Grade 2 has begun using a new behavior management system called Class Dojo. The students are given instant feedback on their behavior, both positive and negative. Parents are able to review their child's behavior at home through the Class Dojo website (a permanent link to Class Dojo has been added to the Links page). Here are the positive and negative feedback options that we are using in Grade 2 as of now. The teacher is able to edit these so they match up with the Grade 2 and QISS rules and goals. Students can receive positive points when they demonstrate the ESLRs found in our Class Mission. The students enjoy being able to create their own Class Dojo monster avatar, and they are able to make changes to them whenever they would like. So far Class Dojo has been a great motivational tool for Grade 2, inspiring them to always do their best! We will set monthly goals for the class as a whole and for individual students to improve their school behavioral habits. Let's keep up the great work, Grade 2!
Mr. D sent home a permission slip on Friday for Grade 2 parents to sign and return on Monday. The permission slip is for Grade 2 students to use the rock climbing wall in P.E. class! This will be lots of safe fun for the students, as they get to learn the exciting and interesting skills used in rock climbing. Don't forget to bring your signed permission slip to school on Monday!
If you lost your permission slip, click here to download a copy. Issue 2 of the Lower School Newsletter is now available on the Grade 2 website! You can also view the first Issue on the same page. Click on "Lower School Newsletters" under the "Classroom News" drop-down menu: All future Issues of the Lower School Newsletter will be added here too. Read all about the cool things that are happening here at QISS!
This school year, Grade 2 has been learning how to use the 6+1 Traits of Writing. The class made this video to explain the 6+1 Traits of Writing: This video was played for all of QISS Lower School at our first Lower School Assembly. Practicing these skills will help the students to become excellent writers. Grade 2 has a display in the hallway outside of our classroom with the 6 traits of writing listed on ice cream cones. Each week we will have a lesson about a new skill that fits one of the 6 traits, and when we complete each lesson the class puts a new scoop of ice cream on the cone that matches our lesson. The +1 trait of Presentation is demonstrated by the display. Here is a bigger picture of the first 3 traits: And here are the next 3 traits: As you can see on the scoops of ice cream, Grade 2 has completed lessons about the Conventions of End Punctuation and Past, Present, and Future Tense, and Beginning, Middle, and End Organization. More pictures of Grade 2's progress will be posted throughout the year! Also, this Prezi is a good resource to learn about and review the 6+1 Traits of Writing: Grade 2 had a fantastic afternoon of Halloween fun last week! Everyone came dressed in their costumes, and all of the Grade 2 students were ready to celebrate Halloween! They decorated pumpkins, some spooky and some cute! We went trick-or-treating in the Upper School, where the students had to find clues in a scavenger hunt in order to earn their candy. The Upper School students decorated their doors and classrooms too! In the auditorium, each class performed a song and dance with Ms. Victoria. Everyone in Lower School did a wonderful job. Grade 2’s song ended with a “BOO!!” We then all enjoyed watching Charlie Brown and his friends wait for the Great Pumpkin. On our way out to the buses, parents and representatives from the PTA passed out some delicious (and spooky!) ghost cookies to all of the students and teachers. Earlier in October, some parents helped decorate the school in a fantastic Halloween theme! On Halloween, parents also helped the students decorate their pumpkins in the cafeteria. Give the PTA and all parent volunteers a big thank you for making Halloween a huge success here at QISS! Here are some pictures from our fun Halloween afternoon: And here is a video of Grade 2's performance with Ms. Victoria: Grade 2 recently took a field trip to the Zhucheng Dinosaur Fossil dig site. Zhucheng is the largest dinosaur fossil site in the world, with hundreds of fossils on display. Nine new dinosaur species have been discovered there! Grade 2 had lots of fun exploring the excavation and learning about its history. Grade 2 did an excellent job connecting the bone fossils to our study of the human skeletal system. They identified several bone structures that humans and dinosaurs share. It was a great opportunity for the students to think about past events, and we will utilize that in our work with verb tenses! Here are some pictures from our field trip: Mr. D has a new update on his blog! Make sure you check it out! The link to his website on the Links page has been updated, or you can click here to check out Mr. D's awesome website!
In Math class we have studied the use of money, specifically buying something and receiving change. We connected our study of money to our Social Studies focus in Unit 1 by looking at the relative values of different money around the world. The students cut out copies of money used in the United States, South Korea, China, Singapore, Europe, and Mexico. We discussed their relative value, and then the students used the money to create addition and subtraction problems independently. Grade 2 had lots of fun learning about money around the world! Grade 2 has completed Unit 1! They did an excellent job learning about the various aspects of different cultures. The students explored the ways that language is used differently in countries and cultures around the world, and that the basis for language is communication. They also learned about other various forms of communication, such as music, art, and food. To help the students visualize the unique aspects of each culture, we used a Prezi to contribute to our lessons. They are embedded below for you to see and for the students to review. |