Goods and Services Fair

The Goods and Services Fair was such a success!  I loved seeing all the kiddos putting all of their hard work on display!  Here are some pictures of the groups in action.

Fabulous Fractions

We have been leaning all about fractions recently.  This week I am asking the kiddos to demonstrate their knowledge by creating a fraction flag that is correctly labeled.  Here are a few examples of what they have accomplished so far.   What amazing mathematicians I have!

The Tech has Arrived!

We now have 5 I pads in our room and I can't tell you how excited I am!  While we have games we are working hard to turn them into tools that can help to demonstrate our learning and understanding!  :)  We have talked about digital citizenship a bit but don't be afraid to continue these conversations at home!  We each leave a digital footprint.

It's Spring!

Tomorrow marks the first day of April and the weather finally seems to agree.... Spring is here!  I am so excited to be able to be getting outside more and remembering just what there is to enjoy about Iowa weather!  With the recent end of the 3rd quarter it is remarkable how fast this year has gone!  We are going to be busy, busy, busy these next few months!  We will start our unit on seed dispersal this week and work on the ways that seeds may travel.  Along with just what it takes for a seed/plant to grow successfully.  During seed dispersal the students will learn to create a lab report.

In our reading we will be continuing to work with fluency, accuracy, and comprehension.  I love having the kids come back and share about reading at home.  Books truly do open doors to new worlds, thank you for taking time to share those worlds with them! :) We are going to be looking towards the main idea more in the month of April.  As your child reads to you it is a great idea to ask them to give you a five finger retell.  The five finger retell is as such:

Remember, the best way to become a better reader is to practice!  I am looking forward to the changing of seasons and all the fun that comes with being back out in the sun.  Here's to making the last of this year as fabulous as the rest of it has been!

Measurement

Today we did some measurement activities to finish up our measurement and data.  They have already measured their own class and made a line plot with the information.  From this past activity we have already learned some new skills to help ensure that we are measuring accurately.

We will be taking this data and creating a new line plot to compare the difference between first grade heights and second grade heights.

The Billy Goats Gruff

Today we had the privilege of going to see the Three Billy Goats Gruff as an opera!  Ask your kids about it today, it was fantastic!  The performers are a traveling bunch who shared their talents and voices with us in a wonderful way!

Everyone was excited before the show began! :)

Look at those happy faces! :)

Well... almost everyone was excited!

Winter Party Pictures

My friends I must apologize for this late posting!  To say schedules are crazy would be putting it lightly.  Here are some pictures from back at our Winter Party! :)

Notes of Encouragement

Seasons Greetings!  This month is flying so quickly that it will be Winter Break before we know it!  Here is a look at what we are up to and what is to come.This week we have made stockings for our class that will be filled with notes of encouragement.  Throughout the month we will be placing a note for each student in the class with a positive message.  During our winter party the kids will have the chance to open up their stockings and see what is inside.

 

On Friday we will be going to see the Nutcracker.  In preparation we are looking into Russian traditions for this time of year.  So far we have compared different versions of The Snow Child.

With Winter Break on the way it is time to gear up for the Winter Party.  I would like to have a Minute to Win It! party.  To do this we will need to have six stations set up for the different challenges.  I would greatly like to have six parent volunteers to come in and help out for these activities.  Please let me know if you would like to come in to help out at this time!

Thanksgiving

Today was such a great day! In the morning we rotated classrooms and the kids had so many great activities.  In Mrs. Smith's room butter was made.   Mrs. Morrett's room houses the experience of writing with a quill.  Mrs. Gillaspy was doing soap carvings and Mrs. Paige had the kids making spirit sticks.  In our classroom we made a Thanksgiving Story Bracelet.

Following rotations we went to library and then began our pumpkin pie adventure.   This was such a fun way to use our reading skills and take part in a tradition in many households across the nation.

Today was such a fun day and I look forward to what the rest of the year will bring.   I am so thankful for having the opportunity to be your child's teacher.   They make it a joy to come to work and each day a new adventure.  Thank you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Practice

Today I tested out a no bake pumpkin pie recipe! Just to make sure our cooking on  Wednesday won't be a flop. :) Needless to say it turned out great!  I'm so excited to practice using our reading skills in a real life situation!  What better way to practice strategies than with a yummy end result? With Thanksgiving break right around the corner there will be a few fun activities on Wednesday.  The second grade will be taking a tour around the classrooms to participate in Colonial activities as an extension to our current Social Studies unit.  This week is going to fly by!

Catching Up

 I would like to apologize for taking so long to put up any new posts!  It seems as though the month of October got the best of me and time slipped away.  Can you believe that Thanksgiving break is only a week away?  To start this post I am going to update with some photos that have been taken this past month.

 We got to take a ride on the Fire Truck for Fire Safety Week!  Everyone had a great time riding around the square.

 We had the Volunteer Fire Fighters come to teach us about how to be safe in a fire.  It was a fantastic demonstration and we are so lucky to have these guys take time off work to come present for us.  It is a good idea to talk with your kids about what their address and phone number is in case of an emergency.

 For our fall party we cut open some pumpkins and really dug in.  We counted out how many seeds were in each pumpkin and ways we can tell how many seeds would be in the pumpkin. 

 After cleaning up our pumpkin mess we had some yummy treats and watched a quick video.

Midterms will be sent home this Wednesday the 19th.   Thanksgiving break will kick off on Wednesday the 26th and we won't return to school until the first of December.  This year is flying by but there is much more to do!  Keep warm and enjoy the snow!

Skype with Australia

Here is what it looks like to have two classes invade our room!  Mrs. Kampf's class came to join us on our Skype Adventure!  While everything did not go as smoothly as hoped, we had a fantastic finish! 

Homecoming and Australia

Hey all!  Homecoming was fantastic!  The kiddos had a blast at the carnival and I can't wait to show you all that we did!  As of this moment I have received four permission slips back that will allow me to post pictures of the kids.  I need more slips back so that I can show more of the pictures I took!

Second Grade Teachers Unite!

 The assembly was a great kickoff to the day that flew by so fast!  It was a great experience and I hope the kids had a blast!

This week we have some exciting news, we will be Skyping with a class from Australia!  This is going to be such an amazing experience!  Be talking with your child about what it is about Iowa that makes us special and questions that they may have for our new friends across the pond. :)

Habitat Pictures

Last week we finished up with out habitat unit.  Following are the pictures of the posters that were presented. The kids had a blast making and presenting these.  Our principal Mrs. Cranston even stopped by to check out the hard work!

The last picture is one of our new tables!  It is much easier to keep things organized and ensure that papers are getting home with tables.  The first few days may take some getting used to but with more space to work I'm sure the kids will learn to love them as I do!

Reminder : picture day is Wednesday.   Please have your students ready to smile big!  :)