Well, here we go again. Can Mrs. Ramthun begin to feel comfortable blogging? I think I can. Here's another try.

The second graders are progressing nicely with routines and procedures. Another month and all the "new" things will be second nature. Thanks again for your help with my request that you allow the children to be independent in the mornings.

I want to make sure that everyone understands and is comfortable with Accelerated Reader expectations in second grade. Each month the children will be required to earn a certain number of AR points by reading a book from the list and taking a comprehension test at school. Points are awarded depending on how well the child does on the test. Books have different book levels and point values, so plan ahead each month for what your child will read. If shorter books worth .5 points are at your child's level, then plan on using more of these. If your child enjoys chapter books, then they could choose to read just a few of these since they are generally worth more points. The most important thing is for your child to choose books at or above his reading level and to read them in plenty of time to take the tests before the end of the month. Waiting until the last  minute usually just results in choosing easy books from the classroom to satisfy the points requirement, when the program should be used to challenge your child as a reader more than this.

Part of the challenge for some of the children is finding an opportunity to take the tests. Please be aware that we have parent volunteers in place for every Tuesday and Thursday morning in September to take any children down to the computer lab if they are ready to take a test.

Thanks for your help with the ice cream sundae basket! I look forward to donating it to the committee to be auctioned off at the golf outing!

I enjoyed talking last week with your children about the events of September 11, 2001. It's hard for me to believe that this happened even before they were born!

I'll talk to you again soon.                                                                Linda Ramthun

     It's hard to believe that a month has passed since the first day of school! The second graders have come a long way with routines and we are all "getting used to each other." I hope you feel comfortable with our communication so far, using the mailboxes, email, engrade, this website, and good old-fashioned face-to-face actual talking!

     I have some things for you to think about concerning second grade math. The math curriculum we are currently using at Guardian is, in my opinion, challenging but excellent. It emphasizes "math thinking," especially using  story problems. Right now we are in the middle of Topic 2, called Addition Strategies. The children are actually taught thinking processes, or strategies, to make addition easier and more "automatic" for them. For some of the children, these strategies come naturally and are already in use in their heads. For some of them, the strategies don't make sense and won't "click" and be used until they develop more. What I believe ALL of the children can benefit from is facts practice and drill. It will be of enormous benefit to them if their addition (and subtraction) facts become "automatic." They should not have to mentally calculate 5 + 7 each and every time that they encounter it. When we begin 2-digit addition and subtraction and learn the process of regrouping, (we used to call this "borrowing" and "carrying"), they will have enough to remember without struggling with their facts as well. Please practice these basic facts (up to 18) with your child at home. We will begin later in the year to take regular timed facts tests, but time at school for drill can be limited,so I need your help and support at home. Flash cards are the "old-fashioned" way, but they do the trick. For those of you with computers at home, try games at funbrain.com or mathfactscafe.com to practice. There will be a huge payoff when the children have the facts mastered.

     Spelling tests are going well, but you may be looking for fun ways to practice words. How about having your child practice his keyboarding skills and spelling words at the same time by typing the words on your word processor? Don't forget about spellingcity.com, the site at which I have all of the spelling lists for the whole year available for games and practice.

     Memory is also going very well. Thank you for your work and help here! If you need some ideas to keep memory practice fun, how about adding a rhythm or melody to the words? You could also put each separate word or phrase on cards and have your child unscramble them into the correct order. Keep these things fun and practice will be less of a struggle.