This is a tough post to write. Our last day of school was on June 13th. When I say last day, I don't just mean for the summer, but for good. I have spent the last 7 years teaching here, and I am still processing all of this. Peter Pan (one of the favorite books we read in 2nd grade) said, “Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” So instead, I will say so long because I will never ever forget the lessons I've learned, friends I've made, and the students I've taught.

Freebie Friday

One of my favorite sections in writing is when the students learn how to write friendly letters. I like to have lots of fun with this unit. The students write letters to my incoming 2nd graders, the President, and the person of their choice. They bring in a stamped envelope, address, and letter. Then we walk to the nearest mailbox (there is one at the front of our school), and they mail their letters. On the last day of school, I give the students my address. I love receiving the updates and pictures over the summer. Here is my free checklist that I use with my students. Happy writing and happy Friday!

Tip Tuesday

Hope you and your family had a great Memorial Day. My husband and I took a trip to Washington, DC....such a great place to celebrate and honor those who served. Now I'm back to school and ready to share a reading tip with you....

My mom (who is also a teacher) and I were talking about how we wanted to implement close reading in our classrooms. It's a way for the students to really go deeper in their reading, which strengthens their comprehension. Here is a really informative article about its positive effects. I created this packed (with a cute "dive into reading" theme) that includes two anchor charts (the steps of close reading and the marks used for a pencil read). It also includes reading response worksheets for students to use. These are great for if your students are reading a text that you don't want them to mark up, but you still want them to do a pencil read. You can staple them together with a blank page and allow the students to illustrate a cover for the text they just read. Check them out here and feel free to share your thoughts/ideas about close reading.

Tip Tuesday

We are in the homestretch! On the last day of school, I like to have a special awards assembly in my class. I invite the parents and have a different theme each year. One popular theme was candy. Check out the sweet awards I made. You can purchase them to use in your classroom too! How do you make the end of the year special?

Tip Tuesday

Here are some great ways we can encourage and thank the teachers we work alongside everyday!

Fun Day Monday

Mother's Day is right around the corner! It's always fun for the students to make something special for their mothers. Here is  one of my ideas for a personalized and inexpensive project. I found a cute teacup template online and added the words "You are a tea-riffic mom!" They used watercolors to paint the teacups and glued three sides (leave the top open for a teabag) onto their construction paper card. You could also use scrapbook paper for the cards. I brought in various flavors of tea for the students to choose. Marshall's, Home Goods, etc. is a good place to find all different flavors for reasonable prices. They added the "I love you!" tags to the teabags and slipped them into the teacup.

Fun Day Monday

Who doesn't love a sale? For the next 3 days, you can get some great products for the end of the year or stock up for next year. Don't miss out on this 15% off sale. Happy spring and happy shopping!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Stephanie-Donaldson

Kids Say Thursday

Just a little testing humor for you:

Me: "We're doing the listening section of our test today."
2nd Grader: "Which section are we doing?"

Here is a fun way to encourage your students during testing week. I cut out flowers (out of that foam paper) and taped mini containers of play dough to them. My class got so excited when they saw them!

Tip Tuesday

 
 April showers bring May flowers for sure. In a classroom, April showers bring antsy students! Rain, rain, go away! It's hard to keep kids in all day. Ever feel like this? In my class, I have a rainy day bin. It's a Rubbermaid container that I filled with goodies. It contains games, puzzles, stencils, crafts, etc. It keeps the students occupied during inside recess and excited even for indoor recess. Here's my FREE sign that you can use on your own rainy day bin. Feel free to send me pictures of your own rainy day bins. Email me at mrsdonaldsonhasclass@gmail.com.

Kids Say Thursday

Today is Grandparents' Day at our school, so it always brings about great conversations. There is so much to learn from the generations that come before us. What is something that you have learned either from a grandparent or other special family member?

2nd Grader: "They used to talk fancy in the old days. They left the easy words for us."

Working Wednesday

One great way for students to show what they know is to allow them to be the teachers. Today, the students who understood subtraction with regrouping got to teach the students who didn't. It helped build their confidence, and they knew how to explain it on their peer's level. Great day in math!

Fun Day Monday

After learning all about food groups, we had a food group party. This was a fun and delicious way to put this learning into practice. The students colored the plates that show each food group by portion. You can find many resources and coloring pages here. I laminated them, so they could be used as placemats for the party. I sent home this letter to parents and assigned each student a food group. I made posters, and the students put their food in its group. The students enjoyed it, and they really grasped the idea of a well balanced meal.

Freebie Friday

My class is gearing up for standardized testing week. Today's freebie is an informative letter to send home. Just click here to grab it from my store. Feel free to check out the other testing related products I have, including testing motivators and a testing tips coloring page/handout for your students. What are some ways you take the stress out of the tests? You can also share your ideas here.

Kids Say Thursday

The book “Lots and Lots of Coins” by Margarette S. Reid inspired this idea. My students were fascinated by the section that described state quarters. I printed off this map and now we keep track of which state quarters we find. The students show the quarter and color its corresponding state.  One really excited student ran up to tell me, "I brought in a state quarter from New Hamster!" It also ties in geography(which my class still obviously needs...haha), so the integration is a bonus!

Working Wednesday

During February, we read various biographies celebrating American heroes. I assigned each child a biography. We use the ones by Scholastic. They read the biography and drew portraits to represent their person. This is a great alternative to a traditional book report. We call it the “2nd Grade Hall of Fame.” The students love visiting our “museum” and seeing the different Americans that contributed so much to our country.

Tip Tuesday

Teaching time always proves to be a tricky topic. I made this clock and added it to our math wall. It was only $1 at AC Moore, and I added the hands with leftover scrapbook paper from my craft drawer. It's an easy way to remind students about the basics of telling time.

Fun Day Monday

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here's a little bit of the fun we had in science to celebrate. We used two popular St. Patrick's Day symbols...rainbows and coins.

The first experiment we did involved Skittles. First, they took the Skittles (3 different colors) and placed them in a bowl. Then, we covered them in water. Next, they watched with amazement. Finally, they drew a picture of their observations.

The second experiment involved pennies. Each student got a dirty penny and made penny polish for it. It was 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 cup of white vinegar. They dipped half the penny in for a few seconds to see just how well the penny polish worked. Then they could put the whole penny. They couldn't believe how shiny the polish made the penny.

What are some ways you added a little St. Patrick's Day magic to your classroom?

Freebie Friday

I'm always looking for ways to help my students improve their writing. I created a pack of worksheets to help them develop their sentences. Today's freebie is a sample from that expanding sentences writing pack. Who doesn't love a freebie? If you like it and would like to purchase the entire pack, you can click here.

Kids Say Thursday

It fills my heart with joy when my students take pride in their work. One of my 2nd graders turned in his paper and announced, "Here is my masterpiece!" What are some ways you encourage your students to do their best?

 

Working Wednesday

The calendar says that spring is coming, but it certainly doesn't feel like it where I live! We just had a snow day this week. I still blame the groundhog...haha! I always put together a unit for each season. Maybe if I start teaching about spring, it will start to feel like spring. We read a book about spring. I recommend "Why is it Spring? (Why do we have seasons?). Then we brainstormed characteristics of spring. The students picked their favorites and used them to decorate their flower. I turned them into a bulletin board and titled it "Good Work Grows in 2nd Grade."

Tip Tuesday

When you're helping a student, often multiple hands will raise. This leaves students watching and waiting for you to finish. I made this "I'm Next" sign. I printed it out on colored paper and laminated it. I put numbered cards under. As students need help, they take a number and wait for me to call it. This has eliminated a long line at my desk and restless students in their seats. If you would like to buy my sign and cards, just click here.

 

Fun Day Monday

"A book is a gift you can open again and again." -G.K.

My students love book parties. After you've finished an author study, unit, or chapter book, it is a fun way to celebrate their accomplishment. One of my class's favorites is Peter Pan Day. Need ideas? Leave a comment with a book title, and I can give you some suggestions. Also, feel free to share ways you make books come alive in your classroom.

Freebie Friday

What do ice cream and grammar have in common? I tell my students that writing a sentence is like making an ice cream sundae. You start with two scoops (subject and verb), add some toppings (adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases), make sure it makes sense, and add a cherry on top (endmark). All the parts of the sundae are separate, so you can adapt it for the parts of a sentence that your class knows. I found a cute sundae coloring page here: http://paperplayday.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/ice-cream-artrage-stencils-templates-etc/. Then I made our sentence sundae. Your students will love this sweet way to learn about writing sentences.

Here's my finished product:

Kids Say Thursday

Sometimes going over classroom rules and procedures can be overwhelming for the students. Let's be honest, it can be overwhelming for teachers too! We need to make sure that we clearly communicate rules and procedures. If not, the students will be confused, and we will be frustrated. I've learned that the best way is to introduce a procedure and then practice, practice, practice it. Another thing I do is make a rule book. I print off each classroom rule and let the students illustrate them. We call it "2nd Grade Rules" for a little play on words. Then I assemble it and put it in our classroom library. The students love to see their work, and they're reviewing the rules at the same time.

Here is a humorous conversation from my classroom that shows what can happen when rules are misunderstood.

 

2^nd Grader: “I am going to stare at you really hard. I won’t even blink.”

         Me: “You’re allowed to blink in second grade.”
       
        2^nd Grader: “Whew…okay!”