Reading Deep and Wide

Judy Moody, Katie Kazoo, Fancy Nancy, Freddy, Stink, and Curious George. These characters and more have taken up residence in our classroom as the boys and girls delve ever deeper into reading series books. As you know, each of them has chosen a character to present as part of the Second Grade Character Fashion Show next month. But there is much more to their work than creating costumes. They are learning to accumulate bits of information about who their characters truly are. Some of this information is in plain view on the pages; some is hiding just below the surface and is revealed through careful thinking about the dialogue, action, and description an author chooses. The fact that the boys and girls are doing this kind of close reading across three books or more means that they're reading both deep and wide. There's an intensity to the work that's new to many of them. With that comes a sense of satisfaction - pride, even - in knowing something really well.

The boys and girls take their cues about how to infer a character's true nature from work we've been doing together around the book "Clementine" by Sarah Pennypacker. Clementine, we've discovered, has a good heart, but makes a lot of bad choices. She's excitable, impulsive, and full of crazy ideas. Some might call her naughty, but we know that all the mischief she makes comes from the best of intentions. By leading the class in conversations about the character and sharing ideas in my writing, I am modeling the reading behaviors I want the boys and girls to copy.

In Writing Workshop, we continued to share opinions about books (our character series or others) through letters to readers. This week, we worked especially on organization. We looked at how to make a plan to share an opinion part by part, building a case for our way of thinking.

Math has been a challenge this week. Most children solidly understood how to ungroup tens to make enough ones for subtracting (in an equation like 142 - 24 =, for example). But equations that involve ungrouping both hundreds and tens, (such 102 - 86 =), have proven more difficult. We've looked at how to do this step by step and we've used physical models like base ten blocks to help. Thank you for practicing with your child at home.

Was it worth giving up a couple of outdoor recesses to build cardboard houses or create clay figures for a stop-action movie? Yes! The first week of Makers' Club was a success. I can attest to the boys' and girls' enthusiasm. Mrs. Stark, who runs Makers' Club, praised their imagination and their willingness to work as teams. Three more weeks of fun to come!

Mark Your Calendars:

Wed., Feb. 1 - I will be out of the classroom for curriculum work with the other second-grade teachers. Mrs. Maier will be the substitute.

Wed., Feb. 8 - Early release day for students

Thurs. Feb. 9 - I will be out of the classroom to attend the Wisconsin State Reading Association Convention. Mrs. Maier will be the substitute.

Fri., Feb. 10 - Second-Grade Character Fashion Show, 9:15 AM in the cafeteria. Parents are invited to attend.

Tues., Feb. 14 - Valentine's Day celebration. I will be sending home a class list in the next week so that your child can prepare a valentine for each of his or her classmates.