It’s hard to believe that June is already here! While we still have a of couple of weeks left in the school year, it feels like the year is winding down with the Fiske Family Picnic, Field Day, and other end of the year activities coming up. We are trying our best to stay focused and cover the remaining curriculum in second grade. At this time of the year, it often seems that students revert back to beginning of the school year behaviors. We have been reviewing general school and classroom rules as well as work expectations. I feel like I am starting many sentences with, “You are almost third graders. In third grade, …” Thank you for your diligence with regard to reminding your children of their responsibilities.

     As some of your children may have shared with you, I am pregnant and expecting my new addition in early November. My husband and I are very excited to share the news. I will be returning in the fall for the first couple of months of school.

     Below is a quick overview of topics currently being covered. You can get a good sense of some of the lessons occurring in the classroom by reviewing corrected work in the take home folder with your child. This also allows you to get an idea of the quality of his or her work. These descriptions are brief, so ask your child for more details!

• Reading: We wrapped up our Gail Gibbons author study and focus on nonfiction texts. It’s great to see more students showing an interest in nonfiction! We recently began a poetry unit focusing on two questions: (1) What makes poetry so special? and (2) How do poets create poetry? Students have worked on creating mental images, reading with rhythm, and making connections. We have mostly been reading Valerie Worth’s poetry.
• Writing: We just shared our “All About” books with each other and our buddies. For the remaining weeks of school, we will be focusing on writing poetry. In addition to using what we’ve learned in reader’s workshop, we will cover personification, similes/metaphors, word choice, line breaks, and much more.

·               Math: We are in the middle of our final math unit. It covers linear measurement and elapsed time.

·      Science: Our plants are in the final stages of their life cycle. Next week, we will be opening our pods and harvesting seeds. Throughout our plant growth and development unit, students have been creating an All About Plants book that shows what they have learned.