will show up on the weekly assessment.
Math
We will finish topic 9 which studies subtraction with and without regrouping and move into topic 10 which continues subtraction with and without regrouping and addition with and without regrouping. If you hear your child use the letters BBB know that it stands for bottom bigger borrow. Ask them what it means! It is our way of remembering when to regroup in subtraction. Remember you can connect to the Scott Foresman sight from my website and practice any workbook page. I have also assigned all the reviews for topic 9 and will assign 10 when we begin those pages. This is a great way to review or look ahead to the next day’s lesson. A special congratulations to the students that have completed the entire Rocket Math program. They completed all addition and subtraction tests in the first semester! Way to go!!
Final Thoughts:
It is a new year and time to stop and reflect on the goals we have set for our children. How is your child moving along in Rocket Ship Math? Remember the program is designed to spend the first semester in addition and the second semester in subtraction.
How many AR points did your child earn last grading period? Could they earn one more point this grading period than they did last time?
Remember if you have any questions or concerns feel free to call or stop by before or after school. I am very fortunate to have such a supportive and concerned group of parents. You certainly make my job a joy!
Mrs. Barth
"BUZZ BACK TO HOME PAGE!"
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