Sorry I'm late to the party... The hubs and I took Sly to a minor league hockey game last night (so fun!!) and then the weather was so beautiful today that we were doing yard work and playing outside all day. I think my excuses are justified :)
Thanks to Doodlebugs Teaching and Teaching Maddeness for coordinating these linkies every week.
Here's what we've been up to in the classroom!
1. Poetry Continued
This week we learned about some of the kinds of figurative language. Figurative language is so fun to learn about, but I'm really focusing on
why poets use it: to help the reader visualize and use their senses to respond to a poem. We learned about onomatopoeias, alliteration, assonance, idioms, and personification. One activity we did was each student wrote an alliteration using the first letter of their name. They turned out so cute that I hung them up in the hallway :)
That's quite the jungle gym!
"Equivalent"... Yes! Someone's paying attention in math!
This one got a little long, but she was so proud of herself!
Next week we will be focusing on metaphors and similes, as well as using our reading comprehension strategies when we read poetry.
2. MAP Testing... Groan...
We had our first Spring MAP test yesterday. I always petition to do the Math test first because I think it's the least stressful and brain-power-sucking. I spotted this awesome
pin (originally from
Bulletin Board Ideas) and created my own "iKnow" for my second graders and the MAP test.
Close up
It's supposed to look like an iPad/iPod/iPhone, but the silver Sharpie I was using was on its last leg. It turned out super cute though, and the bunnies really connected to it!
Here we are on Test Day! I was a bundle of NERVES! In my district, teachers are evaluated based on kids meeting their target growth (among other things), and I'm excited (and a bit relieved) to say that all but one student made their target growth! I had one little love beat her goal by 10 RIT points! Yessss!!! 1 test down, 2 to go... :/
3. Leap Frog Learners!
We did this super fun measuring, data collecting, and graphing activity called
Leap Frog Learners.
Here we are in action!
You can read more about it
here! I also promised to give a few copies away, and so the winners are...
Michelle!
Amanda!
Watch your emails, ladies! :)
4. Animal Research Reports!
I mentioned a few weeks ago that my
Studentreasures kit came in, and my press date is May 14th! YIKES! We started by choosing our animals. The library aides at my school are A-MAZE-ING!!! and they help me run this dog-and-pony show every year. They set up 5 tables: mammals, birds, fish, insects, and reptiles & amphibians on the same table. This year they also pulled some animals that don't fit in these groups (scorpions, crabs, earthworms, kangaroos, etc.) to give the kids even more options. I swear, they pulled 200+ animal books! Then students spend 3-5 minutes at each table to explore their options. Even though it takes a lot of time, I love doing it this way so that I don't end up with a book of all mammals. Some of the animals I got this year: tiger, elephant, hummingbird, mustang, salamander, and a tick. Oh yes, you read that right. Someone's doing a tick. EW.
Someone else is doing a hippo. You'd think I'd be ecstatic about that one, but I'm not. (Said in a whiney voice) I ALWAYS DO THE HIPPO!!! I usually model the process with a hippo since I have a unhealthy obsession with them. We started to prewrite on Friday, and I modeled with a wolf. Lame :( When I modeled with a hippo, I would say, "Oh look. It says right here, 'Hippos can't swim. They actually bounce along the river bottom.'" when it really might not say that in the book. I just know that little nugget of info. I was bumbling fool when I was modeling the prewriting process with the wolf... :/
5. The Ducks are Back!
This is really a big deal, folks! Every year a mama duck lays her eggs underneath the same platform on the playground. The custodians block it off so the ducks stay safe, and every recess we have to shoo the kiddos away so as to not scare the mama away.
Lastly, here are my three favorite spaces in my classroom, courtesy of Latoya at Flying into First.
This is my calendar and carpet area. I love the "big, brown chair." I got it at Salvation Army for $10 when I first started teaching. I was shopping with my mom, and she actually bargained on the price and got it for $5 off! What I love most about it is how low it is to the ground. I feel like I'm still at the students' level even though I'm sitting in the chair. I also love the black side table. It was one of my "Monday Made It" projects from this summer. I bought it at Walmart for $12 and assembled it, then I put pink and gray argyle duct tape around the edge to spice it up!
This is where I store all my math manipulatives. I love how organized and easily accessible they are for students. In the folder slots, my students keep their writer's workshop folders and cursive handwriting books. On the top shelf are my extra supplies: crayons, markers, colored pencils, scissors, etc.
Lastly, this is where I keep all of the papers my students need: handwriting paper, recycled copy paper, spelling pretest and test papers, graphic organizers for writer's workshop. The paper organizer on the top is where my students turn in their classwork. They organize it for me: Daily 5 work, math, spelling, writing, and then the basket on the top is the "catch all" for things that don't belong in any of the cubbies below. I'm not a very organized person, so if I can get the bunnies to organize for me, it makes my life a lot easier!
Well I'm off to link up and catch up on all the blogs posts I've missed over the last two days! Good night! :)
My username is: hippohoorayforsecondgrade if you want to come along for the ride. If you are an Instagrammer, leave your username in the comments so I can follow you :)
