Phonics and Reading Updates

The 2nd graders are doing a great job with our new phonics unit! They are busy revisiting some of the things they learned in kindergarten and first grade (digraphs, vowels, consonants, etc.) with our "Phonics Professor Words" Guide. They have been busy identifying these words in books and around our room. 

They have also learned our new "2nd Grade Chant" to help us get excited about phonics. 

We reviewed our long and short vowels today. We even got a phone call about remembering to include a silent "e" on the ends of our words with long vowels! Be sure to ask your 2nd grader for more details on this at home. :) 

We are also reviewing our digraphs! 

In reading, the 2nd graders are learning about nonfiction/informative books! Today, we learned about looking for more information and details in our stories. We examined pennies closely and talked about all of the details hat might not have noticed before. 

Reading

In Reader's Workshop, the 2nd graders are working hard! They are continuing to grow and have begun to really look at the whole word while reading. They are focusing in on looking at ending and beginnings of words. In small groups, we are also working on our re-telling skills by looking at the characters, setting, beginning, middle and end. At home, be sure to have your child practice their re-tell skills by asking them to tell you what the important events of the story were in order.

As a reminder, also be sure to check out the "pages" on the left side of our blog. Be sure to also check out our new read-aloud for snack time on the "Books We've Read" page! 

Reading

In reading, the 2nd graders have been working hard on using all of the strategies and tips they have learned about this year so far. This week, I spotted the kiddos building their reading stamina, using "Stop and Jots" to jot down their ideas, thoughts and questions while reading, and re-telling with their reading partners. They are doing a great job!

Re-Telling

In reading, the 2nd graders have been working hard! This week, we talked about how in kindergarten and first grade, we learn HOW to read. In second grade, the focus is on reading to LEARN. To do that, we need to build our comprehension skills. One important part of building our comprehension is practicing "retelling" what we read. Today, the 2nd graders got to spend time reading and then met with a partner to retell what happened first, next, then and last in their story. They did a great job! Be sure to practice retelling stories at home with your child this weekend.

Reading Growth Spurt

In reading, we have been working hard on setting up expectations and routines for our Reader's Workshop. Our first reading unit is on the "Second Grade Reading Growth Spurt." We have learned that second graders grow as readers, just like they do in all aspects of life. They have also learned that in 2nd grade, they decide HOW they read. When they read a book, they can look for clues within the book as to how the book should be read. They also got to practice listening to their own fluency with this skill using "whisper phones." They did a great job!