A Pengium Christmas Performance December 13, 2012

The 2nd grade Christmas performance was terrific.  All of the students did a fabulous job.  We could not have done it with out the help and support from our administrators, staff, parents, and volunteers. 

2nd Grade Christmas Performance

Please mark your calendars.........

Our 2nd grade Christmas performance "A Penguin Christmas" will be Thursday, December 13 at 5:30.

Thanksgiving Feast

Our Thanksgiving Feast was a huge success.  Thank you to Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Ramps for making our meal so special.  Mrs. Watts provided all of the decorations as well as the delicious cake.  Mrs. Ramps cooked a delicious turkey and helped our class prepare for our readers theater we presented after our meal. A huge thank you to Mrs. McGee our PTO President for your help before and after our meal. 

Thanksgiving Celebration Feast

Red Ribbon Week

Liberty Elementary will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week
 October 22-26, 2012.  

Monday - Wear your crazy socks

Tuesday - Wear your sunglasses

Wednesday - Wear your hat

Thursday - Wear a crazy hair do 

Friday - Wear a red shirt, must wear uniform bottoms with red shirt.

Book Fair

The Book Fair has arrived at the LES Media Center.  Our class will visit the Book Fair Thursday, October 18 from 10:00 - 10:30.  The Book Fair will not accept any checks.  If you send cash please put it in an envelope with your childs name and the amount enclosed.  The Book Fair will also be open during the Fall Festival which is this Friday, October 19.  If you have any questions or concerns please let me know. 

Fall has arrived.

This week we will begin learning about the five regions of Georgia.  Over the weekend I took a trip to Ellijay, Georgia which is located in the Blue Ridge Region.  The leaves were turning and the climate was a crisp 46 degrees.  Over the last several weeks we have talked about fall and seasonal changes.  We also talked about fruits and vegetables that grow during the fall season.  While in Ellijay I visited several apple houses and purchased a bushel of golden delicious apples.  I also visited Burt's Pumpkin Patch and purchased some small pumpkins along with a large pumpkin for our classroom.  During our social studies lesson on Tuesday I will give each student an apple and a pumpkin.  This week I will take the students on a virtual field trip through Georgia.  

Stars

What is a constellation?  A constellation is a group of stars that forms a picture.  We have had such a great time learning about stars.  Over the last two weeks we have worked on many hands on assignments.  Take a look at some of the work: 

Place Value - Number Line from least to greatest

This week we have focused on comparing numbers.  Tuesday the students worked in groups placing numbers on a number line from least to greatest.  They were all able to master this skill.  :)

Constitution Day

Today we celebrated the 225th anniversary of the adoption of the United States Constitution.  Students participated in a Constitution Day program and learned the importance of the Constitution. 

Math Review Centers

Today we worked in centers that included, Sprint to 100, Math Magician (Computers), and a 3 minute math drill. I was so proud of all of them, they were all engaged and excited to learn :). 

"I Need My Monster"

Last week I read, “I Need My Monster.”  This is a great read aloud all students will love.  After I read the story we discussed story elements such as, main character, setting, and important events in the story.  The students completed an Accelerated Reader Fiction Pre-Test where they were able to list the character, setting, and important events in the story.

  

OCEAN Binders

Parents/Guardians:

Our OCEAN binders have not been as successful has I had hoped.  Starting this week students will keep their morning work in a folder in the classroom.  Homework will come home daily and can be found in the front pocket of their OCEAN Binder.  Students will also have a spelling contract starting this week.  The spelling contract will be kept with the spelling menu.  I have listed a selection of activities that they will need to complete by the end of the week.  I will continue to add resources to their binder as the year goes on.  Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions. 

Thank you and have a wonderful week,

Mrs. Cook

First Week of School

Our first week went smoothly.  The students all enjoyed working on activities getting to know each other, and we learned our daily routine and procedures.  We also celebrated a birthday Friday. 

 Please review our weekly newsletter, you will find a description of the strategies and skills taught and practiced for each subject, important upcoming events, spelling words, homework information, and important news from the teacher. 

Our class has PE on Fridays; please make sure your child wears tennis shoes and either pants or shorts. 

**Please print your child’s name in EVERYTHING; sweaters, coats, boots, gloves, hats, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc…

**Please send your child to school with a backpack everyday. He/she will be bringing home many important notes, as well as homework everyday.  Also please make sure they have their OCEAN Binder.  The OCEAN Binder will contain their homework, morning work, spelling work, weekly newsletter, and resources for you to review at home.  

Please feel free to contact me anytime with any questions or concerns. I do check my school e-mail several times during the day.

I am looking forward to working with you and your child this year. Second grade is an awesome year, and I am sure that your child will enjoy it!!!

Sincererly,

Mrs. Cook

August 6, 2012 - First Day of School

Today I read "First Day Jitters" to my students and we talked about how we all felt about our first day of school.  All of the kids were very nervous and excited to start a new school year.  We also played BINGO using words we listed on the board about how we felt about a new school year.  We ended the day playing Simon Says and dancing to Peanut Butter Jelly Time.  This is going to be a fantastic year. I am so excited to watch these students grow academically this school year.     

First Day of School

Tomorrow is the first day of school and I wanted to share my 2nd grade class picture; its amazing how fast time flies.  I am very excited and can't wait to get to know all of my students.  This is going to be a great year.  We are going to sail through common core.  :)

Welcome Back to School

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian,

I would like to take this opportunity to 

welcome your child to my classroom.  I 

am very excited to be your child’s 

teacher!  I look forward to working with 

you and your child and to a wonderful 

school year!  I hope that your child is 

eager to start their learning adventure.  

If you have any questions, comments, 

or concerns, please feel free to contact 

me at school or by cell phone. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Cook

Curriculum

Common Core Georgia Performance Standards

This school year Georgia has adopted the new Common Core Standards. On the next few pages you will be able to read what your child should be able to do at the end of 2^nd grade. A copy of the standards will also be in your child’s OCEAN binder. For students in second grade, instruction focuses on developing literacy and proficiency in language arts with the goal that all students become lifelong readers, competent writers, and effective communicators. Literacy is critical to academic success and is the key to becoming an independent learner in all other disciplines. Effective mathematics education provides students with a balanced instructional program. Standards-based mathematics instruction starts with basic material and increases in scope and content as the year progress. It is like an inverted pyramid, with the entire weight of the developing subject, including readiness for algebra, resting on the foundations built in the early grades

                   

                   2^nd Grade Common Core Expectations

 English Language Arts (ELA)

Students will receive instruction in reading, writing, and listening, speaking & language.

·        Students will be able to read with accuracy and fluency to support their comprehension and analysis of literature and informational text.

·        Students analyze the elements of narrative text, the characters, plot, and setting. Students learn about rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration and how those techniques add meaning to a story or poem. They compare and contrast elements within and among texts.

·        Students read, comparing and contrasting versions of stories written by different authors or from different cultures.

·        Students will know and apply grade level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

·        Students learn to recognize spelling correspondences, such as long and short vowels.

·        Students will learn to write narrative, informative, and opinion writing pieces. Students also learn to conduct shared research and writing projects and to use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing.

·        They use their knowledge of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words. They also use their knowledge of prefixes to determine the meaning of a new word formed when a prefix is added to a known word.

·        Students begin to use electronic media to record their speaking tasks. Students create audio recordings of their presentations of stories or poems.

·        They learn to identify and correctly use parts of speech (e.g., nouns, verbs, and pronouns) in writing and speaking. They learn more rules for capitalization, comma use, and spelling,

 

·        When students listen to the recordings of their own presentations, they can evaluate the quality of their presentations and use that information to improve their speaking skills.

·        Students will create readable documents with legible writing.

·        Vocabulary development is an ongoing task for students. Throughout the school year, grade-level texts and topics introduce students to new words or alternate meanings of known words in all subject areas.

·        They will learn to form and use the past tense of commonly used irregular verbs, and they learn to correctly use adjectives and adverbs. They apply rules for capitalizing holidays, product names, and geographic names. Students learn to use apostrophes correctly to form contractions and possessives.

·        Students write compositions by using correct English conventions. They learn to use reference materials to locate information for their written compositions and oral reports. Their written products become longer, and students pay more attention to the organization of their compositions. Students develop initial skills in editing and revising text at this grade.

Mathematics 

Students will be actively engaged in developing mathematical understandings in real and relevant contexts.

·        Students extend their understanding of place value as they associate the digits of a three-digit number as amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones. Add up to four two-digit numbers.

·        Understand and compare common fractions with small denominators.

·        Represent problem-solving situations using mathematical expressions, including =, <, and >

·        Describe and classify shapes by recognizing their geometric attributes.

·        Use estimation strategies in computation and problem solving with numbers up to 1000.

 ·        Tell time to the nearest 5 minutes and identify time relationships

·        Work with time and money.

·        Pose questions and collect, analyze, and interpret data using simple tables, picture and bar graphs, and Venn diagrams

·        Solve problems using strategies such as look for a pattern and guess & check.

·        They will represent problems by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number, use mental strategies to add within 20, and know from memory all sums of 2 one - digit numbers.

·        Students will extend their understanding of place value (within 1,000).

·        Students build fluency in addition and subtraction (within 100).

·        Students will use simple concepts of multiplication and division. Use repeated subtraction and equal group sharing to demonstrate division.

·        Students will measure the length of objects by using appropriate tools.

·        Students will identify shapes and their attributes. Students also learn how to draw various shapes.

Science

Students will use inquiry to focus on questions about the world around them, including questions related to earth science, physical science, and life science.  By the end of 2^nd grade, students will be able to:

·        Raise questions about the world around them and see answers through observation and exploration

·        Recognize attributes of sun, moon, and stars

·        Identify and describe energy.

·        Demonstrate changes in speed and directions using pushes and pulls.

·        Locate sources of heat and light energy

·        Form ideas about natural and manipulated changes such as changes in the earth’s surface and change in the attributes of materials

·        Investigate life cycles of plants, animals, and fungi

·        Observe seasonal changes of trees

Social Studies

Students will study important historical figures in Georgia, as well as the Creek and Cherokee cultures in Georgia.  In addition, 2^nd graders will begin to examine the basic concept of government and continue to acquire basic economic concepts.  By the end of 2^nd grade, students will be able to:

·        Identify and describe the lives of significant figures in Georgia history and show how these figures exhibit positive traits of citizenship

·        Describe the Georgia Creek and Cherokee cultures

·        Locate and describe the major topographical features of Georgia

·        Describe the cultural and geographical systems associated with historical figures in Georgia and with the Creek and Cherokee people

·        Define the concept of government, identify the roles of specific elected officials, and identify specific government buildings

·        Relate the concepts of opportunity costs and allocation of goods and services to prior understanding of economics