Fun Friday Apple Math Activities

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Writing Workshop

We have been writing personal narratives in writing the past week.  I read Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown and It's Justin Time, Amber Brown aloud to the class.  Amber Brown is the main character who has a best friend Justin.  Each student chose a good friend (not in our class) to write a personal narartive about.  Hopefully, these will be completed for you to read at Open House. :) 

We also found time to discuss the changing season here in Vermont.  We did some leaf writing and an art activity for a gorgeous (I mean GORGEOUS) bulletin board in the hallway.  Their writing is quite amazing!

Writers in action!



Daily 5!

During Reading Workshop a new component I am implementing this year is called The Daily 5. 
The Daily 5 are:
1.  Read to Self
2.  Read to Someone
3.  Work on Writing
4.  Work on Words
5.  Listening to Reading (Not yet introduced)

I introduced the first 4 components and we have been practicing, practicing, and practicing the expectations.  The students are doing a GREAT job and eventually they will be able to choose which Daily 5 they want to go to each day.  Right now students are practicing as a whole group.  This week we practiced Work on Words.

Write, Stamp, Decorate (Red Words)

Making red words with tiles

Using spinners to make words

Guidance Lessons

Mrs. McCleary our school guidance counselor has been doing some wonderful lessons the past two weeks in our class.  Last week she spoke about "expected" behaviors vs. "unexpected" behaviors.  The students role modeled these behaviors and discussed if the behaior was:
1.  Too much
2.  Too little
3.  Just right
A "just right" behavior is what is expected. Mrs. McCleary discussed how expected behaviors make others have "good" thoughts about you.  She then discussed how unexpected behaviors can cause others to have "uncomfortable" thoughts about you.  These are now terms we use consistently in the classroom and the students really understand it.

This week Mrs. McCleary discussed: Whole Body Listening
The students brainstormed all the different parts of the body we listen with and then enjoyed a great read aloud called Whole Body Listening Larry at Home.

Whole Body Listening - Brainstorming



Meet "Clara the Careful Clarifier"

Today in Reading Workshop, the students were introduced to a "special" character named Clara the Careful Clarifier.  Clara is a character who helps out if there are ANY words or parts of a story that you don't know.  She has many strategies to help us "figure" out words.  Today, she modeled Eagle Eye.  Eagle Eye is when a reader looks at the pictures for clues when they are reading. 
(The kids giggled and LOVED that I (oops - I mean Clara) had a sophisticated accent!  I think they were ALL tuned in today for the mini-lesson).

Meet "Clara the Careful Clarifier"

Clara the Careful Clarifier will be here all week reviewing reading strategies.

There are four characters called The Fabulous Four from the Reciprocal Teaching Book.  These 4 characters will be introduced this year and used to help students during reading workshop and their everyday reading.





"Hh" Brothers - Word Study

This week our SWR skill is the "Hh" Brothers (Ch, Sh, Th, Wh).  We kicked off the week with Ch and baked chewy chocolate chip cookies.  Then, students made their our very own Chewy Chocolate Chip Book.

Rolling the cookies

More rolling...

Yummy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

"HAPPY" Chocolate Chip Cookie Book Makers - (Books will be coming home this week once students complete them)

Classroom Rules

We have finished our classroom rules and they are now posted.  The rules are the same as the school wide rules...Be Safe, Be Kind, and Do your Best!  As a class we brainstormed examples for each.  They are displayed in popcorn boxes and the examples are the popcorn.  Each child has a photo in the Class Rules box which they signed saying they can follow these rules.  I did start the apple tree today as a behavior management tool for the students and for me to keep track of reminders and breaks.  (This is a management system that all students are aware of from 1st grade)  The students know that we have classroom rules so all children can reach their Hopes and Dreams for 2nd grade.

This photo is hard to see, but it is so cute so please check it out at Open House October 6th.

Math/Word Study/Bus Discovery

We had such a busy week so I am posting some of the highlights or what I actually took pictures of.  Enjoy!

Math Station - Building 10 with unifex cubes

Greater than, less than, and =

Add -s to a word (Interactive whiteboard puzzles I created)

Mrs. McCleary led our bus discovery discussion.  Then, we took a ride on the bus to "practice" what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like on the school bus.

Walking to the bus

AMAZING bus riders



Word Study/SWR

Word Study/SWR has been dedicated to reviewing skills from 1st grade such as:
short vowels
word spacing
capitals for names and the beginning of a sentence
qu - (stuck together like glue)
plural - adding s

Children did a different station each day to review and practice the above skills.  The writing skills (word spacing and capitals) were practiced during writing workshop time.

Popcorn short vowel sort

Short vowel word families on ice cream cones

Short vowel tiles

Sorting mats

q and u  are stuck together like glue!

Reading Workshop

We have started Reading Workshop and part of the routine.  Students have been practicing "read to self" time and we are working on building our reading stamina.  I also introduced "read to someone" and what it looks like.  Ask your child what EEKK means.



Happenings in 2nd Grade

Our mini-theme right now is POPCORN so we celebrated our first 3 days together with a popcorn party!

We brainstormed our "hopes and dreams" for 2nd grade.  Each child chose an academic goal for this school year.  They are displayed on stars hanging in our room.

This was the reaction when they returned from p.e. today and saw their "Hopes and Dreams" hanging in the classroom.  I LOVE how excited they are!!

This was my writing mini-lesson on "Do you have a writer's eye?"  My "hook" was the BIG glasses to bring attention to my eyes!  The idea is to use your writer's eye to check for :

1.  Capitals at the beginning of a sentence and in names.

2.  Proper punctuation at the end of a sentence.

3.  Lowercase letters throughout the writing.

4.  Finger spaces between words.

Welcome Back!!

We have been sooo busy the past two days getting to know each other, learning routines, and exploring new materials.  Here are a few pictures:

This is a Brain Pop video about School - the kids loved it!

Explore Time with pattern blocks

Students are decorating their "Song and Poetry" folders with stickers.  Songs and poems are a great way we practice fluency.

Students were actually waiting for their 1st song to hook into their folders, but I thought the way they displayed them looked so COOL that I took a picture.