February is here!

Our last week was ripe with learning as the students planned and executed their businesses. Products and services were designed, business plans presented in order to gain functioning capital, advertising distributed, and a grand shopping fair was held. The M.U.R. Of the school had businesses ranging from gymnastics lessons, to original comic books, to custom purses, to mine craft models all on offer. During the fair, price points were altered to respond to challenges or opportunities in supply and demand. With minutes left in the sale, inventory was pushed out of the door as sale prices were announced. It was both a lot of fun and very productive. Aside from the obvious work in economics, I was very satisfied in the way that groups collaborated with an end goal in mind. Many variables had to be negotiated by the groups and all can be proud of their achievements. 

This week we will reflect on our learning by writing a five-paragraph essay about our work. I will be focusing on three different transitional tools to be used inside of paragraphs to make the pieces more readable and fluid while encouraging more interesting topic sentence use.

This week also signals the beginning of our biography studies units. We will be investigating the lives of important and influential people through reading and media. Over the course of many weeks, studies will involve literacy, art, music, and public speaking. In conjunction with this work, we are preparing for our performance of “Heroes All” on March 4th. 

Please be sure to sign up for parent conferences through our class website. Sharing about learning and setting new goals together is always rewarding.

The Del Mar Heights Dad’s Club put together a great sandbox area just adjacent to the garden. If you have any extra sand or beach toys that you would like to donate please send them in. 

Best,

 Andrew Smith

Teacher, Del Mar Heights School

This Week’s Highlights

2/1-5

Phonics and word study focus

Blend review

Reading focus

Comprehension focus: Non-Fiction Texts: features

Close reading: George’s Marvelous Medicine

Book club individualized strategy lessons: Lessons created for specific skill outcomes based on individual and group needs

Focus books: George’s Marvelous Medicine

Writing focus

Conventions- Spacing, Feeling ending of sentences, Periods and Capitals, Commas in a series

Writing skill- transitions in expository writing

Topical writing- multiple paragraph essay, “Economics and our Businesses”

Math focus

Full Math workshop

Math journal problem solving through visual models

Individualized challenges

Word Problem solving, larger numbers in addition and subtraction

Social Studies focus

Biographies

Science focus

Mrs. Minarik’s Science Lab

Homework

Daily reading, homework packet, and optional online work (razkids, rosetta stone, dreambox)

Update, 1/24

I just returned from enjoying a performance of “Seussical the Musical” with a few of our class’ families. It was great to see Tori on stage and to see the kids enjoying a night out with their families. 

Watching the show, it made me think of the impact that great literature can have on our understanding of the world and each other. Dr. Seuss is quite famous for his obvious allegory and morality tales. Recently, we have completed a short author study of Faith Ringgold’s books, which teach about the power of imagination to escape difficult circumstances and about the historic underground railroad. We followed this up with a fictionalized account of the true historical figure of Henry “box” Brown, who escaped from Slavery through the underground railroad. Surrounding studies of Martin Luther King Jr. and our simulation, speaker, and lab work throughUnderstanding Differences program help to further inform the driving idea of this past week or so- that we all are deserving of respect. It’s funny, we can tell our kids this simple fact one hundred times with only glancing impact, but a few good books and some meaningful conversations begin to create real understanding. 

In other exciting news, studies of economics have led us to our STEAM+ challenge. The challenge is for small groups to design, plan, advertise, and “sell” a product or service to a target customer base. Using a business plan, students applied for and received capital investment that they used to purchase or rent supplies needed to create their company. Then advertising and product is created to lead towards a final market day, where commerce will take place. The money is fake, the learning is real.

A few quick reminders:

-By Friday, Please send a white tee shirt with name on the label to be tie-dyed for our performance of “Heroes All” (3/4)

-Please sign up for parent/teacher conferences via our class website

This Week’s Highlights

1/25-29

Phonics and word study focus

r- controlled blends

Reading focus

Comprehension focus: Non-Fiction Texts: features

Close reading: Text-based questioning “Henry’s Freedom Box”

Book club individualized strategy lessons: Lessons created for specific skill outcomes based on individual and group needs

Focus books: Roald Dahl Choice book

Writing focus

Conventions- Spacing, Feeling ending of sentences, Periods and Capitals,

Writing skill- Planning Opinion pieces

Topical writing- Opinion pieces, The best sport or activity

Math focus

Full Math workshop

Math journal problem solving through visual models

Individualized challenges

Word Problem solving, Join change unknown

Social Studies focus

Economics- STEAM+ challenge

Science focus

Mrs. Minarik’s Science Lab and Understanding Differences

Homework

Daily reading and optional online work (razkids, rosetta stone, dreambox)

Update, 1/10

Happy New Year!

Again, thank you so much for the very generous class gift! I am humbled and grateful. 

I would love to get a group of families from our classroom together to go see Tori in her performance of Seussical the Musical. Likely date would be Sunday, January 24th at 4:30 at the JCC in the UTC area. Please let me know by Wednesday, January 13th if you are interested and how many tickets you would require. I will try to get a group rate at that time. 

Our classroom is buzzing with activity..

We just entered into a new author study of the wonderful artist and award-winning children’s book author Faith Ringgold. Last week we explored her most famous book, Tar Beach, as an exercise in asking important readers’ questions and looking for the motive of the author in writing stories. Through close reading of the text, in both conversation and in our reading logs, we were able to explore questions about the importance of setting in the story and the symbolism in the actions of the character as a response to her problems. The book, which is set in New York City, offered an opportunity to speak about the broad swath of the world that lives very differently to us here in Del Mar and to build an empathetic response without establishing a dualist mentality. This week students will synthesize their thoughts about the book as they create a piece of artwork that helps summarize the primary lessons of the book. We will also engage with other of Ringgold’s books, again closely reading the text for important readers’ questions. 

In writing, we are pursuing expository work and opinion pieces as we refine structure for these different genres. At this point virtually all students can formulate and execute expository work of correct and repeatable structure that forms the essential blocks of writing to communicate information for all of the rest of their academic career. The structure is predicated upon the use of topic sentences, which reveal what is to be discussed, detail sentences, which teach new information, explanation sentences, which teach more about the preceding detail, and conclusion sentences, which reiterate the thrust of the piece. It is important to recognize that this structure is not rigid. Rather, once internalized, students are able to write coherently about any topic with confidence and flexibility. Ask your child to share about how an expository paragraph is crafted and try your hand at the craft.

We have begun our study of economics. Your child will be learning about wants versus needs, consumers, producers, and resources. Our class will become a tiny town with students earning incomes, starting their own businesses, and selling their merchandise to each other. It might be the perfect time to have a lemonade stand or start an allowance. Teach your child to understand the value and use of money now to help them in their future.

Del Mar Heights Award-Winning Understanding Differences program is ongoing throughout January. Second-grade students will build knowledge and understanding of issues surrounding hearing and hearing impairment through simulation, science labs, and interactions with speakers. This is a great time to speak to your child about the importance of acceptance, empathy, and flexibility since the world is full of individuals all of whom carry their own unique traits.

In February, our attention will focus on biographies. We will end our study with our all-second grade musical performance called Heroes All on Friday, March 4^th from 1:00-2:30 in the MUR followed by cookies outside our second grade classrooms. In Art, the kids will be making their costumes: tie-dye shirts. Each child will need a plain white t-shirt by Friday, January 29^th. Their names need to be written on the tag. The shirts can be used or new. New shirts need to be pre-washed to help the tie-dye set. Target sells packs of 3, if you would like to partner up with a friend. We need 3-4 parent volunteers for Feb. 3, Feb. 4, or Feb. 5. Volunteers can embrace their inner camp counselor skills and dye the prepped shirts. If you would like to help, but cannot dye shirts, you could donate the tie-dye or rubber bands for our class.

January Focus

Reading: Increase reading stamina and enjoyment, learn strategies for comprehension, accuracy, and fluency

Writing/Grammar:  Opinion & narrative

Math:  Place value, adding and subtracting larger numbers

Science: Sound Energy, Hearing Loss, Understanding Differences

Social Studies: Economics (STEAM project: Student-made businesses)

Spanish:  Rosetta Stone

PE: Cooperative team building games

Music: Reading music, playing kazoos, singing, preparation for our Heroes All performance

Tinkering Lab: Cooperative problem solving, engineering, and old-fashioned tinkering

Understanding Differences: Hearing loss

er, Del Mar Heights School

Smith update, 1/3

Hello Fantastic Families,

I trust you all enjoyed a festive holiday period. Thank you so much for your very generous class gift! I am humbled by your generosity. 

I am itching to get back in the classroom with the kids. I love to hear the stories and thoughts from vacations and to begin to work on the many activities that we have in store. Thank you for keeping your child on a good and restful routine during the week back from vacation. The mornings can be hard for kids (and their parents) but rest assured we will be starting the days comfortably and easing back into the rhythm of the school weeks. 

Also, thank you for keeping your child reading and thinking during vacation. I can see through both Dreambox and Razkids students have been keeping their skills sharp! Well done!

This Week’s Highlights

1/4-8

Phonics and word study focus

suffixes –ful, -ness

Reading focus

Comprehension focus: Fiction texts- The power of Setting,  

Close reading: Text-based questioning

Book club individualized strategy lessons: Lessons created for specific skill outcomes based on individual and group needs

Focus books: Author Study- Faith Ringgold

Writing focus

Conventions- Spacing, Feeling ending of sentences, Periods and Capitals,

Writing skill- Planning Opinion pieces, continued

Topical writing- Opinion pieces, The very finest holiday, The perfect class pet

Math focus

Full Math workshop

Math journal problem solving through visual models

Individualized challenges

Telling time and working with money

Place value and computation (larger numbers)

Social Studies focus

Science focus week

Science focus

Mrs. Minarik’s Science Lab and sound

Homework

Daily reading, Homework packet and optional online work (Razkids, Rosetta Stone, Dreambox)