Text Level Samples
Ever wonder what Guided Reading Levels actually look like?? These samples show detailed information about each of the Guided Reading Levels, including samples of book pages. It can now be found in a PDF on the district website under the parents tab.http://go.lindberghschools.ws/cms/lib03/MO01920486/Centricity/Domain/1974/Text%20Level%20Samples.pdf
Snack Suggestions!
We are a NUT FREE classroom, due to several students severe allergy and health concerns. Please do NOT send snacks that contain nuts. Here is an excellent resource for snacks that are safe:http://snacksafely.com/snacklist.pdf
Common Sense Media
Many children in 2nd grade have their own devices. iPads, Kindle Fires, and Nooks are everywhere! In fact, Santa has made several inquiries in the recent weeks about which device to bring for the kids in my class.
Right beneath the world of educational wonder and endless possibilities for learning, lies a scary place of cyber bullying, explicit media, and things we don't want our children to see or do. How can we keep our kids safe from all of these things?
One resource I wanted to share with you is a website called Common Sense Media. This website provides reviews, recommendations, and useful articles about apps, websites, and all kinds of media and technology that is available to our kids. They also provide the same quality reviews and articles about books, movies, and television shows.
If you are questioning an app or website that your child has been using, check Common Sense Media and see what it shows. And as always, please do not hesitate to call or email me. I am more than happy to discuss this topic.
Here are a view of the articles and reviews from some media and apps that are popular in the 2nd grade in the classroom and at home, just to give you an idea of what Common Sense Media can provide:
Concord's Virtual Backpack
We all know 2nd grade backpacks tend to eat papers. If you need to find a flyer that came home in your child's Purple Folder, check here!Concord's Virtual Backpack
Why Do We Ask Your Child To Read Every Night?
LET'S FIGURE IT OUT --- MATHEMATICALLY!
Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!
Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 minutes x 5 times a week = 100 minutes/week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes/week
Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.
Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.
Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.
Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.
By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain
these same reading habits,
Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days
Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.
One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance.
Some questions to ponder:
Which student would you expect to read better?
Which student would you expect to know more?
Which student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?
Email in the Classroom
Last week, our class started learning to use Gmail to compose emails. Our class will be learning how to use email as a way to communicate. 2nd Graders are beginning to write letters and learn the components of a friendly letter. Students will be writing emails to each other through Gmail.
Email addresses have been issued to every Lindbergh student (K-12) through the district technology office. Our technology supervisors created their user names and passwords using the information below. Their email account is set up so that students CANNOT send or receive email from anyone outside of the Lindbergh Network. They can only send and receive email from address with the @lindberghschools.ws address. All other address are blocked. As a class, I am only allowing them to email me and/or their classmates.
I have also set up their accounts so that all emails are automatically copied to my address. Every time they send an email or a reply, I will get a copy. I also check their accounts once a week to take a grade on their writing.
I think this will be a valuable tool to teach kids advanced communication skills. If you have any questions about email in the classroom, please feel free to contact me anytime! I am happy to answer your questions. If I don't have the answer, Colin Davit, my district technology supervisor, can work with us to find an answer.
Student email address:
www.gmail.com
User Name: graduation year + full first name + full last name@lindberghschools.ws
(ex. 24jenniferfrederich@lindberghschools.ws)
This year's class of 2nd graders uses 24 before their names, because they will graduate high school in 2024.
Student passwords are a 10 digit number. On the SIS portal, it is listed as their "state ID"
If you would like you child's email address and login information email to you, please send me an email and I would be happy to get that to you!
jfrederich@lindberghschools.ws
Common Core State Standards
Here are some resources for you on The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), also known as just the "Common Core."http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/Common_Core.html
http://www.corestandards.org/
BYOD: Bring Your Own Device
Concord is a "device friendly" school. I encourage all students to bring in their devices to help them learn. But deciding which device is right for your child is often a difficult decision.Lindbergh offers an article about choosing your device to fit your budget and their classroom.
http://go.lindberghschools.ws/Page/7431
It is extremely helpful for kids to be familiar with how to turn on the WiFi on their device. They are able to logon to the student network at Concord using their own unique username and password. I am happy to help them at school, but I don't always know where the WiFi settings are on each device. Please be sure to help your child find the WiFi settings.
When new apps and programs are introduced in class, I will send home an email or note to have it downloaded on their device.
Here are a few that you can download to help your child use their device at home!
Storia by Scholastic (books for purchase)
St. Louis County Library App (eBooks for checkout)
Amazon Kindle(books for purchase)
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