Happiest of Fridays to ya!!! I'm in such a great mood today! I don't know if it's the excitement of the Ryder Cup (and having Justin Timberlake within 2 miles of my house...), the gorgeous sun that is shining or just that it's Friday, but it's one of those days that I look out the window of my classroom and try to absorb the beauty. I know that in a few short weeks those trees will be bare, and it will be a long time before the color green is surrounding us again.
In other news-----we received a replacement Smartboard yesterday!! The one we've been using has been functional, however difficult, especially when I needed to use it as a white board and write things for the kids. The board was very inconsistent in where the "ink" would lay, so for example, sometimes a 5 would look like a big polka-dotted mess. Thank goodness for a good warranty and a supportive tech team, we are now in business and ready to use the Smartboard like crazy! (we started learning about Christopher Columbus via the Smartboard today!! So awesome!!)
This week has been full of the kids' first round of reading assessments. I think that I will be as happy as they will be to get back to doing a story rather than tests next week. For it being the first round in second grade, they really did a good job. Some will benefit from review of the tests, but we all learn from experience, right?
After school today I'm looking forward to flipping all of the calendars to October and decorating the classroom. The fall is always so much fun!
One final thought about the Ryder Cup-----yesterday on Facebook I saw a pic of some of my former students and their awesome moms standing with JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE!! I suddenly realized that not only am I stuck at work all week (Lake Park has school off to accommodate the event), but I'm depriving Michael Phelps, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jordan and many others the joy of hanging out with a hometown girl!! (LOL!) Oh my gosh, you don't think that Johnny Knox, Brian Urlacher, Matt Forte or Joakim Noah were there, do you? Oh gosh, up until now I've just been so excited to have all of the hubbub so close to home, but now it's hitting me that I'm missing out on something MAJOR! I've been blessed enough to be at the last two US Open events that have been held at Medinah, but they happened before school started. Hmmmm---now my wheels are turning. I've got to find my way in there in this weekend.... wish me luck!! ;) It's not even the golf~ that's all way too slow and quiet (I was sshhhh-ed at one of those events I mentioned earlier) for me, but there's major SHOPPING to be done in the tents!!! Oh well, I guess my shopping will be done at Wal-Mart this weekend, just like all of the other hometown girls...
Enjoy the gorgeous weekend!!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Wednesday, 9/26/12
Happy Wacky Wednesday!!! Due to the Labor Day holiday back at the beginning of the month, today we followed a Monday schedule rather than a Wednesday. The kids were thrown for quite a loop---they had library class rather than gym, which is really the only impact of having a "switch" day. It's all the same to me, but it was a bit of fun to show them that I've got some tricks to keep them on their toes. ;0)
Fun, right?
From Room 16, Penelope and I bid you a lovely night!! =)
Last year at about this time, my class came in to find a praying mantis looking in through one of our classroom windows from outside. I, of course, thought it was the coolest thing ever and took a picture of it. I'd told this class about it early on in the year, and they'd asked what it looked like so I showed them on the Smartboard. She (because of course if it's a praying mantis I'm going to assume it's a she...) was gigantic on that screen!! I periodically have her up on the screen now with messages to the kids. This morning I took a picture of her so you could see her too (I call her Penelope!).
From Room 16, Penelope and I bid you a lovely night!! =)
Monday, September 24, 2012
Monday, 9/24/12
Happy Monday~ How about that Bears game!!!! Wahooooo! Back on the road to the Superbowl!
This week the kids will be taking the first round of assessments based on our reading series. I know that they have learned all they need to flourish on these tests, but I also know this first time involves some learning of actual test-taking skills. I have faith that the kids will do great as long as they go slowly and think. That going slow and thinking is the trick. I've been working pretty hard on teaching, but sometimes it's a lesson that only life (and a set of tests) can teach. Because of the testing this week, we will not be doing new spelling words, instead we will review the words we've had up until this point. Hopefully you can do the same at home. The children will be held accountable for all spelling words throughout the rest of the year, and we're already on word #60. The list grows quickly which is why it's vital that the kids get the small lists of words memorized weekly before the little lists create a gigantic one.
We started our social studies book about culture today. I just love the conversations that happen during social studies. If only the world could operate through a seven-year-old's perspective, it would be a much better place. <3
Tomorrow should be interesting, both Mrs. D and I will be out in the afternoon and have subs. I hope things go well. At least the full moon isn't happening until early next week.... =)
This week the kids will be taking the first round of assessments based on our reading series. I know that they have learned all they need to flourish on these tests, but I also know this first time involves some learning of actual test-taking skills. I have faith that the kids will do great as long as they go slowly and think. That going slow and thinking is the trick. I've been working pretty hard on teaching, but sometimes it's a lesson that only life (and a set of tests) can teach. Because of the testing this week, we will not be doing new spelling words, instead we will review the words we've had up until this point. Hopefully you can do the same at home. The children will be held accountable for all spelling words throughout the rest of the year, and we're already on word #60. The list grows quickly which is why it's vital that the kids get the small lists of words memorized weekly before the little lists create a gigantic one.
We started our social studies book about culture today. I just love the conversations that happen during social studies. If only the world could operate through a seven-year-old's perspective, it would be a much better place. <3
Tomorrow should be interesting, both Mrs. D and I will be out in the afternoon and have subs. I hope things go well. At least the full moon isn't happening until early next week.... =)
Friday, September 21, 2012
Friday, 9/21/12
A special "hello" to all of my new Special Friends. It was so fun today to see the kids interacting with people whom they care so much about. There was some reading, some writing, some discovering and then some major brainteasers!! I had to show our special friends what 2nd grade is like these days, couldn't go easy on 'em. ;)
The rest of the day was pretty regular. Now it's raining, and I'm thankful that it's Friday. I am looking forward to doing some cooking and relaxing this weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend as well. And let me be clear:
GOOOOOOO BBBBBEARRRRRRSSSS!!!!
The rest of the day was pretty regular. Now it's raining, and I'm thankful that it's Friday. I am looking forward to doing some cooking and relaxing this weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend as well. And let me be clear:
GOOOOOOO BBBBBEARRRRRRSSSS!!!!
(Surely this will put them back on their winning streak, right?)
Check out the Special Friends' Day fun:
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thursday, 9/20/12
Today saw its share of up's and downs-----some high emotions running through the room. Is it a full moon? Nothing we can't manage, just still getting a handle on it all. Sometimes it's hard to remember that we're still in the first few weeks of school.
Tomorrow is Special Friends' Day. That will be fun!!! The room needs to be rearranged a bit to accommodate all of our guests so we'll be doing some work in the morning, but it will all be worth it. In the middle of the hour I'll look around at my bursting-at-the-seams classroom and take in the joy seeing the kids working with their guests. Then I'll blink, it will be over and we'll be taking a spelling test. I hope that everyone who joins us tomorrow walks away with some of the joy that we have here in Room 16 (even on the up's and downs days, there are always moments of joy to be found!!).
Off to my workout, as if I'm not exhausted enough already--those endorphins better kick in early, I've still got work to do tonight.
XOXO
Tomorrow is Special Friends' Day. That will be fun!!! The room needs to be rearranged a bit to accommodate all of our guests so we'll be doing some work in the morning, but it will all be worth it. In the middle of the hour I'll look around at my bursting-at-the-seams classroom and take in the joy seeing the kids working with their guests. Then I'll blink, it will be over and we'll be taking a spelling test. I hope that everyone who joins us tomorrow walks away with some of the joy that we have here in Room 16 (even on the up's and downs days, there are always moments of joy to be found!!).
Off to my workout, as if I'm not exhausted enough already--those endorphins better kick in early, I've still got work to do tonight.
XOXO
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wednesday, 9/19/12
The next time I say "tomorrow is one of my favorite days..." PLEASE someone remind me to not jinx myself. It wasn't a bad day by any stretch, but my goodness, the energy level of the class was on the ceiling from the moment they crossed the threshold into the building. I didn't know picture day was that exciting for kids, I thought it was just for me. I was proved otherwise, that's for sure.
So, as the old saying goes-----I couldn't beat them, so I joined them. Well, not exactly, but I rode the wave. Rather than do the usual Wednesday to-do list, I bumped up some activities that I was saving for Friday. I read the kids a book about dinosaur fossils, paleontologists and museums' roles in fossil collection/display. When that was done, the big chocolate chip activity was revealed. I told the kids I was going to give them some (air quotes) earth and (air quotes) fossils along with a digging utensil. Then I passed out the chocolate chip cookies and toothpicks, and my little paleontologists started their excavation. It was pretty cool to listen in on their conversations. That is, once they got past repeatedly asking if they got to eat the cookie. My response? "Ooh, eating earth? That sounds kind of gross to me!" So, like I said, once the novelty of the cookie was done, the kids commented a great deal on the challenge of getting the "fossils" out in their whole form. Some of them have real futures in that business. They worked quickly and very accurately. It was really fun to watch. I'm glad that I made the switch to that activity rather than expect them to work quietly all day. They just weren't in that head space today, which is fine. Tomorrow is a new day, so we'll get all caught up. Oh, and of course, they all got a fresh new not-earthy-at-all cookie to much on when the project was done. ;)
That's it for now. Mitchell out!
So, as the old saying goes-----I couldn't beat them, so I joined them. Well, not exactly, but I rode the wave. Rather than do the usual Wednesday to-do list, I bumped up some activities that I was saving for Friday. I read the kids a book about dinosaur fossils, paleontologists and museums' roles in fossil collection/display. When that was done, the big chocolate chip activity was revealed. I told the kids I was going to give them some (air quotes) earth and (air quotes) fossils along with a digging utensil. Then I passed out the chocolate chip cookies and toothpicks, and my little paleontologists started their excavation. It was pretty cool to listen in on their conversations. That is, once they got past repeatedly asking if they got to eat the cookie. My response? "Ooh, eating earth? That sounds kind of gross to me!" So, like I said, once the novelty of the cookie was done, the kids commented a great deal on the challenge of getting the "fossils" out in their whole form. Some of them have real futures in that business. They worked quickly and very accurately. It was really fun to watch. I'm glad that I made the switch to that activity rather than expect them to work quietly all day. They just weren't in that head space today, which is fine. Tomorrow is a new day, so we'll get all caught up. Oh, and of course, they all got a fresh new not-earthy-at-all cookie to much on when the project was done. ;)
That's it for now. Mitchell out!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Tuesday, 9/18/12
Hi everyone!
Guess what tomorrow is??? One of my FAVORITE days of the whole year....school picture day! It's the day the kids come in looking all cute as buttons in their finest. The hair is all done up or slicked back and the whole joint gets a bit classier for the day. ;)
This morning was uber exciting. It started with a math test (I know, I have a strange interpretation of the word "exciting."). The reason I was excited was because we've been working so hard on this chapter in math that I knew the test would be ""easy" and the kids would do great. I haven't graded them yet, but I know they rocked it! Then the other excitement---our first firedrill of the year!! Remember those days? You'd just be working away and suddenly that LOUD alarm would go off--everyone dropped everything and scampered outside. (if any of the kids are reading this-----see that word I used....scamper??? I did my own dare!!) I must tell you that my class scampered amazingly. Because this was the first firedrill of the year, we had a head's up for it with the intention of teaching the kids where to go from their new classroom, so we'd spent some time talking about my expectations of a quiet, orderly, straight line. Of course, the kids were perfect!!! I was so proud!
That's it for today--I have math tests to grade! Have a good night! =)
Guess what tomorrow is??? One of my FAVORITE days of the whole year....school picture day! It's the day the kids come in looking all cute as buttons in their finest. The hair is all done up or slicked back and the whole joint gets a bit classier for the day. ;)
This morning was uber exciting. It started with a math test (I know, I have a strange interpretation of the word "exciting."). The reason I was excited was because we've been working so hard on this chapter in math that I knew the test would be ""easy" and the kids would do great. I haven't graded them yet, but I know they rocked it! Then the other excitement---our first firedrill of the year!! Remember those days? You'd just be working away and suddenly that LOUD alarm would go off--everyone dropped everything and scampered outside. (if any of the kids are reading this-----see that word I used....scamper??? I did my own dare!!) I must tell you that my class scampered amazingly. Because this was the first firedrill of the year, we had a head's up for it with the intention of teaching the kids where to go from their new classroom, so we'd spent some time talking about my expectations of a quiet, orderly, straight line. Of course, the kids were perfect!!! I was so proud!
That's it for today--I have math tests to grade! Have a good night! =)
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