Thought of the Day...

Fall PTA Program

Second grade will be the featured performers at the October PTA Meeting on October 8, 2019.  Please check your child's red folder for the permission slip to be part of this performance.  The children will need to be present on 10/8/19 by 6:30 PM for the performance.  They will be singing a selection of Fall and Halloween themed songs.

Please return the permission slip by Tuesday, October 1st.

Cause and Effect

Here is the Cause and Effect focus poster hanging in the classroom.  Recognizing cause and effect is one way to make connections between concepts within text.

Spelling Words, Week of 9/23/19

These are the spelling words for the week of September 23, 2019

1. say

2. great

3. where

4. help

5. through

6. gold

7. fold

8. mold

9. sold

10. colt

The Spelling Packet is due Friday, September 27, 2019

Making Connections in Science

We will be working on making connections within scientific text.  Our reading this week is The Life Cycle of a Butterfly. 

In science information is usually connected sequentially.  This is vitally important with a science experiment, when the sequence, or order of how things are done, is important to the success of the experiment.  Also think of the life cycles of animals.  Most life cycles follow an organized, sequential pattern.

How can I help my child this week?

• Think of steps in a process to make something transform.  How does water become ice.  How does tea become sweetened?
• Discuss animals life cycles.  How do frogs start life?  
• Ask probing questions about the life cycle of the butterfly.  What is metamorphosis?  What are the stages of a butterfly's life cycle called?

EARLY RELEASE

We have the September Early Release tomorrow, 9/25/19.

We will be moving to the dismissal areas at 1:00 PM

Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night

Chick-Fil-A Mobile Spirit Night

WHERE: Atlantic and Hodges

WHEN Monday 9/23/19

WHY 15% of net sales support Sabal Palm PTA

SEE SLIP IN RED FOLDER FOR MORE DETAILS

Hurricane Dorian Make-up Days

The make-up days for school days missed because of Hurricane Dorian are as follows:

Monday, October 21, 2019
Friday, January 17, 2020

REMINDERS

Don't forget to sign and send back the Progress Reports.

Don't forget to sign the purple field trip forms and send payment in via online payment or cash to Mr. Nix ($25.00).

The next Early Release is September 25, 2019.  We go to dismissal zones at 1:00 PM.

Skill of the Week: Making Connections in Text

Connecting Events in Text (RI.1.3)

This week we are studying the relationship between ideas and events in a historical text.  When studying historical text, we generally focus on two things:

• The cause-effect relationships between the events.
• The sequence of how events happen.

The story this week is about the Underground Railroad, and how slaves used the Underground Railroad to escape slavery.  The story is called "Follow the Drinking Gourd" by Jeanette Winter.

Using this story, we will examine how events unfolded to help the fugitive slaves escape to Canada.  We will learn why they leave the South, why they are able to elude their captors, and why they needed help to get away.

Using "why" at the beginning of a question can help guide children to the causation of an event.  That is an important part of reading development (learning why events happen and how characters react and develop) and social development (why we make the decisions we make, good or bad).

How can I help my child with this skill?

• Ask lots of "why" questions in conversation...(for example, "Why was your day good?"  "Why did you feel that way?")
• Talk about a historical event.  Research why that event happened.  What were the causes of the event? What were the effects?
• Think of simple social situations.  Think how things would turn out differently based on a person's reactions.

Have a great week and thank you for all you do, to support your child's learning and growing!

Spelling Words, Week of September 16, 2019

Spelling Words Week of 9/16/19

1. name

2. good

3. sentence

4. man

5. think

6. right

7. might

8. tight

9. bright

10. flight

Remember, the Spelling Packet is due Friday, 9/20/19

Progress Reports, First Quarter

Progress Reports will be printed and go home on Monday, September 16.  The grades overall are very good and I am very proud of the students' hard work!

Please don't forget to send back the field trip forms as soon as possible.  Our first field trip is to the Florida Theater to see Dav Pilkey's "Dog Man" on November 1, 2019.

Close Reading

Parents hear the term "close reading" often, but may not know what close reading actually entails.  Close reading is when the reader is closely looking at the author's craft, at specific strategies for comprehension, and for evidence to support answering complex questions.

Close reading is part of answering text-dependent questions.  One way we measure a student's comprehension is to ask questions that make the reader go back into the text to find supporting evidence and details to adequately answer the question.  It is a rather complicated process!!!

So how does a second grader start to navigate this complex way of thinking?  By developing the habits of a good reader:

• Good readers ask questions as they read.
• Good readers stop often to think about what they read.
• Good readers re-read.
• Good readers look for evidence to help them answer questions.
• Good readers read the comprehension questions before they read the passage.

These habits will be taught and instilled in your child this school year.  Help reinforce these habits in your at-home reading, as well.

2019 2020 Field Trips

Field trip forms went home on Tuesday in the red folders.  They are printed on purple paper (hopefully easy to find!!!).  Please sign each field trip form and send them back in as soon as possible.

You may pay the $25.00 field trip fee online, or send in cash (your choice).  If you wish to pay for each field trip separately you may do so as well.

Our 2019-2020 Field Trips

• Florida Theater/ "Dog Man"............November 1, 2019
• Jacksonville Zoo..............................January 16, 2020
• IMAX, World Golf Village..............February 28, 2020

Story of the Week: A Trip to the Firehouse

Our story this week is about a group of children that visit a local firehouse.

Home discussion points (These are ways you can talk about schoolwork in a constructive and fun way!)

• What was your favorite field trip?
• Who are other helpers in our neighborhood?  
• Who are helpers throughout our nation?
• How do we show appreciation to those who help us?
• What was your favorite part of the text selection?

Engaging with books through conversation and thoughtful questioning aids comprehension and communication.  Try one of these discussion points instead of the usual "How was your day?" 

Look for the Helpers

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

-Fred Rogers

Help the Bahamas

The Sabal Palm Student Council will be collecting supplies to help the islands impacted by Hurricane Dorian.  Please send in donations by 9/16/19

They are collecting the following:

• toilet paper
• diapers
• baby wipes
• baby formula
• dry shampoo
• toothpaste
• toothbrushes
• body wipes
• toiletries
• first-aid supplies
• tarps
• flashlights
• duct tape
• new t-shirts
• can openers
• water purification tablets

Skill of the Week....Main Idea and Supporting Details

Our focus this week is to look at what a text selection is mostly about.  We call that the main idea or topic of our reading.  When we read non-fiction text, we must come away from our reading with a sense of what it was we just read.  Asking the question, "What was that mostly about?" guides us to the main idea of a piece of text.

The focus poster for this week's skill, hanging in the classroom.

Spelling Words, The Week of September 9, 2019

Here are this week's spelling words.
Remember, Spelling Packets are due on Friday, 9/13/19

1. very
2. after
3. things
4. our
5. just
6. girl
7. shirt
8. thirst
9. third
10. dirt

I'm Back!!!

It has been a long time since I have posted to my blog.  I would like to get back into sharing my educational journey.  I am going to try to post blog entries this year and get back to the fun of teaching and sharing.  I hope you will enjoy my new posts and come back often!

Mr. Nix