The Second Grade Ranch

Hello Second Grade Families, This week, your children will begin taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.  Our mornings for the next few weeks, will be spent completing sections of the Iowa tests to measure our strengths and our areas for growth.  Please read the information found below to ensure that your child is ready each day for testing. Get a good night's rest!  Second graders typically need 10 hours of sleep each night. Eat a healthy and filling breakfast!  Healthy foods provide children with brain power and are a good source of energy.  Sugary cereals and drinks create hyperactivity and a lack of focus power in children. Pack filling and nutritious snacks for our daily morning breaks.  The testing will require the children to completely focus throughout the morning. The second graders will be testing every day at around 8:30 am.  Please be on time! Also know, that the second graders will not have their typical homework for the next few w...

Hello Second Grade Families, Welcome to the season of Spring!  The season when plants grow, flowers bloom, and the weather is just perfect for outdoor activities.  It's also the season when we all look forward to Spring Break and the celebration of Easter!  Easter is late this year, and so, I'm going to need your help in assisting the students with staying focused in our classroom learning activities.  I will be giving my best effort in creating some new and exciting hands on activities to keep the kids engaged in the second grade, as we navigate through the next four weeks together.  Thank you for your partnership and here's to a beautiful Spring season.  Please continue reading to discover all that will be taking place this week in the second grade and right here at ACS. ELA ( Strong Communicators) The second grade students will be stepping outside of their Journey's lessons this week in order to prepare for our upcoming ITBS testing that begins nex...

May the luck of the Irish be with all of our second grade families! Blessings to you and your family and hopes that your families all had a wonderful four day weekend and a wonderful St. Patrick's Day.  This week, your students will resume their English Language Arts schedule.  A reading log will also be sent home this week, however, your child will only need to read and log it for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night.  All of the reading logs will be due on Friday, March 22nd.  Please continue reading to discover all that will be taking place inside the second grade classroom and right here at ACS. ELA ( Strong Communicators) Spelling ~Suffixes Grammar ~ Irregular Verbs Writing ~ Informative Writing Target Skills ~ Conclusions, Sequence of Events, Summarize Math  (Resourceful Learners) The students will continue their learning in Unit 7.  This unit focuses on money and time concepts. In class, the second graders will continue...

Hello Second Grade Families, Welcome to our Lenten season.  This is the time when we as Catholics focus on praying, fasting, & serving those in need.  Your children will begin this week by experiencing a Second Grade Lenten Retreat at St. Rose.  It's going to be a meaningful way to pray the Stations of the Cross in our Catholic tradition.  Thank you to all of our parent chaperones for assisting the second graders on their retreat.  Please continue reading to discover all that will be taking place during this short 4 day week. ELA ( Strong Communicators) Due to it being a short week, the students will be reviewing past content that focuses on  fluency comprehension writing The students will be creating a formal writing piece this week that requires them to utilize the writing process (brainstorm, rough draft, edit, revise, and create their final copy). There will be no Spelling test this week! Math  (Resourceful Learners) The stude...

Hello Second Grade Families, This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and it will begin the holy season of Lent in our Catholic faith.  This week, your children will be experiencing a variety of religious based activities.  On Monday, the second graders will be leading our school wide Rosary.  On Wednesday and on Friday, all of the students will be attending Mass.  In class, the students will have an Ash Wednesday themed lesson and we will also be learning that Jesus forgives through the Jesus Our Life religion series.  It is going to be a faith filled week, so here's to celebrating the gift of our Catholic traditions. Please continue reading to discover all that will be taking place this week in the second grade and right here at ACS: ELA ( Strong Communicators) Spelling ~ Homophones Grammar ~ Using adjectives Writing ~ Informative Writing Target Skills ~ Understanding Characters, Figurative Language, Question Math  (Resourceful Learners) The...

Hello Second Grade Families, The second trimester ended last Friday and your child will be bringing home their report card with the grades that they each earned at the end of this week (Friday, March 1st).  When your child's report card arrives home, please take a moment to sit with your child to praise them for the areas that they excelled in and to also discuss the areas where they need to grow.  In the second grade classroom, the children and I always talk about our gifts (our strengths) and our challenges (individual focus areas to help us grow).  Your children know that my gift is in the language arts, but they also know that algebra was my achilles heal when I was in high school.  Please also take a moment to talk to your child about their humanity.  For example, is your child friendly, gentle, or helpful?  If so, those are gifts they easily share with others, which benefits everyone that they come in contact with.  However, it is also importa...

Welcome Back Second Grade Families! I hope that you and your families had a wonderful extended weekend!  In honor of President's Day, your children will be learning about the life of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.  Our short 4 day work week will be filled with many other learning activities too, so please continue reading to discover all that will be taking place both in our classroom and right here at ACS. ELA ( Strong Communicators) Spelling ~ Words with or, ore Grammar ~ Commas in a series Writing ~ Narrative Writing Target Skills ~ Compare and Contrast, Figurative Language, Monitor/Clarify Math  (Resourceful Learners) The students will continue to work in unit 6.  Unit 6 focuses on adding and subtracting to the hundreds place.   In class, the second graders will continue their math "sprints" to assist them in the skill of "automaticity" with their basic addition and subtraction facts.   Please note, that the second grade...