Writing Workshop . . . Personal Narratives

Second graders have been very busy writing personal narratives during Writing Workshop each day.  To improve their writing, the children have been learning how to study the work of a Master Writer and how to apply that writer's "craft moves" to their work. We've been studying the work of Master Writer Jane Yolen in her beautiful picture book, Owl Moon, for the past several weeks.  We've read and reread this book several times -- as a read-aloud and as a word study text -- to search for craft moves we can use.  

Take a look at some of the charts we have created as we've studied Owl Moon: 

On this chart, we've recorded some of Jane's craft moves:  Using Sensory Details and Making Comparisons. 

We used this chart to record powerful words that we gathered from Owl Moon during Word Study this morning. Later in the day, we tried to add our own powerful words to our writing. 

On this chart, we made a list of ways that we can become Strong Writers. 

One piece of advice from Jane Yolen that we talk about frequently is the idea of exercising the "writing muscles" each day.  Check out this quote from Jane Yolen. And to learn more about Jane Yolen, click on the link below. Your second grader will enjoy checking out Jane Yolen's website with you! 

What advice do you have for young writers?
I have three pieces of advice for young writers. One: read, read, read! You must read every day, and try to read a wide range of books. Two: write, write, write! Keep a journal, write letters, anything to keep the “writing muscles” in shape. Three: don’t let anyone stop you from writing.Be persistent no matter what “naysayers” or critical editors have to say about your writing.
http://janeyolen.com/for-kids/

Henny Penny

As we finished up our unit on Fables and Fairy Tales, we all enjoyed several sessions of Readers' Theater.  There were four fabulous presentations:  Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Gingerbread Man, Henny Penny and The Giant Turnip. The children worked in small groups to practice their speaking parts, to coordinate their actions and to create colorful sets.  Our I CAN statements for this work included:

I CAN read fiction.

I CAN identify the moral of a fable. 

I CAN retell a story. 

I CAN read with expression. 

Here is a photo of some second grade friends performing Henny Penny.  I will post more Readers' Theater photos next week. 

Happy Birthday to Allisa!

We celebrated Allisa's birthday last week.

Check out this photo of a very happy Birthday Girl!

Comparing Two Digit Numbers

Second graders have been hard at work during Math Time learning how to COMPARE two digit numbers. Check out some of the charts we created together during our Math Meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

On Monday, we reviewed the different math symbols we will use to compare 2 digit numbers.

We compared two digit numbers with different values in the tens place. We used cubes and the hundreds chart as math tools.

We compared two digit numbers with the same value in the tens place. We used cubes and the hundreds chart to show our work.

Today was the 33rd day of school. We created a web to record important math facts about the number 33. Can you answer our riddle?

I can . . read fables

Last week, we began studying a special type of fiction: fables.  As your second grader can tell you, a fable is a short fiction story that tells a lesson.  This lesson is called a moral.  In most fables, the main characters are animals who behave like humans. Some of the fables that we have watched and read include The Tortoise and the Hare, How the Zebra Got Its Stripes, The Camel and the Pig, The Leopard, Ram and Jackal, The Ant and the Grasshopper,  and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  After reading fables with their reading partners, the children worked in their Readers' Notebooks to record the title of the fable, the characters and the moral.  Some of the lessons we learned from these fables included:

• Slow and steady wins the race. 
• If you are impatient, you will not get your way.
• It's good to be big and it's also good to be small . . . we all come in different shapes and sizes,
• Tricking your friends can lead to trouble.
• Plan ahead so that you will be prepared.
• Dishonesty can have terrible consequences.

Can you guess which moral matches which fable? Your child can help you out. 

If you'd like to watch some short fables on-line, check out http://www.speakaboos.com/story/the-tortoise-and-the-hare/

And here are some photos of second graders enjoying fables with their reading partners:

Memories of Mr. Merritt

Last week, as we all worked together to comfort each other in the days after Mr. Merritt's death, the second graders decided to write special memory letters to to Kai and Taro (Mr. Merritt's three year-old twin sons).  We gathered all of our thoughts in a big brainstorm titled Mr. Merritt Memories.  Our memories included funny stories about Mr. Merritt splashing into the dunk tank and forgetting to turn off the PA system after making morning announcements as well as poignant memories of Mr. Merritt joining us at Morning Meeting and wishing us a "Great Sunderland Day!"  After our brainstorming session, each child worked diligently to write a thoughtful letter to Kai and Taro. These letters will be compiled into books for Kai and Taro to read when they get older. Here are some photos of our letter-writing:

Another lost tooth!

River lost a tooth on the last day of September! Here he is with a fabulous grin!