I hope you're staying dry and warm on this snowy evening (or if you're not, I hope you're outside playing)! After scooting out of school a little early today due to the weather, I am able to cuddle up at home with my computer to share some fun photos with you- yipee! Enjoy. :-)
We are thankful!
To get in the spirit of giving thanks, we read one of my favorite Thanksgiving stories: The Most Thankful Thing. In that book, we realize that the things that we are truly thankful for are not material items- they're the relationships that we make with the people we love most. *Aww*
We then brainstormed all of the things that we are thankful for to make special Thanksgiving turkeys. They turned out great!
We also continued the theme of thankfulness when we met with our 4th grade buddies. Together, students made thankful-themed fall trees. It was fun to see students bond over things they are thankful for!
Gobble, gobble! In the last 20 minutes before fall break, we decided to have a party! We watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and made turkey hats. I mean, who wouldn't want a turkey hat?!
Special Pals in Fun Friendships 25th Year KICK-OFF!
Students spent all week prepping for this exciting event! We learned all about what it means to be a good host and how to make guests feel special and welcomed. We made them special gifts like "IYQ Bears" and welcome placemats!
Here we are anxiously waiting to find out who our pals are!
To begin the celebration, commissioner of education Brenda Cassellius came to welcome our guests.
We sang songs together and even had a flag parade! :-)
Other FUN Stuff!
Our star of the week: Colten!
Lilly's "Aunt Ti-Ti" came as a mystery reader!
Math games!
During the two days before fall break, 2nd grade decided to hit the common-core standards hard: fable style! Students learned what makes a fable special and how finding a fable's moral can make us better readers (and people in general).
We read 5 of Aesop's Fables:
1. The Boy who Cried Wolf
2. The Ant and the Grasshopper
3. The Dog and His Bone
4. The Tortoise and the Hare
5. The Lion and the Mouse
We then looked closely at the morals of the story, comparing them to real-life examples. Students also compared two versions of the same fable: The Boy who Cried Wolf and The Wolf who Cried Boy. What fun!
To celebrate a once in a lifetime "Thanksgivukkah," Mrs. Frisch came in to teach us how to play Dreidel. Students learned about the symbols on a dreidel, the rules to play, and even got special treats at the end. :-)
Measurement Mania in math!
The Writing Process:
I am really proud of all of the writing growth that students have made already this year. We've worked hard on many writing projects, letters, and books...however one thing that we hadn't delved into was the writing process. This week- that all changed!
Our first task was to write our SPIFF pals a stellar letter. We brainstormed ideas, wrote drafts, edited, and revised our work. Although it was hard for students to understand the need for a rough draft, they were proud of their letters once all mistakes had been fixed!
We also read a super sweet big book to help us understand how a simple letter can make anyone's day. It really helped students feel inspired to write friendly letters!
Speaking of writing...One topic that we are currently studying is "Author's Purpose." We've learned that it can be "As easy as P.I.E!" (persuade, inform, entertain). Today, we went for a pie-themed lesson in which students read several examples of writing and tried to match it up with the correct slice of pie.
Some students also made persuasive posters in guided reading. Here are some posters persuading others to join the Red Cross!
Next up on the topic of author's purpose? Student-created persuasive writing! :-D
Balance and Motion: The Pencil Trick and TOPS!
Students have learned that using counterweights can make even the strangest objects find a stable position. Take a look at how students were able to balance a pencil on its tip!
Exploring motion through TOPS!
*PHEW!* We've sure been busy lately! November was fantastic and I absolutely cannot wait to see what December brings for us.
Thanks and have a fabulous evening!
:-) Mrs. B
