Guidance News from Mrs. McCleary

Second Grade Guidance Update

We have just finished up our guidance unit on managing angry feelings.  We have discussed that angry feelings are OK but that it is not OK to do something hurtful with your anger.  This unit focuses on ways to calm down before trying to solve a problem. 

We have talk about how when we are upset we do not think as clearly as when we are calm.  Ways to calm down are taking a few deep breaths, counting, walking away, talking to someone about how you feel and telling yourself to calm down.  We have spent some time talking about how powerful our self-talk is in either calming down or staying angry.  Gentle reminders about this may be helpful at home.

We will now move on to Problem Solving and practicing problem solving steps.  We will review KELSO’s Choices which are 9 strategies to use to solve common social problems between kids. These strategies are: 1.) go to another game, 2.) talk it out, 3.) share and take turns, 4.) tell them to stop, 5.) ignore, 6.) apologize, 7.) make a deal, 8.)  walk away, 9.) wait and cool off. 

Your children are doing a great job and I love working with them!

From, Mrs. McCleary

Hamburger Constructed Response

We have been working so hard on learning to write a constructed response!!  I use the analogy of a hamburger so the students can visually understand the parts of a constructed response.  You have probably noticed many writing samples coming home that deal with hamburgers! Has your child been able to explain it to you? 

A constructed response is a type of writing that your child will be doing from now through college.  It has an introductory sentence and a focusing sentence (what you are actually writing about).  Then there are three examples that support your focusing sentence.  Finally, the students make a personal connection and then have a closing sentence.  Are you confused yet?

Let me give you an example.  This past week, we read the book My Penguin Osbert.  This book is about a little boy named Joe who wants a penguin for Christmas.  Santa brings him a penguin named Osbert.  Joe quickly learns that it is very hard to take care of a pet penguin.  Here is an example of a constructed response to the prompt: How does Joe learn that it is very hard to have a penguin for a pet?  

(Introductory Sentence) I read the book My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel.  Joe wanted a penguin for a pet and Santa gave him Osbert.  (Focusing Sentence) Joe quickly learned that it is very hard to have a penguin for a pet!  (Example One) One example that shows it is hard to have a penguin for a pet is Osbert liked to be outside for long periods of time. Joe got very cold but he stayed outside because Osbert was his pet.  (Second example)  Another example that shows it is hard to have a penguin for a pet is penguins like to swim. Joe didn't have a swimming pool so he put Osbert in the bathtub and filled it with cold water.  Joe stayed with him in the tub until Joe's fingers shriveled up like prunes.  (Third example) The last example that shows it is hard to have a penguin for a pet is Osbert likes to eat fish and seaweed. Joe really wanted chocolate chip pancakes but he made what Osbert wanted since he is his pet.  (Personal Connection) I had a pet hamster named George when I was growing up. George was very easy to take care of. He slept in his cage and I had to give him clean water and hamster food. (Closing Sentence) I have shown you three ways that it is hard to have a penguin as a pet.

This is how the hamburger analogy comes into play.  The top hamburger bun is the introduction and focusing sentence.  The first example is the tomatoes. The second example is the lettuce and the third example is the actual cheeseburger.  The bottom bun is the personal connection and the closing sentence.  Confusing huh?  We will continue to work on this all year! 

Here is a picture of our new bulletin board.

Writer's Eyes

We have been writing since the first week of school!  We have talked alot about rereading our work, checking for capitals and periods, adding interesting words and details, and publishing our writing.  Over vacation, I came across another teacher's blog that had this amazing picture of her writing center! I immediately adapted her great idea to fit in our classroom!!  (Teachers are wonderful at sharing their great ideas)!!  Here is a picture of the "Writer's Eyes" above our writing center.  The students really love it and it is certainly making them think about self correcting their own writing!

Cute, huh?

I PICK books

Every morning, when the students come in, they all have jobs to do.  They need to unpack their home/school folder, take lunch count, get their chairs and their book boxes, and then silent read.  I have noticed over the last few weeks, that many students have been having a hard time picking books that hold their interest.  I am reading a professional book called  The Daily Five and the authors mention the "I PICK" method which teaches the students to pick "good fit" books.   For the last two weeks, I have been teaching the students all about the "I PICK" method of choosing books.  The steps are very easy. They are:

• I - I pick my own book
• P - What is the purpose of my book? Do I want a funny book to entertain me or a book to teach me how to take care of my new pet hamster?
• I  - Does the book interest me?  Will the book hold my attention? Do I want to read this book?
• C - Do I comprehend and understand everything that is written in the book?  Can I tell someone what this book is about?
• K - Do I know all of the words? Is this a good book for me or is it too hard?

Here is a picture of the posters that we now have hanging in our room.  Ask your child if they are picking "good fit" books to read!

No School

There will be no school this coming Monday, January 16th.  It is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and it is an inservice day for teachers.  School will reopen on Tuesday, January 17th!  Enjoy the long weekend!

Hilary Fournier

As I have mentioned earlier, Hilary Fournier is a senior at St. Michael's College.  She will be student teaching in our classroom through April.  She is amazing and the students have really taken a shine to her!  Many parents have already met Hilary, so feel free to drop in and introduce yourself!    

Holiday Celebration

On Wednesday, December 21st, we had a low key holiday sendoff!  In the morning, Ms. Mutz put together an amazing holiday sing-along.  This is my favorite assembly of the entire year! There is nothing more heartwarming than listening to 150 kids sing holiday songs.  We took some time to write about the gifts we were hoping to give AND receive.  These were very cute.  In the afternoon, we made some holiday crafts and everyone waited very patiently for our 2:00 celebration! We had lots of yummy homemade food and great company.  Thank you to everyone who made our day such a wonderful success.

With all of that said, now I must apologize!!  I was so proud that I remembered my camera, however, I forgot to check the battery.  Sorry there are so no pictures from our party, but this will give you an idea about our day!

We sang the "Twelve Days of Christmas".

Aiden was chosen to hold up the 6 sign for this song!  He was also in the glare from the overhead!

The students were enthralled when all of teachers sang "Jingle Bell Rock".

We made Christmas tree bookmarks for our book boxes.

This is the amazing present writing piece that we did for our writing museum!