Here comes March! Whether it’s roaring in like a lion or calmly like a lamb, it will be full of learning & discovery for the second graders at Timber Lane.

Important Dates & Reminders

• March 2: A 2-hour early dismissal
• March 2: A visit from a local dental office to support our health instruction
• March 3: Student holiday - School Planning Day
• March 8: Family Market at 4:30 PM
• Make sure your child comes to school with one quick and healthy snack and water bottle every day.
• Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Unless it is raining or the county says it is too cold to go outside, second graders will go outside every day for 30 minutes. 
• Please report your child’s absences by contacting their teacher, the main office and filling out the attendance form. https://timberlanees.fcps.edu/about/attendance-form. In addition to reporting your child's all day absence, you can now use our online attendance form to report a late arrival or early dismissal.

Language Arts

What We Learned This Past Month:

In word study:

• Students learned to read/write words with -r controlled vowels, such as horn, star, & bear.

In reading students learned to:

• identify components of a realistic fiction story: character, setting, problem, solution
• identify the theme of a realistic story

In writing, students wrote realistic fiction:

• Student learned how to structure their writing with a beginning, middle, & end
• Give characters a problem
• Show details of how the problem was solved
• Use new vocabulary to describe characters, their actions, & feelings
• Edit their stories for word choice & corrected spelling of known words

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

In word study:

• students will learn root words that change spelling when an inflectional ending is added, such as puppy➝puppies; reading/writing contractions & possessives

In reading, students will learn to: 

• use context clues to aid meaning of vocabulary and ideas. 
• become familiar with text structure and use new vocabulary accurately. 
• identify the author’s message and determine if they agree with this message
• use evidence from the text to justify their thinking. 
• use sequence words to summarize the story. 

In writing:

• students will learn to express opinions by writing persuasive letters.

Math

What We Learned This Past Month:

In math, students learned to

• Name and write fractions represented by a set, region, or length model for halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths.
• Represent fractional parts with models and with symbols.
• Compare the unit fractions for halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths, with models.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

Students will learn to:

• Estimate sums and differences
• Determine sums and differences, using various methods 
• Create and solve single-step and two-step practical problems involving addition and subtraction 
• Demonstrate an understanding of equality through the use of the equal symbol and the use of the not equal symbol

Science

What We Learned This Past Month:

Students continued to learn about 

• meteorologists and tools they use 
• different kinds of precipitation (rain, hail, sleet, and snow).
• Extreme weather and the damage these storms can cause, and how to stay safe (thunderstorm, tornado, blizzard, and hurricane).

What We Will Be Learning Next Month:

Students will learn about matter and forces:

• What is matter?
• Different states of matter
• How matter can change due to different forces acting upon them
• Which forces can change states of matter

Social Studies

What We Learned This Past Month: 

• Students learned about the contributions of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as we celebrated President’s Day.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month:

Students will learn about:

• Two important European explorers
• Economics
  • Natural, human, and capital resources
  • the use of barter and the use of money in the exchange for goods and services 
  • making  informed economic decisions

Other News

• Laptops will go home with your child every Friday.   It is important for them to return their laptop, charger, and laptop bag to school every Monday as they will be needed in the classroom during the week. 
• Laptops may also be sent home if there is a chance of snow in the forecast.
• FCPS has shared the following statement.  The first five inclement weather days will be traditional “snow days” with no school activities. After those five days, we will hold virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain continuity of learning. Virtual learning on these days will be synchronous (live) instruction following the inclement weather virtual learning day schedule which includes a two-hour delay.
• Laptops can be used at home to go on Lexia, ST Math, or other sites posted on Timber Lane’s website.  If your child is not using their laptop at home, please have them keep it in their backpack in a safe location in your home.