Happy Spring!
March 28th, 2026
Good morning families,
As spring fever hits, our class is taking the time to reset expectations and remind ourselves what we want our learning community to feel like. We had some great conversations this week about the importance of thinking about others and working as a team. Students connected this idea to the “ripple effect” because when we choose to be kind and to engage positively in our learning, it helps the people around us do the same, too. We each set goals for how we would have a positive effect on our classroom team, by listening to each other, treating each other with kindness, following the group plan, etc. Students even took the initiative to revise our class pledge (which we say every morning) to reflect this focus on teamwork. When students reflected on this work together, they noticed that when everyone was thinking about others, our classroom felt happier and more learning happened. I am excited to build on this momentum together next week!
Second grade families are invited to join for Library this week! Our Library time is on Tuesday from 9:25-10:05 with Mrs. Lunt.
Read on for more March updates!
Warmly,
Ms. Kiley
Reading
Readers are studying the characters in their books closely, noticing what they say and do to infer how they feel. We’ve been practicing reaching for precise words to describe character feelings, noticing when characters’ feelings change, and inferring why their feelings change.
Readers also learned that character traits are a little different than character feelings. We can notice patterns in how characters act, which tell us about who they are on the inside. Students have been practicing finding evidence in their books to support their theories about what their characters are like.
Our whole-class read aloud, Dragons in a Bag, has provided a basis for rich conversation about characters and their traits and feelings. When we finished the book this week, students participated in a whole-class conversation. This was a totally student-led conversation in which readers discussed what they think the life lesson of the book is and why. Readers did a great job sharing their ideas, making connections, asking questions, and including everyone in the discussion.
Coming up next: Readers will be forming mini book clubs!
→ Ways to Support Reading at Home
To complement the work we’re doing in school, you might:
Discuss the life lesson of the books your child is reading: What does your character learn in the end? What will you take away with you from this book?
Discuss character traits and feelings: How does your character feel here? Why? What kind of person is ____? How do you know?
Make sure your child can identify the genre of the book they are reading: Is this book fiction or nonfiction? How do you know?
Reading chapter books!
Character traits
Notes from a whole-class conversation
Writing
Writers are continuing to fill booklets with realistic fiction stories, featuring a main character, setting, problem, and resolution. At this point, most writers have drafted a few books and are working on revising their stories to make them even better. Students looked through mentor texts to get ideas of ways that authors make their stories more detailed and suspenseful. Some ways writers are revising include:
Adding a stronger beginning to hook their readers
Stretching out important moments bit by bit
Creating tension by making it difficult for their main characters to get what they want
Bringing the internal thoughts of their characters to the page
Crafting dialogue and dialogue tags that shows what kind of person their character is
Not just telling feelings, but showing them with character actions
Writers will publish one of their books to our classroom library this week! You’ll also see some of their realistic fiction books coming home in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out in green folders.
→ Ways to Support Writing at Home
I’ve witnessed SO much growth from writers across this unit that is worth celebrating! More and more writers are meeting their volume goals, finding strategies to keep themselves going when they get stuck, transferring handwriting and spelling conventions into their work, and most importantly, finding joy in the writing process! I regularly hear students say things like, “I finished drafting so I’m going to revise my dialogue tags now” or “It’s time to edit my punctuation”, which shows they are taking ownership of their work as writers. I’m also seeing more and more students choosing to write during choice times and at home, which is incredible. Writers should feel SO proud!
I think the best way to support writing at home, given this growth, is just keeping the joy for writing going! ANY type of writing that your child does, from grocery lists to comic books to song lyrics, is worth encouraging.
Consider point of view
Show, don't just tell, feelings
Phonics
Our class recently applied to join the BLC Construction and Demolition Company–a company dedicated to building Big, Long, and Complex words. To complete the application, students had to demonstrate their strategies as word builders, like listening for each syllable in a word and writing down the parts they hear.
Our application was accepted last week, and we were given our first company assignment: to create a Vowel Manual! Students took this task seriously. They know that long vowel sounds tend to be the trickiest part of a word, because there are so many ways to spell these sounds. They diligently worked through each long vowel sound, identifying the ways to spell them, finding examples, and coming up with tips to decide which vowel to use. Students compiled these tips into a manual, which we mailed off to the BLC this week. Our assignment earned students their BLC badges, which they were thrilled to receive. You might have noticed your child coming home yesterday with a badge recognizing their membership as part of the BLC Vowel Task Force!
Our next assignment: to learn how to “demolish” big, long, complex words in our reading.
→ Ways to Support Phonics at Home
At this point in the year, students are putting all their strategies together to be able to tackle multisyllabic words in their reading and writing. You can support this work any time your child is reading and writing at home by prompting them to listen for each syllable, look for parts they know, and pay special attention to those long vowel sounds.
Math
Thank you for the incredible turnout at our Celebration of Math Learning last week! It was amazing to see our classroom so full of family members and engaged conversation about student learning. Mathematicians were excited to show off their favorite math games. I am linking the slides I presented for anyone who could not be there in person. You’ll find copies of game boards in the slides, too.
As we work on adding and subtracting bigger numbers, there is a big focus on bolstering students’ understanding of the relationships between numbers. The big question mathematicians are thinking about is: How can I use what I already know to help me tackle newer, bigger problems? We target this work through problem strings, counting collections, partner games, and interpreting number stories. I’m noticing how all students are more readily contributing to math conversations by sharing their thinking and explaining their strategies for solving problems. I see more and more students making connections between problems!
→ Ways to Support Math at Home
Challenge each other to add three 2-digit numbers (up to 20). Can you add four numbers? What about five numbers? Talk about the strategies you used and check each other’s answers.
Say two 3-digit numbers. Ask your child to compare the numbers, paying attention to the number of hundreds, tens, and ones in each number. Which is larger? Which is smaller? Invite your child to tell you about the value of the digits in each number. For example, in 342, the value of 3 is 300. Record the comparison using a relation symbol (<, >, or =). Compare other pairs of numbers.
Counting collections
Subtraction strategies that build on number relationships
Social Studies
Students have been engaging in some curious and respectful conversations about indigenous cultures, especially the Wabanaki. Students studied the flags of the Wabanaki tribes, and thought about how the symbols nations choose for their flags represent their strongest values. They made some amazing observations, noticing how the circle is a symbol of community and conservation. They even noticed how the Wabanaki flags represent the sun in a special way, since Wabanaki means “People of the Dawnland.” Students then designed their own flags using symbols to represent their personal values, like family, unity, nature, and love. We have also been studying Wabanaki cultural traditions, like basket-weaving and musical performance in anticipation of our field trip on April 10th to see Wabanaki Stories perform at Merrill Auditorium!
Habits of Work
Students reflected on their habits of work goals and set new ones last week. They thought about how their goals would not only help themselves, but would help our classroom team by creating a “positive ripple effect.” Students have become such thoughtful and reflective goal-setters. Their goals really show that they are thinking about the effect they have on those around them. Some trends in our classroom goals right now are:
Stay engaged in our work to help the people around us do the same
Be a good listener (especially when the chime rings) to make everyone feel respected
Show empathy for others to create a caring environment
Come prepared for learning, which will help our class not waste time waiting to transition
Show determination when things feel hard to inspire others to do the same