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Sep272008
POSTED AT 07:14 PM
We were super busy this week and boy did it fly by! From launching "Read to Someone" to having our first performance during "Fluency Friday" the week was full of fun.
Let's start with Launching "Read to Someone." The second graders were just fabulous at this portion of Literacy Stations. Throughout the week they learned various ways to read to someone, how to check their partner for understanding of what they read and how to choose a book by making a deal or doing "paper, rock, scissors." It took them no time at all to get up to 16 minutes of reading to someone independently. It was just awesome to see them so engaged as they asked their partners detailed questions, took turns reading and listening and explored a variety of genres. I kid you not, I was literally mumbling "They're so good...they're just so good" as I sat at my desk taking it all in. I also managed to take some videos of the kiddos in action. I do need to double check my photo and video release forms. So, check back for video later in the week. 
Our first Fluency Friday was a huge success. I've never witnessed groups of readers that were so in-sync with each other as they read. It was clear the children had been practicing diligently all week. So, I thank you for your time and support. It's neat to see them begin to experiment with various voices and expression as they read. Speaking of reading with a "voice" I shared the story Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis with the children and we had a blast creating various voices to read each page with. Next time you're at the library you may want to check it out. I promise it will bring the giggles on gloomy day!
I feel like I've been a little neglectful to Mathematics on the blog. So, I'm going to take a moment to catch you up. Over the past month we have been working on a unit titled "Mathematical Thinking in Grade Two." Throughout the unit many of the concepts covered in first grade are reviewed as well as extended. We've been working with coins, combinations of ten, explaining our thinking in pictures, numbers and words, story problems and even and odd numbers. All that in one unit! We also continued with fact practice through a variety of interactive drills and activities. One of the favorites was "Musical Math" in which the children moved from desk to desk listening to music and answering math facts. They really seemed to enjoy it and it was a fun way to activate the "math fact" portions of our brains!
Once again, this was a great week in room 18. This is such a nice group of kids. I can't tell you how lucky I feel to be able to get up in the morning and go to a job that allows me to spend time learning and growing with them each day.
Have a super weekend everyone!
Sep202008
POSTED AT 11:56 AM
We did it!!! Thanks to the families of Room 18 we ordered well over $200 in books from Scholastic this month. That means we automatically earned 6,000 bonus points to put towards books, cd's, listening station sets and other great materials for our room. I have already ordered multiple books both fiction and non-fiction pertaining to the upcoming elections, four great audio books for our listening stations, Hot Dots interactive learning pens that provide countless opportunities to reinforce concepts learned in class (see here for more information), numerous science books (I love science and the kids have expressed a keen interest as well) and a class set of Magic Tree House books. My next "plan of attack" is to sit down with the kids each month and pick out 3-4 books from order form to add to our classroom library. Thank you all so much for your support. The children and I appreciate it more than you'll ever know!
We have all kinds of exciting things brewing in the classroom right now. This week, the children had the opportunity to make a special home for their writing as they personalized their Writer's Notebooks. It was so neat to see all of the pictures, stickers and quotations the children brought in. I especially enjoyed hearing all of the memories and stories that went along with each memento.
The children could hardly wait until Friday to write their first entry in their notebooks. When that day finally came, the room was absolutely silent. The children were so engaged in their writing that for a moment I completely forgot I was in a room with 20 vivacious and excitable second graders. Walking around and conferring quietly with the students I heard memories of family trips, stories about favorite pets, dedications to loved ones who were lost and fiction pieces of superheros and fantasy lands...and this was only our first day! We have a great journey ahead of us in the world of Writer's Workshop and I can't wait to watch the children continue to blossom.
As I mentioned before, the children continue to impress me across the board. When I share with someone that the students in my room give each other their spelling test each week I am often met with a look of confusion and surprise. The truth is, when I first considered partner spelling tests I too was a little apprehensive. Now that we are in are third week of testing, I wonder why I was ever worried at all. The children are incredibly mature and reliable when it comes to giving the tests. They read each word clearly and repeat it as needed (some even mimic their first grade teachers, using each word in a sentence) and when they are done they put away their testing materials and read quietly while the rest of the class is finishing. Being able to successfully complete this task each week requires a tremendous amount of responsibility and I'm proud to say that this is definitely a group of second graders I I can depend on! 
I'd like to add one final note about our current chapter book read aloud. The children loved "Tonight on the Titanic" so much that we decided to dive right into the next book in The Magic Tree House series, "Buffalo Before Breakfast." While browsing the internet one day I found some great links pertaining to the book and the prairie where the story takes place. I'm having some difficulty with the linking feature on the blog. So,you will need to copy each link and paste it into your address bar to view:
Friends of the Prairie
http://www.tallgrass.org/buffalo.html
The Plains People
http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/plains.html
How Many Ways Can You Use a Buffalo?
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/kids/buffalo.html
Who Was Black Hawk?
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading15/chapter_3_activity.htm
A Look at the Clothing of the Lakota Tribe
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading15/chapter_4_activity.htm
Thanks for another super week. Have a great weekend everyone!
PS: My beloved digital camera which is roughly 5 years old has taken a turn for the worse. The lens on it is broken and I'm not sure that it can be fixed. I'm in the process of looking into getting a new camera, but until then I will be unable to take or post very many pictures. 
EDIT: I couldn't stand not having a camera. Not being able to document the children decorating their Writer's Notebooks and working intently at their first entry made me crazy. So, this afternoon I ordered a Kodak Easy Share on bestbuy.com and it was ready for pick up within 45 minutes. Let the picture taking resume!
Sep132008
POSTED AT 10:54 AM
Today's blog is meant as an outlet for me to brag about the kiddos my room. So, I hope you don't mind. 
If you have been to our recently updated "Literacy Stations" page you know that we spent last week building stamina for "Read to Self" and we are already up to 15 minutes of independent reading. I wish you could be at school to witness this quiet and special time in our room. The children have hand picked 5 books for their book bag which meet their personal interests and are appropriate for their individual reading level. As a result, when they sit down to read they 100% engrossed in the pages. During this time everything in the room is still. As I told the children "it is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop (or according to Brenden, "even a pepperoni!")." The children are completely caught up in their picture books, chapter books, series books, poetry and magazines. They don't even look up when their proud teacher is sneaking around snapping pictures to mark the occasion.
It's hard to describe what it feels like to sit at my desk, hearing only the gentle buzz of tiny voices reading aloud. It truly makes my heart smile. The rewards continue as we come back together to check in after each building stamina session. The children make observations about the reading strategies they used to figure out tricky words, information they learned while reading a non-fiction book, characters they fell in love with in fiction and knowing in their heart a certain book is most certainly a "good fit."
Next week, we'll begin building stamina stamina for "Read to Someone." The children will learn how to sit when they read to someone else, various methods of partner reading and how to check their partner for understanding of what they've read.
I'm excited to continue this journey with your children and I can't wait to hear more of their reactions to the world of books!
Sep082008
POSTED AT 07:44 PM
We have had an absolutely wonderful start to second grade this year. The children are eager to learn, share and explore topics across the board.They are quickly adjusting to routines and have continued to show respect for their school, their fellow classmates, and themselves.
Last week, we began launching our literacy stations with "Read to Self." We talked about what "Read to Self" should look and sound like, 3 ways to read a book and what makes an ideal place to sit. The children are already up to 7 minutes of independent reading time. What a phenomenal start! Based on their level of concentration, commitment and enthusiasm during this time, it is obvious this group of second graders loves to read! I'm going a little picture crazy right now. So, my camera is at school. As soon as I bring it back home with me I'll be adding pictures to our literacy station page and on the blog.
I'd like to thank all of my students and their families for helping the year get off to a terrific start.
Boys and girls, I look forward to seeing your smiling faces each and every day. As one of my current second graders would say, "YOU ROCK!"
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