Kate Harrison Smith

WELCOME!

Welcome to Mrs. Smith's 2nd grade class. I am Kate Smith and I teach second grade at Banks-Caddell Elementary School.

In my classroom we begin our day with DOL (daily oral language) activities. We then do Calendar Math. The majority of the morning is focused on our core reading program, Open Court. This is a strong and intense reading program which includes reading, fluency, phonics, strategies, and spelling.

We write in our Writer's Notebooks everyday. We write about thoughts, ideas, or things that we want to remember. We publish pieces of writing also!

During math instruction, students use manipulatives to learn. Students have math journals and write steps in solving problems.

In second grade science we study four in-depth units: weighing and balancing, soils, butterflies, and changes.

If you ever need anything please contact me via e-mail: Kate.Harrison@dcs.edu

ABOUT ME

I am married to Brandon Smith.  I grew up in Sheffield, Alabama.  I moved to Decatur several years ago.  I graduated from Sheffield High School in 1995.  I received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Athens State University.  I was elected Teacher of the Year of Leon Sheffield for the 2004-2005 school year.

I love to shop, read, travel, visit with family and friends, and I like eating out (I am not a good cook!).

Some of my favorites include Kevin Henkes, Eric Carle, the color red, pizza, science, and math.

"There is a brilliant child locked inside every student."

Marva Collins