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!”