Warm Hearts

I promised you and the boys and girls that our Secret Snowflake activity would be more than just a holiday gift exchange. I didn't know how much more.

This week, as part of Secret Snowflake, the class has been writing notes of appreciation and encouragement to each other. Any child can write to any other child in the class, not just his or her Secret Snowflake (since, of course, that would give away our secrets). Our small classroom mailbox has been filled each morning and afternoon with heart-shaped notes for me to deliver. The messages have been meaningful and sincere. Here's a quick sampling:

• You are a sweet friend and always make me laugh.
• You did a great job reading the Morning Message today.
• Thank you for helping me think of an idea for my writing.
• I'm glad you were my math partner today.
• I like how you always listen.
• Thank you for being a good friend. You make me feel good.

And here's a favorite that I received: Thank you for all you do for us... especially Secret Snowflake.

Who knew that something as simple as this would cause such excitement. The show of kindness and the shared enthusiasm has brought our class closer and truly warmed our hearts in this week of single-digit temperatures. Maybe sometimes in our busy lives we need little rituals like writing notes and having secret pals to inspire us to really notice what others mean to us and to take the time to let them know.

The boys and girls have been plenty busy with other writing, too. They have each undertaken one final nonfiction book to show all that they've learned about teaching an audience. The twist is that they are trying new forms of information books. Some children are writing how-to books, others are writing true-or-false books, and still others are writing narrative stories that teach.

Understanding some of the ways that readers respond to nonfiction has been our focus in reading. We've considered how readers figure out the main ideas, ask questions, and have big feelings. "Recess at 20 Below," a book about schoolchildren in Alaska, proved a great choice for practicing these skills together. Then the children practiced with "text sets" of their own. Text sets are multiple books on the same topic. Gathering information and responding across multiple sources is the final step in our nonfiction unit.

This week's math lessons featured more about shapes and measurement. The boys and girls learned about sides and angles,  used centimeter rulers to measure the length of objects around the room, and practiced finding the perimeter of various shapes.

In closing, I send my gratitude to all of you at this special time of year. I can't fill your mailboxes with heart-shaped notes, but  I truly thank you for all you do to support me and to help your children. I look forward to the holidays with my family, but your families will be in my thoughts, too. I feel fortunate to have all of you in my life.

Mark Your Calendars:

Mon., Dec. 19 - I will be out of the classroom for curriculum work with the other second-grade teachers. Mrs. Maier will be the sub.

Tues., Dec. 20 - School Board recognition. Our class will be recognized for being the top donors in our Stormonth food drive. We've combined some student writing and worked together to create a short book about the experience, which we will present to the board. Thanks to all those families who are willing to bring their children back to school at 6 PM for the short program.

Wed., Dec. 21 - Secret Snowflake gift exchange and holiday celebration. (Please send wrapped gifts to school on Mon., Dec. 19, or Tues., Dec. 20.)

Fri., Dec. 23 - First day of winter break

Tues., Jan. 3 - School resumes

Writing About Reading

This week saw the boys and girls writing about reading more than ever before. They read from a variety of nonfiction sources - magazines, an online children's encyclopedia, books - and tried to distill the main ideas of these texts. They learned to do more than simply lift a line or two; they put their thoughts into their own words and then put those words to paper.

Asking them to do this work is a bit like throwing them into the deep water. It's tough. But being able to think and especially to write about text in this way has become the hallmark of proficient second-grade reading. Once children are fluent readers, they are mostly assessed on their ability to think deeply about what they read and to respond in writing. It's a skill that takes a lot of practice and children will get that this year and beyond. Bit by bit, writing will become an important way for them to process ideas and information from their reading and to share them with others.

In math this week, the boys and girls took the Unit 2 test and we began a new unit on measurement and geometry. For many children, this is the first time they are using rulers to measure in centimeters and inches, and it's exciting. In first grade, they used objects such as blocks or paper clips placed end to end as measuring tools. The ruler that your child brought home yesterday can be thought of as a homework ruler. We have other rulers to use at school. Also in math, we've begun using Moby Max. This online program begins with a placement test. Then, based on test results, it targets areas of student need. Math concepts are broken into small, achievable skills. Short teaching videos address the skills and practice problems with immediate feedback follow. So far, the boys and girls seem to like the program. We are using it for 15- to 20-minute sessions a couple of times a week. Instructions for how to get onto the program at home will be sent once we're sure we've ironed out any bugs.

Science lessons about the uses of earth materials continued with the boys and girls making beads from clay. With some tips and supplies from Mrs. Jubelirer, our class fired the beads we made in the school kiln and painted them. The process was lots of fun and the boys and girls seemed very proud of what they'd done. As we move on in science, we'll be making "homemade soil" with humus, pebbles and sand, and looking at how water in its various states affects the land.

Finally, please take a look at a letter that I am sending home today about a Secret Snowflake activity in our classroom. It's a gift exchange - but more, I hope. Today, each child secretly chose the name of another student who becomes his or her Secret Snowflake. Over the next week and a half, the boys and girls should make a special effort to be kind and respectful to their secret friends without spilling the beans. On Wed., Dec. 21 - the first official day of winter - Secret Snowflakes will be revealed and small gifts will be given. The purpose of the activity is to build friendships, instill a spirit of generosity and kindness, and add joy to our days.

Mark Your Calendars:

Fri., Dec. 9 - Report cards are sent home

Wed., Dec. 14 - Early release day for students

Thurs., Dec. 21 - Secret Snowflake gift exchange

Fri., Dec. 23 - First day of Winter Break

Tues., Jan. 3 - School resumes

Making Progress

In just a week, I will be putting first-trimester report cards into your child's binder to bring home to you. I am working hard to prepare these and as I do I wanted to share a few thoughts with you.

In the fall of 2015, Stormonth began using a new standards-based report card. The criteria listed on these report cards reflect the state academic standards. The standards detail what students are expected to learn and do by the end of each grade. Our report card criteria, too, now reflect what is expected by the end of a year. Our grades - Beginning, Developing, Secure, and Exceeds - refer to student progress toward year-end goals.

Taking this long view of a child's academic progress requires a significant shift in thinking - for teachers and for parents. Traditional report cards indicate what a student has mastered by a specific point in time; the new report cards look at whether the student is on track to meet broader goals that generally encompass a whole year's worth of learning.

As I grade students this trimester, I am assigning Ds for Developing to most students in most areas. To me this signifies that a student is working successfully, growing stronger, and heading toward meeting the second-grade standards. He or she still has some learning left to do, as would be expected one third of the way through the year. While it's possible that a student meets some end-of-the-year standards ahead of schedule and is marked S for Secure, it's the exception.

I was part of a Stormonth teacher team that created our new report cards. The process we used to match standards to report card criteria was at times painstaking and always very thoughtful. After using the report cards for a year, our team met again this fall and made changes. The report card you see next week will feature a tighter format and clearer language than last year's. I hope that  the grades you'll see together with my comments give you a good understanding of what your child is learning and doing in second grade.

Now here's an update on our week in the classroom:

Money was our focus in math. Even though the coins we used were fake, the real-world applications for counting combinations of dimes, nickels, and pennies and for adding these amounts made the lessons highly motivating. Most children head into our Unit 2 test next week with these skills solidly in place.

In Reading Workshop this week, we began the challenging work of distinguishing the main idea from the interesting details in nonfiction texts. Nonfiction is packed with information. Some of the information coalesces around a big idea; some of it is unrelated or only tangentially related to that big idea.

These details, however, often capture readers' attention by providing interesting, even quirky, information about the topic. We are working to sift the important ideas from the interesting details - but also to relish those quirky details. We are using magazine articles initially because their length makes this work more manageable. We started with a fascinating Time for Kids piece about Helen Keller. In Writing Workshop this week, all of the boys and girls started writing new books. Our lessons included identifying your audience, writing strong introductions, and writing memorable conclusions. We looked again to our mentor author Melissa Stewart. Her books give us examples of how to do these things well.

Finally, you may have heard that one of our classroom windows blew out on a windy night two weeks ago. I arrived at school to do some work on a Sunday to find the gaping hole. By early Monday morning, thankfully, the hole was covered. Earlier this week, the plywood was removed and our new window was installed - to the great delight of all.

Mark Your Calendars:

Fri., Dec. 9 - Report cards are sent home

Wed., Dec. 14 - Early release day for students

Fri., Dec. 23 - First day of Winter Break

Tues., Jan. 3 - School resumes