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So, two things on my mind lately: Fractions (our next math unit) and these "No Excuse Words" our students have to master. The words are a list that students have to spell correctly in their writing that is sectioned into 3 parts: by the end of first, second, and third grades. Looking at the list, it starts out easy enough: a, I, the, etc. It goes onto words like "were" and "their" as you progress.
So, we pre tested students at the beginning of the year and, like you'd expect, it was a mixed result. However, I haven't done much with it since then, honestly, because we've been focused on mastering other skills. Now that we've gone beyond 100 days (110 to be exact), I'm starting to worry about my lower readers and writers who have not quite mastered all the words! I wracked my brain, wondering what I could do to help them practice these without the old fashioned "write 3 times each".....and, as we all know, students can master spelling words on a test, but not apply them to everyday writing!
So, brainstorm! A "write the room" activity!
Which then led me to fractions. One of the hardest skills for our second graders is comparing fractions. Right now, we're finishing up comparing numbers with our little monsters we made and number cards. Here's the picture from Pinterest (because of course, did I think of taking a picture? Of course not! Too busy teaching - oh, and having my formal observation. I'm sure it would've gone over well if I said, "Yeah, I need to take a pic for my blog! LOL).
I'm wondering if on my evaluation (which I have not seen yet) it'll say I need to use the term "greater than/less than" more than "monsters," which my students like to use! We did not add teeth, but I added an eye on the corner like the picture and let my kids decorate their own. They'll be able to take them home and practice this coming week! :)
It's something about fractions, though, and using these symbols. I found a GREAT resource at this website and went a little crazy printing out worksheets. However, I felt justified when my grade level went a little nutsy too and we duplo'ed all of them! Hey, practice makes perfect, right?
Well, I started thinking about centers.....my kiddos have enjoyed our "battle" games so far with place value (base 10) and comparing numbers, so I figured I'd create another one for them with equivalent fractions! They love a good vs. bad theme, and we've already done Star Wars, ninjas, and super heroes...so I went with fairy tales this time!
I hope you'll be able to use one of these resources in your own class! Click on the pictures for more information!
I am so excited to be part of another blog hop - this time, it's for "freebies" every Friday! They may not necessarily be fall ones, but I am excited to share some of my new things I've created for the classroom and get your feedback! My class this year goes from low to high, so I've been trying to find that happy medium, so to speak.
This Friday's freebie is a writing prompt/craftivity about Fall.
I was inspired by a Pinterest picture (of course) using "q-tip" painting of Fall trees. I am not the biggest fan of paint and the mess it makes, but thought the q-tips might change my mind (and it did!). I only had one student who seemed to get it all over him, but as for the rest, the desks, clothes, etc. stayed clean! Woo hoo! :)
Well, I paired up the activity with a writing prompt (with a 4 square type plan), so here is our version! (I had the kiddos plan and write BEFORE we painted to help keep them motivated!)
I feel that sometimes, we just don't get enough time to just enjoy creating and writing (we tend to get bogged down in grammar lessons, etc), so I have now planned every Friday a "Fun Friday" for Writing, where we'll do a craft and writing activity.
So, what does your freebie include?
*notes on "q-tip" painting and how we did it
*4-square planner
*faint tree outline so students can "organize" their tree
Click on the picture below to download your freebie! Be sure to visit the next stop on the hop at
Yes, that's me. School was open 2 days this week and guess who was there! However, my room desperately needed a good organization/cleaning! I wish I would've taken a picture of my desk - it hasn't looked this organized since I unpacked in the summer! (actually, even then, it didn't - it was piled with stuff for other places!). So, I managed to get my little area clean as well as straighten up around my room. Teacher workdays are next Thursday and Friday, but school will be open Wednesday. (Hiding head). I'll be there, then, too!
Hah hah - as I type this, I'm actually with a friend at HER school since my husband and kiddos are off to Amazement Square to meet up with cousins who are visiting from New Jersey. (If you don't know about Amazement Square in Lynchburg, VA, it is AMAZING! If you ever visit anywhere near there and have kids, it's a must-go!).
However, with 60 lb bag (okay, that might be an exaggeration) I have 4 math units, history unit, and basic lessons to plan (including a focus on nonfiction this semester!). So, I am cherishing this day without interruption. Oh, that and high speed internet and access to my school network folder. :)
Of course, today we FINALLY get some winter weather! I know - some places have been hit hard. However, it's missed our part of central VA until today. I mean, my 6 year old told me on Thursday that we might as well go back to school on Monday because there is NO SNOW and it's WINTER BREAK! (yes, she's that dramatic - the same girl who said yesterday to a friend that she didn't know why "Tuesday Morning" was open since it was Friday!).
Anyway, back to my addiction. My husband calls it "dedicated," but I sense an eye-roll when he says it. Either way, I AM getting some things done and thought I'd share! I'm also hoping to clean up my seasonal items and throw a sale for the New Year - just on holiday things, so you can stock up on different times of the year! That, and I'm approaching my anniversary of both blogs and teacher stores, so I'm starting to come full circle on some of my items.
So, what have I accomplished so far? Glad you asked! My kids are a little less than skilled on calendar. I don't know why. We do it every day. Seriously. So, I made a packet of monthly skill sheets that frankly, I probably will use no matter what month (heck - I don't mind doing July in January!). Each month is slightly different with the skill levels. Be sure to check it out at my stores! Click on the picture for TpT and {here} for Teacher's Notebook.
Next up is a winter mix of writing and math activities. We haven't touched on fractions yet this year, but I put a fraction game in there anyway and thought it might not hurt for my students to revisit this part of their brain! Kind of a "sneak preview" of the next unit or so. Other math concepts include patterns, money, and addition. Writing activities include comparative adjectives, mitten writing prompts, seasonal paper, and a cinquain pattern. It's all snowmen, penguins, and polar bears - perfect for the winter months! For TpT click on the picture, for Teacher's Notebook {here}.
Well, back to work! I'm trying to polish up some of my units as well, including Economics (including my "Elf Economics"), Famous Americans, and Graphing Unit/Investigations Unit 4.
Okay, so no one is going to get the humor in that title unless they're in central VA, where it was 60 degrees today! :) Not quite sure what Mr. Groundhog was talking about! (we are keeping track for 6 weeks....my kids are divided on whether he is a good meteorologist or not!).
My teammates had duploed some wonderful winter writing prompts, and I just kept waiting for the right time, when we'd have a winterish day to write about them. In our part of the state, that usually occurs around end of January/early February, sometimes into March. Well, so far, the only snow we've seen has fallen from the sky (quite beautifully in big puffy flakes) 3 times...and melted as soon as it hit the ground. (This is actually unusual for our area, but I'm not complaining!).
So, I decided that yes, by gum, I was going to use those prompts and activities....but my students are the kinesthetic, visual type learners (can you tell their teacher is as well?).....SO today we made it snow, right here in Classroom 23!
After Christmas, I was scouring the local Walmart and had found some cute craft kits, marked 74 cents....heck, even that fit MY budget! I snatched up 5 (one for each of my tables) and figured I'd end up doing something with them! I am so happy I did!
So, we made it snow :) which the kids LOVED, then wrote about what we would do if it snowed 25 inches! (I made sure to introduce the prompt BEFORE we made it snow....knew their attention would be better up front!). The kids had a BLAST and were able to divide up the snow and take it home in baggies.
This is one of my "unmotivated" students who, as you can see, had no problem writing about this topic!
So...having never done anything with "fake snow" before, I am more than happy now to scout out sales and pick up more! What a wonderful activity it turned out to be! Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? :)
Has anyone else ever been frustrated because there are no examples of age-appropriate writing for your grade level? Four years ago, when I moved from fourth to second, I remember being bewildered by what a second-grade story should look like! The county went whole hog on 4-Square (which I do like!), then switched gears to "Teach Me Writing" (which also has its good benefits! I love using Unit 1 to start the first nine weeks!). Right now, we are using both as resources in our teaching, which gives us a lot of flexibility.
While working on report cards today, I had to stop and think when it came to my writing grades. I split our writing time into two sections: grammar and writing. The grammar grade is a piece of cake - average in the activities and sheets students have completed. However, I have a wide gambit of writing abilities in my room. How do I grade these using the same type of scale? We have a grade level "prompt" every other month, but what about everyday writing? I have to average the two grades together, because there is only a "Writing" area on the report card!
A friend of mine directed me to her Pinterest page (yes, I do seem to mention Pinterest in every post!) and I saw a GREAT Kindergarten rubric! So, I adapted it to the goals I feel a second grader should be meeting, along with our state standards, and voila! I even managed to put it in Google Docs! Feel free to check it out here. Maybe I'm the only one feeling this lost at times, but I hope it helps those of you who have been feeling the same way!
I plan on using it to help my parents understand why their child is receiving the grade they are for writing and including it in both interims and report cards. (It is geared towards S, N, U grades, since that's what we use in our county for K-2, but feel free to adapt and make it your own!). I know as a parent, I'd appreciate the "why" as well as the areas my child needs to work on in an easy-to-read format!
