email Ms. Brennan
Welcome to Ms. Brennan's Second Grade Class in Room 15!
Get ready for a fabulous, festive, funky and fact filled school year!! It's on!
Quick back to school note: ASAP! Please email me at hbrennan@bcps.org so I can set up my all important email distribution list that will enable you to have fast, important information emailed to you on a regular basis. Multiple email addresses are fine, but emailing me from those addresses is the best way for me to get the correct address. Thanks!
Another quick BTS note: Please do NOT submit a check for your child's Weekly Reader magazine. Grade level funds will be used instead.
A few more things to consider as we start out:
-Thank you for being considerate and safe by NOT allowing your child to pack any classroom snacks that may contain allergy-inducing foods, especially nuts and shellfish.
-What's cooking? Juat a reminder that you can visit bcps.org to quickly retrieve lunch menus for the present and upcoming month.
-Playground safety: Athletic shoes, comfortable and nonrestrictive clothing, and nonhazardous jewelry are essential for playground and recess activities.
-Change of clothing and shoes: always a good idea for a number of "just in case" scenarios.
-More health reminders: Marathon Kids is a fun "race" activity and fitness program that Riderwood offers. Please see our Phys Ed teacher's (Linda Williamson) website for more fun information.
Thanks in advance to all of our wonderful Riderwood families for their knowledge, manpower, and can-do attitude. Working as a team, we will be successful in implementing, enriching, and exceeding federal, state, and county goals and expectations.
Checking this website on a regular basis is advised, however I will be sending frequent group emails with specifics that will include current literature themes, vocabulary lists, homework assignments and tips, math study guides closely aligned with unit tests, events calendars, and other helpful information.
If you don't have internet email, please let me know so we can make arrangements for you to access this important information.
Your feedback, suggestions and questions are valuable, welcome and appreciated, and our door is always open to families and friends (unless we're taking a test!)
Here's Field Trip Information to date:
1. Mid-October: Trip to Herr's Potato Chip Factory
2. April: Camp Puhtok. Parent Volunteer Training will take place on 4/7 from 10:00-12:30 and then the class trip will take place on 4/20. Please email me if you are interested in training for this wonderfully informational, hands-on field trip!
3. June: Maryland Zoo
More details on the way!
Here's our daily schedule:
8:55-11:25 Reading/Written Language
11:31-12:01 Lunch
12:01-12:20 Recess :)
12:20-1:20 Math
1:20-2:10 Special
2:10-3:10 Sci/Soc Stud/Health
Here's our schedule for specials:
Monday: Vocal Music with Mr. Allman
Tues: Art
Wed: Library
Thurs: Vocal Music with Ms. Naumann
Fri: Phys Ed
Computer Lab is on - info on the way!
Here are some important calendar dates:
September 2009
4 F) Sneaks Spirit Day - wear your Balt Co. Library T-shirt
7 (M) Schools Closed-Labor Day
28 (M) Schools Closed - Yom Kippur
Back to School Nite - Info on the way!
Back to School Picnic - OTW!
October 2009
16 (F) Professional Dev - Schools Closed
November 2009
5 (Th) First Marking Period Ends
19 (Th) Report Cards Distributed
16 (M) American Education Week
23 (M) Conference Day
26 (Th)and 27 (F) Thanksgiving Holiday
Here's how we roll in Room 15 : )
Reading:
Room 15 Recommended Reading List from the class:
-on the way!
Please stress the concepts of text at home:
fiction - made up! Think elephants in tutus.....
realistic fiction - made up but could happen,
nonfiction - informational
Always point out titles, authors, and text features like headings, table of contents, captions, and dialog
As you enjoy a great book with your child, snuggle close enough to him/her so they can see the text as you model a read aloud with great rate, tone and inflection. Pause occasionally to discuss interesting words and key points
"That's a great word!
How many letters are in it?
Sound it out (or label it an outlaw word)
Count syllables
Discuss short and long vowel sounds
Why does this word start upper case?
How did the author end the sentence?
Maybe an exclamation point would have been better....
Whether you’re reading or your child is, again please remember to cuddle up close so the both the reader and the listener are tracking text fluently with fingers left to right.
More recommended reading:
Dr. Seuss, Magic Tree House, Animal Ark, Junie B. Jones, Katie Kazoo, Fudge, Rotten Ralph, the Zach files, American Girl. Go for challenging quality literature - at this age curiosity and determination will help tremendously.
Amazon.com and various local thrift stores have great selections on new and gently used books.
Word Wall
Please work with sight words to build critical speed and automaticity. Here’s one list the grade level.....
-on the way!
Some color words are true "outlaws" (impossible to sound out) so reinforce those along with number words.
Math
Math Vocab? It's critical for building confidence, listening and following directions. Make word cards for: add, subtract, sum, addend, fact family, whole, part, equals, how many, group, place value, first, second, third, …..,fraction, all geometry vocab including both 2D and 3D shapes, flat (model for 100), rod (model for 10), and cube (model for 1). Place value (ones, tens, and hundreds place) and fact families are critical math concepts. Basics include:
Part + part = whole (addition)
Whole – part = part (subtraction)
Whole is ALWAYS your biggest number, so right away child can easily look at three numbers and determine what role they will play in the number sentence/fact family.
Ok to switch your parts, but don’t move the whole! Use manipulatives, paper clips, to reinforce. You can try Fruit Loops and M&M's but be aware your quantities may change!!
Always use car travel / trip to Target time to skip count by 5s, 10s, even 25s and backwards by ones.
Mental math means counting on, up and back for addition is emphasized in first and second:
22 + 6. Say 22, then fingers up as you count on 6 times to get to the whole.
15 – 10 Start at the part (10) and count up to the whole (15) to get the missing part (5). Always stress that you say the beginning number and then put fingers up to count.
Of course we start with low numbers but children are amazed they count big numbers with little fingers.
For fractions, always draw your line and start with the denominator to show the total number of “regions”. Then back up, reread the word prob and determine the numerator.
Multiplication: The first factor is ALWAYS how many groups and the second factor is how many in each group. Can’t go wrong with this method : )
Science Tips
In Science, we always:
-Observe
-Describe
and then
-Classify
This simple formula works beautifully in all areas of science, so grab a topic and go!
Every season is a wonderful time to explore the science all around us as we observe natural and manmade forces at home, at school, in the park or at the zoo. These investigations should be fun and exciting. A science log journal can be a simple 3-ring binder. Include lined paper, plain paper, and plastic pockets for holding those interesting leaf and grass discoveries.
Stay tuned (outside!)for further exciting details!
Thanks, wonderful, busy Room 15 families, and please don't hesitate to contact me at hbrennan@bcps.org with any questions or comments.
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