Writing Thoughtfully

There's a natural relationship between thinking and language. Usually, thinking drives the language we choose. We find the words we need to express our ideas. Second graders are mostly successful doing this orally. We hope that given enough time and practice they will be able to clearly express their ideas in writing, as well. But what if we turned the thinking-language relationship around? What if we used language to spark thinking? We tried this in the classroom this week.

I chose stories from our series collections to read aloud to the boys and girls and then introduced short, simple phrases to get them thinking about the books. These phrases, or sentence stems, are intended to promote certain kinds of thinking. For example, the stem "I wonder..." triggers students' questions. And the single word "Maybe..." following an "I wonder" question naturally encourages them to think inferentially and to theorize.

The boys and girls are doing their writing in Thoughtful Logs. These composition notebooks have been part of our reading lessons since the beginning of the year. There is one section in which we collect vocabulary and another in which we post reminders of comprehension strategies we've tried. The final section is labeled My Thoughts. Most children have used this section on a limited basis up until now. This week, I saw many of them write broadly and deeply about their thoughts on books. Explicitly teaching them how to use everyday language to rev up their thinking made a difference.

Look for a letter in your child's binder today with information about the Second Grade Character Fashion Show on Fri., Feb. 10. All second graders will dress up as a characters they have studied in depth. They will share a bit about the character while in costume for an audience of parents and first graders. The letter tells more and lets you know which character your child has chosen (with a little guidance from me) to read about and represent at this fun red-carpet event. Also, check your child's binder for a letter about spelling.

In math this week, we wrapped up our work with shapes and measurement and began a new unit. While this unit will be mostly about subtraction with regrouping, it begins with another look at money. Quarters and dollars are the main focus. The boys and girls used various combinations of paper coins to make a dollar. Encourage them to keep practicing this skill at home with the real thing.

Blast-off! A simulation of a space shuttle flight "launched" our first social studies lesson. From high in space, the boys and girls looked down on Earth to see it continents and oceans. This was their introduction to geography. Now they are learning about countries, states, cities, and towns, as well as directions and distances. Watching the children pore over maps, atlases and globes is a reminder of how intensely curious they are about our world.

Mark Your Calendars:

Mon., Jan. 16 - No school for student and staff

Wed., Jan. 18 - Ice skating starts for second grade and continues for four weeks. Wednesdays and Fridays will be our skating days.

Fri., Jan. 20 - MAP reading test, 9:50-10:50 AM

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.

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, 9:00 AM in the cafeteria. Parents are invited to attend.