Elf Glyphs, Class Yard Sales, Ice Storms and TGI(a)F!

Elf Glyphs = Finished!

The children had so much fun making their elf glyphs. They turned out pretty stinkin' cute! We'll make the corresponding graphs that go with these tomorrow. You can't see it, but our Elf on the Shelf, Dodger, made his own elf glyph! It was nestled between the others, and, of course, my little eagle-eyed kiddos spotted it pretty quickly. For having no thumbs, he did a great job of making his own glyph. 

Don't you just love the magic and mystery of this time of year? 

World Geography Study

We begin our passports for our world geography studies, tomorrow. I had almost decided not to do this unit this year, but my wonderful teammates inspired me to do it. Their excitement and enthusiasm is contagious. It's a marathon of maps, fun read alouds, crafts, simulated jet flights, a few snacks, and lots of Google Earth. It's so exciting to pull all of these activities together for the children, especially when I have great teammates to encourage me. 

Class Yard Sale
In addition to the world geography study, we're having our class yard sale, next week. If you're curious, you can peek at it, here. Having a class yard sale is a perfect way to engage students in counting sums of coins, making change, and reviewing basic addition and subtraction facts. I don't think my kiddos realize how much they are going to LOVE this activity!

This week has flown by! It has been a week filled with hard work and cute kids. Still remembering things I'm thankful for... Today, it is for a generous school PTO. Our staff was treated to a delicious teacher appreciation luncheon, today. I'm very grateful to have such generous and supportive parents. 

TGI(a)F!
Tomorrow is Friday! There's a slight risk of an ice storm rolling in near the end of the school day. I don't look forward to an icy weekend. I'd rather have an icy weekday that gives us a snow day! 

Have a great Friday and a restful weekend!

The Calm before the Storm?

I expected my students to return from Thanksgiving, well, all hyped in anticipation of the holidays. Not true. They've been calm, focused and completely pleasant! It's another thing to be thankful for!

Dodger, the Elf on the Shelf, popped in yesterday. The kiddos have been excited to guess where he'll be next. He surely can think of some creative places and poses! He is smart; he places himself high enough to ensure that his magic stays intact. Little hands can't reach the LCD projector!

We've been working on our study of states of matter. As you can see from the photo, it's messy, but so much fun! The children are doing a great job of working cooperatively. 

In this experiment, students are exploring what happens when two solids are mixed. They had to figure out how to separate the gravel and kosher salt, once they were combined. There were some very crafty problem solvers. Tomorrow features mixing liquids with solids. Messy? Yes. Engaging? Absolutely!

Happy Wednesday!

Solve It, Santa! Story Problems

Ohhhh, math is going to be filled with fun this next week! I just finished a math center for solving story problems. I'll be using Solve It, Santa! to work with a small group of children who need to practice problem solving. I put it on TPT for a $1 try me price. Here's a peak at it.

I have a feeling that the Elf on the Shelf might be making his first appearance this week. I'm braced for his tricks. Do you have one of these in your room? What are some of your elf's actions catastrophes? It's a cute idea (wish I'd thought of it!), and the children are eager to find out what Dodger's latest shenanigans are. He is named after Jordan Sonnenblick's character, Dodger, from the book Dodger and Me. It's a great read aloud for second graders. 

Have a great Saturday!

The Mitten Tree and Acts of Kindness

I've been busy planning for December fun in my classroom. My teammates and I are planning a second grade yard sale in a couple of weeks, so I am putting the finishing touches on materials for that. It's a super-fun way to give our kiddos a real world opportunity to practice money skills. 

In the finished column, I wrapped up two TPT products this past week. The first is a writing and word study kit based on the cute book by Marla Frazee. I'm looking forward to using Frazee's book as an anchor for teaching ELA skills next week. What a great way to kick off December! Can you believe that December begins on Sunday?!?

In an effort to keep my students (and myself) grounded during the upcoming "I want!" frenzy, I've put together several acts of kindness, focus-on-others activities that I have used for the past few years. I love Candace Christiansen's, The Mitten Tree, so I used it as a theme for this kit. 

On a final note, Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful that I was able to spend quality time with my sweet family. While I was there, I was able to visit with the chicks and ducklings that we hatched in my classroom about six weeks ago. Look how big they are! My students are going to be shocked by their growth. They had a great time munching on my brother's fall garden. 

New Laptop ~ New Materials for December

Remember that Florida beach trip that I mentioned not taking? I took some of the money that I would have spent and got myself a spiffy, new, PURPLE laptop! While I'm bundled up in these freezing temperatures, working on school stuff, I can dream of a beach trip by looking at this.

Three Sisters Beach, Great Exuma, Bahamas

I've been taking advantage of the peace and quiet to work on my plans for December. I just finished Santa Claus: The World's Number One Writing and Word Study Expert, based on Santa Claus: The World's Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee. I love this book!  Here's a peek at the two literacy centers with Santa's To-Do Lists and Claus Clues, which focuses on context clues.  I can't wait to put this into the hands of my second graders. I think they're going to love it, especially the cards with QR codes that link to websites for some real world research. 

However, for now, it's time to rest and plan a day of shopping. I am going to try to finish my Christmas shopping this week -- before Black Friday. I am not a fan of shopping, so I am motivated to get it done to beat the crowds!

Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving!

A Thanksgiving State of Matter

We just wrapped up day 72 of school! It never fails; about this time of year, the days seem to fast-forward.  I'm thankful that I have a job that is fun and filled with sweet children who make me smile, and dare me to be better than I was yesterday. I am also thankful for a full week off to recharge my batteries. (I'm also kicking myself for thinking that I was too tired to take a short trip to the beach. It's freezing here!)

Things in second grade have been active. We've been telling time to five minutes. My kiddos are making progress. My small group focus has been to challenge my high kiddos (using riddle-writing) and to fill in gaps with students who need to shore up their time-telling skills. The children had fun making clock faces to practice quarter after, half past and quarter to skills. We added some details to make it more interesting: our favorite color, our favorite treat, and our favorite book character. 

We jumped into studies of states of matter in science. Excitement goes with experiments, so we had tons of fun watching "explosions" of a mystery solid (Alka-Seltzer) and a mystery liquid (water). I love to take advantage of that interest! 

We finished our Thanksgiving is a State of Matter projects, and the results were cute! Each section of their plate had an illustration of a food or drink they'll enjoy at their Thanksgiving meal. They used oil pastels to illustrate them, which made the illustrations vivid and beautiful. Each child added a decorative border or design to his place mat, which was a 12 X 18 sheet of construction paper. The corners were cut off to make them rounded. 

One student's yummy Thanksgiving "matter".

The word bubbles had explanatory sentences that described the state of matter of each food item. This fun science/writing/brainstorming activity always puts me in the mood for my mother's delicious food and the wonderful company of my family.

Hand print turkeys were a popular decoration on the place mat.

Yummy Thanksgiving "Matter"

I hope your holiday is wonderful!

Bugs, Globes and Books

I started the week with the stomach bug that is swarming through our building. It is fast and furious. Thankfully, it only lasts about 24 hours. We have scrubbed every surface in the room to hopefully keep everyone else bug free. The rest of the week was packed with activity.

The children finished their Monsters in a Jar narratives and designs. They are very clever. Don't you love how this one is posing? The children had a great time sharing their pieces and getting constructive feedback from classmates. It's so wonderful to see how my second grade authors are gracious in accepting "you need to read with more fluency" or "you need to add more details to the ending" types of feedback. It's more powerful than the gentlest comments I might make. 

The monster writing was fun. Pumpkin globes, not so much. I asked my kiddos if they knew the Taylor Swift song about never, ever getting back together. Amid a chorus of "Yes!", one little voice said, "Please, don't sing that song!" I told them that we are never, ever, ever making pumpkin globes in my room again. Talk about a headache! The acrylic paint wouldn't stick. Some children brought huge pumpkins, which made it tough to get the right scale of continent shapes to cut and glue on them.   Lesson learned. Next year, we'll go back to the flat, construction paper maps. 

Another piece of good news is that we had our school book fair. It's always fun to shop the books and see the children's excitement about books. I am blessed with generous children and parents, so our classroom library grew by about two dozen books. I always like to read the first few pages of a new book that has been donated, so that the children are tempted to read the book.I think it honors the child who took the time to pick out the book for our class. I call these teasers. One book that is really cute is, Jeff Mack's Good News, Bad News. It is perfect for teaching inference! 

It's time for some housework to make my house ready for company this weekend. I'm sure I'll be shopping with my sister-in-law while my brother, niece and nephew go to the Titan's game on Sunday. At some point this weekend, I have to prep for an observation. Yikes!

I also have to wrap up planning for the upcoming weeks before Thanksgiving break. We're going to be studying states of matter in science, so I'll pull out my We're in a Thanksgiving State of Matter activity. It's a neat science + art activity that makes an adorable hallway display.

Have a great weekend! Stay warm!

Chicks! Maps! Ducks!

The past week has been a blur! Benchmark testing... report cards... CHICKS HATCHING! We have been celebrating Chick Success in our life cycle studies! Seven of our eleven Rhode Island Red chicken eggs hatched! The children (and their teacher) are beyond excited! Unfortunately, the children didn't get to experience the hatching live, but thanks to technology, I was able to capture one of the chicks hatching. I tossed the footage into Movie Maker and had a video to share with the kiddos and their families. Expect to see duckling footage in about six days! That is, if Mother Nature favors us with precious, baby ducks!

Take a look:

I took advantage of Chick Fever to create a resource to use in math. Great Chirping Chickens focuses on CCSS NBT standards -- numbers to 1000, and comparing numbers. These will go into action tomorrow. I also wrapped up a skip counting kit that focuses on NBT skip counting to 1000 by 5's, 10's and 100's. You can take a look at them here:

Finally, we've begun our study of maps. I love/hate teaching map skills. I love it because children are so into maps. I hate it because it seems there are never enough grade-appropriate resources to teach skills like scale and grid coordinates. So, as I have said many times recently, necessity is the mother of invention! I put together a set of map materials to use to teach map skills this week and next. I am looking forward to using this one! More on this one later!

It's bedtime! Have a great Thursday. I like to think of Thursday as the new Friday. :)

Susan

Fertile Myrtle, I Am!

Our classroom has transformed into a mini-zoo, and we all love it! Our science curriculum focuses on life cycles, this quarter, and we have lots of critters to help us learn about life cycles. We have at least two dozen butterflies, which we have observed through the caterpillar and pupa stages. They will be released in a few days. 

Thanks to Petco's Kids 'n' Pets grant program, we have two fire belly toads in a terrific terrarium. If you're interested in Petco's Kids 'n' Pets program, the information is here. You'll need your principal's approval. It's an easy way to get a wonderful pet for your classroom without having to spend a ton of money. Thanks, Petco!

Sunset and Bubbles, our goldfish, are swimmingly happy in their aquarium. Our daily stars (helpers) get to feed them. Of course, Sunset and Bubbles beg for food every time someone walks by their tank. 

A student moved, and couldn't take his hermit crabs with him. So, we are the proud keepers of Adventurer and Hider. Hider is a terrific hider, too! He's been MIA for two days. I think he took to the depths of the moss and coconut mulch when Adventurer moved into his house.

The most exciting pets to me are the eggs that we have in our incubator. We have nine hen eggs and fourteen assorted duck eggs. They just went into the incubator yesterday, so we are getting to practice our patience for these pets. Twenty-one days from yesterday, we should have chicks, and a week later, we should have ducklings. Excitement!

Here's a picture of the duck eggs that came all the way from California.

Practicing patience...

Susan

Sloooooow Down!

Last year, I said I had never worked harder. Enter this year. I am not complaining. I love my job and the hectic pace that it is. However, I am constantly amazed by how much more we teachers put on our plates each year. Would you agree that a large portion of what is on our plates is placed there by us? Sure, administration puts some of it there: RTI, observations, policy and procedures, but I am guilty of trying to add one more cute, yet meaningful, activity to my teacher toolbox. 

Here's my list of new things that I am adding to my plate:

1. Movies for students by students -- The same policies that allow and encourage me to use technology are hindering my ability to share it. Still, I am actively seeking a solution. More on that later...
2. Reflection Journals -- These are still in idea form. I want my students to have a journal for reflecting on their learning experiences. I really should put this one at the top of the list.
3. Reading Logs -- I had snazzy, complicated response journals, last year. We really didn't use all the bells and whistles. This one really should be at the top of the list. Really! Our routines are set. The kiddos are ready to handle an extra responsibility. No more single response pages. 
4. TPT -- While it isn't related directly to my teaching, I am trying to be smart about items that I create. If I am going to put it on TPT, I want it to be useful in my classroom first. You know, kid tested and teacher approved!
5. Building stronger relationships with my colleagues -- I adore my colleagues, but I feel like we're ships passing in the hallways. Time is the enemy. I am really trying to listen with my eyes and ears; to hear what my colleagues are saying, and what they aren't saying. We are a school family, and I want to be a positive light in their day. 
6. Blog - I like this blogging thing, but it does take time to think about what I want to say; what my message is. It's not for marketing. It's for giving anyone who happens to stumble upon my blog a peek into the life of one second grade teacher. Is anyone out there???
7. Permission to fail in my quest for perfection. It doesn't exist. Yet, I search and strive.

We enjoyed our first field trip today. It was terrific! This location, Travellers Rest, is my favorite field trip -- ever! We learned all about trades and skills from the 19th century. It was exhausting, but buckets of fun.

Until next time...

Susan

Ciclo de Vida

Let me be the first to say that my knowledge of Spanish is scant. Learning to speak it is near the top of my bucket list. Yet, I kept thinking about how to open this post and the crazy-hectic pace that school is right now came to mind. La Vida Loca...Thanks, Ricky Martin. Great song. I'll wait while you go listen to it on YouTube. 

So, we are knee-deep in the processes of life -- butterflies, mosquitoes (yep, I brought some of those rascals from my patio watering can), fish, and soon-to-be... chicken and duck eggs! Several generous parents purchased an incubator and supplies for my classroom. We're waiting until the twenty-one day incubation period lands on the other side of our fall break to put in the eggs. We can't have chicks and ducklings hatching while I am lounging on the beach, can we? I think I am more impatient than the children. Soon, my chicks. Soon.

Our caterpillars are getting plump. I expect to see several J-shapes when we return to school tomorrow. The kiddos have had such an exciting time measuring them. And letting them crawl up their arms. I have a video that is hilarious, loud, and pure learning magic. Every child is engaged in measuring, comparing and observing. 

On another note... I had this brainstorm for a math game that incorporates expanded notation, building numbers with base ten blocks, and cups. Cup o' Numbers is what I call it. My second graders loved playing it, especially when I told them that I wanted them to help me work out any problems with the game. They didn't especially like the Splash! idea (giving your points to your partner) until they realized that it can be to their benefit in some instances. 

Here's a preview of the game. I think it has a kind of 50's kitschy feel to it.

Credits and Google Drive files coming as soon as I insert credits to the graphic artists. For now... wrapping up lesson plans!

Happy teaching!

Susan

Robert Burns was right: The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men Gang aft agley. Translation: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I would like to add that the best laid (detailed) plans of teachers and mice (?) often go awry.

I am guilty. Guilty of over-planning this week. I was a frazzled, near meltdown mess this morning. I had so many things going on, that I should have been wearing a ringmaster's garb. I forgot that children can't really be rushed. I put my need to cover every wonderful thing on my plans over their need to experience it. Lesson relearned.  

The best part of the day was when we revised a classroom preamble that I had from last year.This was after I read We the Kids by Brian Catrow. 

It's a  lovely book. If you read it, don't skip the forward. He describes his thinking and motivation for creating the book.  I was amazed with the thoughtful ideas my kiddos shared! They took the process very seriously, and the finished product is wonderful. 

Signing it with a turkey feather quill pen was the highlight! 

I hope your day was terrific!

Blog Inauguration!

My bloguration? Well, anyway, this is my first post on the new blog. (The first one I didn't delete.) 

So... I'm now blogging, again. I had a blog a few years ago, but I was so shy about anyone seeing it that I kept it private. That one was about my quest to run a mile without dying. Did it. :) 
This time, I am throwing off the covers, so to speak, and revealing all the wonderful things I am honored to experience with 20 second graders each day. 

What's New...

I've recently joined the teacher marketplace. Again. I had a website for several years, but I lost interest in creating new material for it. I got lazy and let it lapse. Teachers Pay Teachers seems pretty simple, if you disregard the highly competitive marketing of teachers by teachers. No complaints on that issue.It is definitely a buyer's market. If it's not cute, eye-catching, well-designed, and CCSS-aligned, it probably isn't going to sell well.

Those who are successful in keeping students, parents, and administrators happy know that marketing the fun, wonderful, deeply-challenging activities that take place in classrooms on a daily basis is a must. It is a professional responsibility, in my opinion, albeit an unspoken one. It's not bragging; it's essential! So, let the TPT marketing begin!