Welcome to Mrs. Capozzoli's Class
Just like reading is a major component of the primary education, so is writing. Since the first week of school the students have been learning to write personal narratives. We have been focusing on small moments written with great detail. We have used mentor texts to help us with our own writing. We explored in great detail the opening lines (the hook) authors use and the closing lines of many mentor books. What is the difference between a writer and a reporter? A reporter just reports. A writer brings you to the setting and awakens all your senses. For example, in Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, the author writes "It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling. There was no wind. The trees stood still as giant statues. And the moon was so bright the sky seemed to shine. Somewhere behind us a train whistle blew, long and low, like a sad, sad song." A reporter may have said: it was late one winter night.
Reading is a major component of primary education, so naturally, we will spend a lot of time reading. The following pictures are part of what I teach.
The following pictures are of your child reading. It is wonderful to see them engaged in their books. Please remind them to read fifteen minutes at least every night. This is a major part of their homework. They all have AR goals to meet this trimester.
Writing to Share Information
We are now ready to begin writing to share information. For instance, how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Miss Lizzie and I did a fun demonstration on how that looks when not enough details are added. Yes, we actually attempted and then made a sandwich in class. We did use sun butter for our allergy kids. They got a good laugh when the sandwich did not turn out as expected. In second grade, we are looking to develop a main topic, supportive details with the use of transition words like: first, next, then, and finally. To finish the paragraph, they will need a closing sentence.
Zachary found a very interesting fact about making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Did you know the largest sandwich ever made weighed 1, 346 pounds? This was a great technique to hook the reader!
Shayne has a great conclusion: "Yum, yum, yum, now you can eat your sandwich."
Reading Nonfiction texts
Reading and writing go together so of course we are reading nonfiction texts. The format of nonfiction as you know is much different than narrative books. There is not a beginning, middle, and end with characters and a problem to be solved. In nonfiction there are titles, bold print, definitions, and paragraphs that explain or share information. So, a whole new way to read and comprehend. How can you help? Perhaps encourage your child to read one nonfiction book as part of their reading goal for the Accelerated Reader Program. Even better, read it together and enjoy learning something new with your child.
When a student reads a book they are invited to decorate our fall tree by putting their name and the name of the book they read. It is so fun to see our tree growing! Part of our morning opening includes a book share. We are really like a little book club.
Writing Biographies
Geography
Here we are with both second grades kicking off our study of the world! Our students were exploring the word economy and what that means. We watched some cool videos and explored books related to economics. We now have a pretty good definition of economy. As we study geography and cultures it was important to start with a little understanding of how important the economy is to nations around the world. We will first begin exploring the following: continents, compass rose, map grid, Land forms, the United States, North America, and famous monuments.
Reading and using the skill of compare and contrast.
It is important to pull and organize information from a nonfiction book. One of the ways is to use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast two topics. Here we are beginning to explore this reading skill. The children below are reading a book called Crocs and Gators.
Writing
Compare and Contrast Essay
If we are reading books that compare and contrast then we are writing comparison and contrast essays. We have begun the process of learning how to write a compare and contrast essay. It first began with reading books and just noticing the compare and contrast of the subject matter. It was fun to see the compare and contrast between the Crocodile and the alligator. After reading many other things we began to notice the vocabulary an author uses when he or she compares and contrasts. We did a word sort to really take a good look at those words. See below:
If we are reading books that compare and contrast then we are writing comparison and contrast essays. We have begun the process of learning how to write a compare and contrast essay. It first began with reading books and just noticing the compare and contrast of the subject matter. It was fun to see the compare and contrast between the Crocodile and the alligator. After reading many other things we began to notice the vocabulary an author uses when he or she compares and contrasts. We did a word sort to really take a good look at those words. See below:
Next, we read a mentor article comparing and contrasting elementary school to middle school. We took notice and noted the components of this type of essay. We made steps to follow on a large chart paper of what a well written essay would look like. See below: Now the students are ready to try one on their own. They will be comparing and contrasting Jack and the Beanstalk from Jack's point of view and the Giant's point of view!
The essays are almost ready and they are doing a fantastic job! In fact our class is planning a parent tea for the spring to share our writing binders. This is a collection of all the writing lessons we have done to date. It is really fun to the the progress in their writing. So stay tuned in for more information about our spring tea! We all can't wait to share our work with you.
It's Novel Time!
Yes, we are reading novels. The students have chosen books on their individual reading level and we are doing a deep dive. This is the time for learning about literary devices like metaphors, similes, synonyms, point of view and much more. Everyone is really enjoying their novels.
Our Social Filter
This week, our School Counselor, Mrs. Rubin came in and did an activity with the entire 2nd grade class. She introduced the concept of a “Social Filter” – the students raised their hands and gave ideas of what they thought it meant and how it related to everyday life. Then, she read the students a book titled, “I Can’t Believe You Said That!” by, Julia Cook. This book explains the importance of using a social filter everyday – it helps everyone from saying or doing things that are hurtful, embarrassing, or damaging in social relationships. The book follows RJ, a little boy that says whatever comes to his mind, without using his social filter first and using words that are still truthful, but very un- kind. The students really enjoyed the story and gave some great examples of ways they can use their social filter. One perfect example was when Mrs. Rubin asked the students this question: What would you say if a classmate came to you and asked you what you thought about their painting and you didn’t like it? How can you state the truth without hurting their feelings? One student raised their hand high and said “You could tell them how unique it is and that they worked really hard on it!” – such an awesome example! It was so great to see the students’ enthusiasm about this topic and they all agreed that everyone, students and adults, need to practice using their social filter everyday.
Economics
The second graders have started to study economics. We first began with the history of money and bartering. The last two weeks we have focused on wants and needs, and producers and consumers. This will be followed by services and goods. At this point we will delve into the question of what does the word Factory mean? This is when we will kick off the creation of products from factories the students will create. So stay tuned this is going to be lots of fun.
Fun
Opinion Writing
In Language Arts, we continue to experience all genres of writing. So far, we have written narratives, informational (how to), biographies, compare and contrast, poetry, and now opinion writing. Elementary school is where the foundation for all higher learning takes place. I am happy to tell you that your children are building a strong foundation in writing as well as reading! So how do we begin the process of opinion writing? It starts with reading. Yes, we will read lots of books where the author has an opinion. We will use these books as models for our future writing. We will look and spend time noticing the craft of the author. For instance, how does the author begin, how did the author state his opinion, how did the author support his opinion, how did the conclusion summarize the opinion. A lot goes into the process of writing. Our tea party on May 4th will be a time when you can browse through their writing notebooks and see all their hard work!
Remember our Tea Party (a celebration of writing) is set for May 17th at 2:00!
It was so much fun sharing our writing and reading with all of you! Thank you for coming, it was a fun afternoon and meant a lot to the children. As always, I got so wrapped up in the moment, I forgot to take pictures once we started. So sorry.
As part of our opinion / persuasive writing the students participated in a contest. They were asked to write a persuasive essay on what we should do the last day of school. The best essay wins the contest and the class will get to do something really fun the last day. The essays are almost complete so stay tuned for the winner!
Congratulations Shayne and Evie! They each wrote a very convincing essay on what we should do the second to last day of school. We celebrated with cookies and cream ice cream from Aglamesis and watched a movie. Good writing girls!
Factories in Full Production!
The students did an amazing job with creating, marketing, and selling their products. It was such a joy to see the creativity and excitement for this type of project based learning. The children were divided into factory groups and given the task of creating and selling a product. The items created and manufactured were: slime, jewelry making kits, fidget bracelets, squishy pillows, and pocket books. All of the products sold out to our first grade shoppers. The unit was a huge success and the children can be very proud of their learning, cooperation, and creativity.
We closed out the school year with finishing our novels and researching a country of their choice. It was such a pleasure working with your child this year. Please have a restful and safe summer. For my students moving, please know I will miss you and for my returning students I am already looking forward to your return this fall.