GRADE
LEVEL MINUTES – SECOND GRADE
Oct. 3, 2002
Bellingham School District
Teachers
will have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with peers in order to
incorporate the elements of the District Social Studies, Health, and Literacy Curriculum
and strategies for good instruction into their lessons and units of study.
(Handout From Meeting: Article: How People Learn
What is our theory of learning?
v
Learners
actively reflect and ask questions about their world
v
Learners
construct conceptual frameworks by making connections, seeing relationships,
considering other perspectives, and
v
Learners
have preconceived ideas about their world and continually confirm and correct
these ideas
What are the implications for
teaching?
v
Teachers
need to provide demonstrations of active inquiry by asking
questions that expert performers/learners ask about specific disciplines. (What questions do mathematicians ask? What
questions do readers ask? What
questions do writers ask? )
v
Teachers
provide opportunities for students to learn about a subject or topic in
depth. Ample time is allowed
for students to grasp the big ideas, to reflect, to investigate, to question,
to see relationships, and to construct new meaning.
v
Teachers
expect students to perform the new learning in authentic
situations demonstrating the skills and knowledge as outlined in district and
state standards.
This theory of learning connects with the Conditions
For Learning found in our Elementary Literacy Support Guide.
There is only one required unit to be taught this
year. It is Unit 1, “Lets Stay Safe”.
Teachers provided feedback on their questions and needs regarding the implementation of Great Body Shop (see attached Q&A for Health).
v
Questions
that readers ask are related to the Reading Process
v
Explicitly
teaching questioning can include helping students understand that some
questions are literal and answers are found in the text. Some questions are interpretive and answers
are found in a conversation between the readers and the author. Other questions are evaluative and ask for a
reader’s opinion.
(Handout from Meeting: QAR: Question Answer
Response from September 2002, Reading Teacher, p. 20-27)
IV. Backwards Design –
Starting with the big ideas to be learned and describing the
Performance
expected from the students.
(Handout from Meeting: Curriculum and Resources for Second Grade)
Sample units for social studies were developed and shared by the
participants. These drafts will be
sent to each teacher and may be further developed at future grade level
meetings. The template will be sent
electronically to each grade level teacher.
Teachers posted questions throughout the day. See attached for Q/A
sheet.
v
What
are second grade teachers doing for Handwriting? How do we get teacher
materials? What is the articulation of handwriting K-2 now that K students are
writing? Are we using D’Nealian or Handwriting Without Tears?
v
Will
the writing section of the report card be collapsed from the 6 traits to match
the state scoring method? Will the essential learnings be aligned on the report
card?
v
Do
we write improvement plans for students in the borderline range or for all
students not meeting the standard? Is this a state expectation?
v
What
is the content of the second grade science? How do we get alignment with K and
1 so that they are not teaching our units (Bees, Birds, Fish and Butterflies)?
v
Should
we really be using Painted Lady Butterflies which are not indigenous to our
area and die when released?
v
How
do we fit science, social studies and Health, Second Step, art, music into our
schedule?
v
Is
TERC becoming the district-adopted method of teaching? Will there be support
for this material? How do we ensure that students know the facts if we use
TERC?
v
How
do we report TERC on the report card?
v
What
math concepts are reported within each strand on the report card?
v
What’s
the policy on parents as drivers on field trips? How much money is allocated for field trips to our building? What field trip transportation is paid with
district money?
v
Is
there a curriculum for PE and Music for us to follow?
v
What
social studies materials should each teacher have in his or her rooms? Are
there “safe” units not to be taught by other grades? What happened to the
materials being developed for social studies by Janet Oakley?
v
Will
there be more in service related to diversity?
v
Are
their lists of videos for each building and are they updated yearly? Where are the SLOS for Computer skills?
v
Why
are support services started so late each year (speech, title I, etc.)?
Teachers posted suggestions and topics for future grade level meetings.
Topics:
v
Integration
of Technology content into the Second Grade Curriculum
v
Share
titles of Read Alouds
v
Student
Phone Program in Classroom
v
How
to connect teaching, learning, assessing to the report card
v
Math
– what and how, Assessment, Individualizing
v
Writing
Programs – activities that support district literacy guide, Write to
v
Supportive
field trips
v
Time
to plan social studies and science units
v
Reading
Groups – Management of whole, small grouping strategies
v
Strategies
for doing the reading assessments with individual students
v
Yearlong
planning and timeline
v
Teaching
Handwriting
v
Spelling
Instruction Strategies
v
Opportunities
for combination classroom teachers to share and problem solve
v
Ideas
for PE and Music
v
Integration
of technology into the second grade curriculum
Volunteer teachers will
develop a plan for the next meeting in March.
Rose Hammond – Roosevelt
Kaylene Kennedy - Birchwood
Becky Walstad – Silver Beach
Kristi Dominquez - Geneva
Volunteer Hosts:
Roosevelt Team
Northern Heights – Lisa
Hawes
Alderwood:
Kari
Miller, Rebecca Lacey Birchwood: Rose Trowbridge, Kaylene Kennedy,
Carolyn Teig Carl Cozier: Kathy
Vielhaber, Doreen Standish, Caren Pitsch Columbia: Chelsea St Claire,
Joyce Lackey Geneva: Kristi
Dominquez, Linda Birman, Linda Hershey Happy
Valley: Jennifer Knight, Susie Holmes-Welch Larrabee: Lowell: Sarah
Neyman, Heather Knoflick Northern Heights: Debbie Nelson, Lisa Hawes,
Rick Lingbloom Parkview: Judy Lewis, Cheryl Israel Roosevelt:
Rose Hammond, Linnea Flarry, Susan Plummer Silver Beach: Becky Walstad,
Kathy Wilson, Lynda Butorac, Tracy Carlson
Sunnyland: Cindy Christenson, Cheryl VanEtten