Culture Projects

Students chose a country to research for Social Studies. They had to learn about the country's culture including the ethnic food, language, religion, clothing, etc. Then they were asked to create either a powerpoint presentation, recipe, shelter, or tool to bring in to share with the class that represented their country. Here are some examples:

Veteran's Day

Our class made Veteran's Day t-shirts to honor those who have served our country. We took time as a class to learn a little bit more about our Veterans and why we celebrate this holiday. We also wrote thank you letters to different Veterans that we know. 

Fall Party

We had a wonderful fall party on Friday! Students dressed up in their Halloween costumes, played games, made an adorable mummy lantern, and ate a delicious treat. Thanks to all the mom's who donated their time to make our class party a success!

"Just Right" Spelling Lists

Students in our 2nd grade classroom have leveled spelling lists. We call these their "Just Right" spelling words because they are words chosen by students that are at their specific level of recall and understanding. At the beginning of each week, we create lists of words in which we take a word chunk and build small, medium, and large words. Next students choose 10 words that they feel would be "Just Right" for them; this is their specific spelling list for the week. On Fridays, students work with their spelling buddies to assess one another on their leveled lists. Here are some students last Friday testing one another:

Our Timelines

In Social Studies, students have been working on understanding and creating timelines. Students had a project in which they were to create a timeline of their own life. They turned out great...take a look!

Hard At Work

Students have been hard at work in our 2nd grade classroom. Above are some pictures of students working diligently in their Literacy Stations. Students have been working on vocabulary recognition, spelling word patterns, fluency in reading, and have used an amazing app called Pix-N-Tell to compare and contrast long and short vowel word patterns on our iPods. Students have proven how well they work together in groups and partners. I am extremely proud of these kids!

A BUSY Start!

It has been a very busy start to our 2nd grade school year. Students have been doing a wonderful job with procedures and routines within our classroom. Here are some of the different projects we have been working on in 2nd grade:

• Personal Narratives
• Creating Mental Images
• Using our Schema
• Making Connections
• Choosing "Just Right" Books
• Learning about ARTIFACTS and what they tell us about the past
• Making a timeline
• Creating a personalized spelling list
• Using iPods in the classroom
• Creating Number Scrolls

Wow... And that's just a few of the projects we are currently working on! We've been busy, but we are having LOTS of fun learning!

New School Year & A New School!

I am so excited for the start of a new school year! It is a special time because my family moved back to my hometown, Wooster, OH, and my husband and I are both working at Wooster City Schools. I am looking forward to teaching 2nd grade again after working with 3rd graders the last 4 years. Wooster City Schools is a wonderful place and I truly feel honored to be a teacher in this district. 

Our 2nd grade class is going to have a busy and fun-filled school year. I hope that this blog can document all the learning that takes place in our classroom on a daily basis. Thanks for stopping by!

Solar System Dioramas

Our 3rd grade classroom just finished our unit on the Solar System! We had an amazing time learning all about the planets, sun, moon, and constellations. Our final project in the unit was creating Solar System Dioramas. Students did a phenomenal job designing their inner and outer planets.

Marshmallow Flings

In science we have been studying simple machines. Students were assigned a project...to create their very own simple machine...a Marshmallow fling. Mrs. H (my 3rd grade team member) and I sent home a plastic spoon and instructions. The only criteria was that students use the plastic spoon in the simple machine. Students had so much fun launching the marshmallows. It was amazing to see how far they would fling!