Second Grade
Mrs. Dorothy Wexler
Hello Everyone - I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of your summer!! We have had various meetings here at school regarding the Terra Nova Testing and curriculum development.The school as a whole received a glowing report regarding our test scores and how they compared both locally and nationally to the other schools in the Catholic school systems. After reviewing the test scores of your child's class, I want to make some recommendations for summer enrichment.
Math
1. Mrs. Daniels has assured me that all of the students in the first grade are proficient in their single digit addition and subtraction facts so in September we will be jumping right into double digit addition and subtraction with regrouping (previously know as borrowing and carrying).
2. During the summer please have your child complete at least one worksheet a day reinforcing the single digit addition and subtraction facts. You can download these worksheets from Aplusmath.com or your child can do the worksheet right on that site and self-check their answers.
3. I also recommend that your child works on their money skills - these worksheets also can be found on Alplusmath.com Encourage your child to write the amount each coin is worth before counting.
Reading
1.Your child should be reading every day. It is best if at times your child reads directly to you so that you can encourage proper pronunciation and emotion in their oral reading. Also, if you child is reading to you, it would be a good idea when he/she is finished to ask some comprehension questions about what was just read. Many children are wonderful readers but have trouble comprehending what they have read. Reading before bedtime when a child is tired is probably not the best time. Try after dinner or sometime during the day if you are not working. The library will provide you with a list of books recommended for your child's grade. ***Please have your child bring in one of the books they have read that they liked so much they would recommend it to a classmate. Each child will be asked to present a brief oral report on that book on the first day of class.
2. When traveling with your child in the car, point out things along the way and ask your child what they mean (ex: signs, passing emergency vehicles, storefronts, etc.) This will strengthen both your child's inferencing skills and ability to draw conclusions.
3.The students in 2nd grade will be asked to answer all questions in complete sentences next year whether orally or written. Practice this skill with your child in advance so they know what the term "complete sentence" means.
4. Lastly, after a brief review of printing, the class will begin practicing writing in script. Please do not have your child practice in script during the summer - there are many forms of script and if a child has practiced the wrong form it will be difficult for them to change it. I recommend that they continue to practice their printing on properly lined paper (use old notebooks from school or you can probably purchase paper at Staples. Check to make sure that your child is holding their pencil correctly - this will all help them to successfully transition to script.Thank you for your support in these matters. I am looking forward to a wonderful year ahead (after a wonderful summer of course!!!).
**Please note that the above e-mail address it not the address I will be using to contact you next year - my school e-mail address is: dorothywexler@4sttherese.org. The Archdiocese does not want us using any other e-mail address except for this one and I have not inputted your addresses onto that site yet.