Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmas Plays!




Students worked hard the two weeks before break at creating their own plays. It was so fun to see them work together to create a play of their own. The last day of school they presented their plays to the rest of the class. They were all so different and very creative.

Santa Visits Newell!


The kids got soooooooo excited when Santa came to visit our classroom. He let each of them ring his strip of bells and of course he handed out candy canes.

Christmas Party!

Eating all the yummy treats that parents brought.
Playing musical chairs!
Making snowflake ornaments!

Thanks to Mrs. Sindelar for planning and organizing our Christmas party. Also, thank you to all the parents who donated napkins, drinks, and treats. Without the help of parents this would not have been possible. The kids really enjoyed the fun time with friends!


Class Tree!

All the decorations they made at Stuhr we placed on our class tree. In addition, they made a few extra that the pioneers may have made back in the day.

Stuhr Field Trip!

Students making paper chains.
Stringing popcorn that we later put on our classroom tree.
Students all worked together to pop popcorn using Old Betsy. They even got to eat it when it was finished.
Braedon was the example of how men shaved.
Calling for the cows before we headed in to the cabin.

This field trip is definitely a memorable one for students. They learned about pioneer living and their Christmas traditions. I took soooooo many pictures but it would take me eternity to post them all so here is just a sneak peek. The kids really enjoyed their visit!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Math!


With the new math series it is very seldom that we get to do a lot of hands on activities so we try to integrate them when we can. The kids had fun reviewing patterns this week. We have been working on picture and numerical patterns.

Skate Night!

Braedon and Caden!
Abby doing the Hokey Pokey!
Brady and Braedon!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Pat on the Back!

Students reading all their compliments.
Students excited about what their friends wrote to them.


This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE character lesson on caring. Students have a paper plate taped to their back and they go around and write nice things about each other on their plates. Sometimes it is hard for us to express how we fell about others so this is a perfect way to say what we need to say. It is so fun to see them reach out to each of their friends. It is definitely a bucket filling activity.

Mmmmm my favorite meal...


Each student drew their favorite meal on a plate for their pre-write. This was my example! I love eating my Grandma's meatballs, cream corn, and mashed potatoes.
The stories students created were full of many WOW words. I hope they took time to share them with their families. They also had amazing voice in them. They definitely made me hungary!

Christmas Program!





It is so fun to see the kids all dressed up and ready to sing for their families! I was so proud of how respectful they were during the performances and they sang their little hearts out.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Character Chain!

We have been focusing on the character trait of caring this month as a school; however, within the classroom we are still working on using all of them on a daily basis. Students are able to earn a character strip based on a character trait they are caught doing. Our chain has almost reached the floor! Hopefully we'll start having students point out good character in their peers starting this week by giving out the strips themselves instead of me.

Thanksgiving Poetry!


Students paired up with a friend and picked a Thanksgiving, fall, or turkey poem. They practiced it and then shared it with the class focusing on expression, smoothness and pacing. They were so fun to listen to!

Can you guess which gourd is mine?



Students each got to pick out their own gourd and use vivid details to describe what it looked like. Then, when everyone was done students traded papers with a partner and had to figure out which gourd was being described. Some of the kids did such a great job describing their gourd that their classmate was able to figure it out! It was such a fun project to end the week!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Maps!



Students have had fun looking at various types of maps. They have been looking for a key, grid and symbols.

Halloween!

Caden
Brady and his sister
Tessa and her cousins
Calvin and his brother
Anastasia and her sister

Thanks to all the families who came to visit Halloween night. It was so fun to see the kids dressed up!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Calvin in the $ Machine!

Caden in the $ Machine!

Communities


Students worked in teams to create their very own community. They had to work to create places to live, work, play and solve problems. It was fun to see all the creativity come out! We hung the finished product in the hallway and have gotten so many compliments on how great they look.
Coming Soon: Pictures of the finished product

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Sharing our Writing!


Writing is such a huge academic area in second grade. Each student's goal is to reach the proficiency level. It is fun to watch them give compliments and feedback to each other then make changes to make their story better.