Mrs. Kirsch
2nd Grade
2015-2014
Handbook & Syllabus
Mrs. Corie Kirsch
845~298~5280
Mrs. Kirsch’s Class Rules
~ I will be kind to myself and others.
~ I will be respectful to myself, others and my school.
~ I will be responsible for my learning and my behavior.
~ I will be safe.
~I will listen and follow directions.
~I will always try my best.
Rewards:
The children can earn individual and class rewards such as extra recess, stickers, pencils, praise, treats or lunch with Mrs. Kirsch.
Consequences:
1st offense: Verbal Warning
2nd offense: Student’s card moved to yellow & 5 minutes off of recess.
3rd offense: Student’s card moved to red,10 minutes off recess and student fills out a behavior slip
4th/5th offense: Everything from 3rd offense plus a phone call home and/or being sent to the principals office.
Behavior Chart System:
Rainbow= Excellent/Above & Beyond Green=Good or a warning
Yellow=Loss of recess Red=loss of recess/behavior form
*Beyond red will be a phone call home and or the principal’s office.
Daily Schedule:
Please see attached schedule for room 8.
Grade 1 Specials:
Day 1 & 4 ArtDay 2 & 5 GymDay 3 & 6 Music
Day 4 ComputerDay 6Library
**I send home a weekly planner informing you what special your child has.
** Your child must wear sneakers to participate in gym.
Birthdays:
You may send in a treat for the class for your child’s birthday. I would appreciate it if you would also send in napkins with the treat. Presently there are 21 children in the class. All treats should be the same.
Birthday Invitations:
Your child may bring birthday invitations to school, ONLY if either all the children in the class are invited to the party OR all of the girls are invited to a girl’s party/all of the boys are invited to a boy’s party. If this is not the case, you need to make alternate arrangements for distributing invitations. Your understanding and cooperation is greatly appreciated. I do not want any of the children’s feelings hurt.
Home Folder:
My link between home and school is your child’s HOME FOLDER. Your child will bring it home each day for you to clean out and review. Please review all notices and papers. Only return the paper requested or notices needing to be completed and returned to school. Your child must bring his/her HOME FOLDER to school each day.
Absences:
Please send a dated note explaining why your son/daughter was absent. A reason must be given or they will receive a truant on their attendance record. Family vacations should be planned around school closings. Extended absences, other than illness, make it difficult for young children to maintain a consistent, productive routine for learning. Work can not be send ahead for vacations.
Snack:
Your child is to bring in a snack to school each day. A nutritious snack is preferred. Please do not send in any candy. . Water bottles with a sports top are preferred.
Lunch Money:
Please have your child bring his/her lunch money to school in a change purse or bag. I have a safe place in the classroom for your children to put their money. I do not want children to carry loose change around with them. Money that is not labeled gets lost and it is difficult to find the owner.
Personal Belongings:
Please make sure your child’s name is on all of his/her belongings. Classroom time is wasted when we have to stop to find an owner of an item. Your child is not to bring any toys to school unless requested. Also, kindly do not allow your child to wear jewelry to school as it is a distraction and often gets lost or broken.
Boots/Shoes:
If your child wears boots to school in inclement weather, please send in shoes for your child to change into. Your child may not wear boots all day while in school.
Book Bag/Tote Bag:
Your child must bring his/her backpack to school each day. Check his/her bag daily for the HOME FOLDER and clean it out regularly. Young children “collect” many things and tend to keep them in their bags.
Recess:
We go out daily for about 20 minutes. Please be sure your child is properly dressed for outdoor play. In colder weather your child needs a hat and gloves. We will not play out in the snow unless on a special occasion.
Medication:
Your child is NOT to bring in medication (including cough drops) to school. All medication must be brought to the school nurse by a parent or guardian. Please call the school nurse, Mrs. Calvano, if you have any questions.
To Reach Mrs. Kirsch:
You may reach me by e-mail at which will usually give you the quickest response. Please do not email an urgent matter because I may not receive it until the next morning.
I look forward to a fabulous year working with you and your children. I would like to thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation, help, and support.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kirsch
2nd Grade Curriculum Overview
Comprehensive Literacy
Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, and Word Study
Students read and write with varying levels of teacher support provided in the context of whole group, small group, and individual instruction. Skills are aligned to the Common Core Learning Standards for Grade Two.
Reading Workshop
Study of literary genres and their elements includes fairy tales, folk tales, poetry, grade level informational texts, fiction and series books, with a balance of non-fiction and fiction texts.
Comprehension strategies and close reading skills -
making predictions, connections, and inferences;
drawing conclusions, monitoring for meaning, visualizing,
asking questions, determining importance, identifying the
author’s message and main idea; summarizing and retelling
Read-alouds- quality literature and non-fiction read to students as mentor texts for reading mini-lessons; teacher models fluency and thinking while reading
Shared reading- poetry, content area texts
Guided reading –small group instruction based on need, using leveled texts to develop decoding, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension skills
Independent reading- selecting and reading “just right” books (95% to 100% accuracy) with satisfactory comprehension; literature responses, reading logs, post-it notes and individual conferences with the teacher to instruct, support, and monitor progress
“Daily 5” independent literacy activities - Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Writing, Word Study
Writing Workshop
Writing units aligned to the Common Core State Standards include narrative, informational, opinion writing and poetry.
Cycle through the writing process -prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing
Focus on six traits of writing -ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence fluency, and English language arts conventions (capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and spelling)
Use of thinking maps and graphic organizers
Quality children’s literature and non-fiction texts read aloud as mentor texts for writing mini-lessons
Modeled writing- teacher models thought process while writing
Interactive writing- students and teacher share the pen, thought process and writing process
Guided writing- small group instruction based on need
Independent writing- student-centered writing based on mini-lessons, with individual conferences to instruct and monitor progress
Daily Language Review exercises and The Write Source skills book will be used to supplement English Language Arts curriculum.
Word Study
Fundations - multi-sensory, systematic, and explicit spelling program to teach phonics, spelling patterns, trick words (phonetically irregular words) and vocabulary.
Whole group activities– drill sounds; dictation of sounds, words, and sentences using dry erase boards, magnetic letters, gel boards, paper and pencil; tapping out and “marking up” syllables
Small group work based on need
Independent study-Spelling City (
Fundations homework – daily dictation and worksheet packet
Mathematics
Math In Focus – aligned to Common Core Standards, Grade 2
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• Represent and solve problems involvingaddition and subtraction
(1 and 2 step word problems).
• Add and subtract within 20 (fluently!)
• Work with equal groups of objects to gainfoundations for multiplication (repeated addition and arrays).
Number and Operations in Base Ten
• Understand place value (to 1000).
• Use place value understanding andproperties of operations to add and subtract (two and three digit numbers, with and without regrouping).
Measurement and Data
• Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
• Relate addition and subtraction to length.
• Work with time (to the 5 minutes) and money (dollars and cents)
• Represent and interpret data (tables and graphs).
Geometry
• Reason with shapes (solid figures and plane shapes) and their attributes.
Science
Science 21 “hands-on” approach with 4 units of study:
Tools to Measure our World –scientists use tools to measure capacity, length, weight, temperature
Observing and Measuring Changes in Energy –forms of energy include sound, electric, magnetic, solar, light, heat, wind, chemical
Observing and Measuring Changes in Living Things –plants from seeds and bulbs, and crayfish
Observing and Measuring Changes in the Environment -seasons and seasonal changes
Homework and projects may include writing a riddle identifying a tool’s attributes, conducting a Gro-Beast experiment, creating a musical instrument, and designing a raincoat.
Social Studies
An integrated Social Studies and English Language Arts curriculum will include 4 units of study, plus holidays:
Active Citizenship: Rules, consequences, symbols, voting
Communities: Rural, urban, and suburban
Geography of Communities: Continents, oceans, landforms, maps
Change and Interdependence of Communities
National Holidays (throughout the year)