🎃 Halloween Fun in 2nd Grade!

Our class had a blast celebrating Book Character Day! Students came dressed as their favorite characters, showing off their creativity and love for reading. From magical heroes to silly storybook stars, it was a joyful parade of imagination.

We also joined the middle school for Trick or Treat the Trail, where students walked through a festive path filled with treats, decorations, and friendly faces. It was a wonderful way to build community across grade levels.

To top it all off, we stirred up some spooky fun by making Witch’s Brew—a hands-on activity that blended sensory play, sequencing, and a dash of Halloween magic. The giggles and excitement were contagious!

Halloween in 2nd grade was full of fun! Delicious Donuts, Witch's Brew, Trick or Treat the Trail, and much more. Please take a look!

Habitat Dioramas

Our students did an incredible job on their habitat projects—their creativity, research, and presentation skills truly shined. I'm so proud of the effort and enthusiasm they brought to this learning experience.

Community Service

Second-grade students participated in a meaningful service activity with first-grade students. Students are teaming up to provide a "Front Porch Spruce Up" for Texarkana's non-profit For the Sake of One. For the Sake of One provides services before, during, and after foster care. Our classes trimmed shrubs, picked weeds, and planted fall color in the front flower beds for the FSO building.

Second Month of School Update

We’ve had a busy and exciting second month of school! Students are settling into routines and showing great growth in both academics and classroom community. Here are some highlights from this month:

Literacy Workshop Focus

Every  week our literacy centers target phonics and word work skills with an emphasis on rhyming, decoding, and spelling. This week students practiced words containing ir, er, ur, ear, or, and ore.

• Rhyming Center: Students will sort and match rhyming words that share the same r-controlled vowel pattern.

• Decoding Center: Students will read and find words with the target patterns, focusing on sounding out and blending then recording them on paper.

• Spelling Center: Students will practice writing and spelling pattern words, applying them in sentences and word sorts. Our new favorite game to play in a small group with me is “Guess the Word”. I give certain clues, like # of letters or syllables, then small hints until they guess the spelling of the word. Ask your child about how much fun they have in this center!

     • Roll and Write: students will use a dice that has ir, ur, er, ear, or, ore. They will roll, look, and spell the word, then record it on paper. 

These activities help students strengthen their ability to recognize patterns, improve fluency, and apply spelling rules in their reading and writing.

Science – States of Matter

Our science lessons centered around exploring matter. Students learned how matter can change from solid to liquid to gas, and we even got hands-on with experiments like figuring out what type of material is more or less absorbent.

We also learned about the Cherokee game of Stickball, connecting history and culture to our studies. Students created their own mini stickball crafts, linking reading with hands-on creativity. This activity sparked great conversations about teamwork, traditions, and how games can tell us about different cultures.

We dug a little deeper into our science unit and explored matter deliciously by making ice cream! Students learned that matter can change states from a liquid to a solid when cooled. These brilliant little scientists observed a liquid turning to solid (a milk mixture turning to ice cream) and a solid turning to liquid (ice melting while cooling the mixture). Science sure can be sweet! :)

Also, in 2nd grade we have been learning about helping and linking verbs, so this morning, they were able to complete a "write the room" where they had to decide if certain words were verbs, adjectives, or nouns. They all did great!

2nd Grade is a big year full of brand-new things to learn! Throughout the year, students will grow together as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and friends. Amazing things are bound to happen with this wonderful group of students!