We've been BUSY!

Good evening!

Here is a quick photo update on what we've been up to these last couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Butterflies! 

We've been watching our painted lady caterpillars grow and change over the past week. As we've been making our observations, we have been reading many butterfly books and keeping a journal to track the growth and change. My, oh my...they grow fast! Take a look:

They were tiny when we first got them!

As they eat their food (a plant called "mallow"), they grow and grow.

They attach themselves to the top of the cup using silk thread. They are ready to change!

Soon after, a chrysalis is formed. The caterpillars (called "pupas" at this stage) will stay this way for about 5 days.

We've been observing as they hang in our class butterfly net. We can't wait to see them emerge!

Here are the Somerset scientists!

Check out a cool time-lapse video of the painted lady transformation below:

We are Peacemakers:

 International day of peace was on Saturday, September 21st. To celebrate, we talked about the idea of peace at Somerset and how we can make our classroom a safe, peaceful place.  

We read "The Peace Book" to start a conversation about being a peacemaker. Then, students wrote their own ideas about how they are peacemakers at Somerset:

Curriculum Connection: "If I were an Astronaut"

This week in Reading Streets, we read a non-fiction story about traveling in space as an astronaut. We learned all kinds of neat facts about life in outer space, and learned about how finding the main idea of a story can help you become a better reader. 

This got us thinking...What would we do if we were astronauts?!

To get creative, we read a silly story about outer space. Then, we learned how to draw a super cool astronaut picture! By that time, we were ready to write. The stories are wonderful!

Getting Ready for Guided Reading

Students have been working so hard to become independent learners in order to prepare ourselves for small group reading instruction. While I work with a small group, other students will be working on a variety of independent tasks: working on words, partner reading, silent reading, writing, or listening to reading. 

While a student reads, his/her partner holds a "check" sign. This reminds students to check for understanding as they listen.

We learned 4 ways to practice words. Wiki sticks, "rainbow writing", white boards, and "sailboat spelling."

We're ready! I can't wait to start our guided reading sessions next week!

Math Games and Other Fun Stuff:

Well, that's all for now.  More pics to come!

Our Second Grade Promise

Hello, Second Grade Families!

Thank you SO much for reviewing our classroom rules with your child at home for tonight’s homework. We had another great day today, and I attribute that to not only great kids and a great school, but also to the support you give each and every day at home.

Today, we reviewed our classroom rules and discussed how critical they are to creating a classroom that feels warm, safe, and conducive to learning. We signed our classroom promise, which you can see below:

We also decorated our own unique hand shapes to frame our classroom promise. We stood in a circle, hand in hand, to demonstrate how our classroom is a chain of people working together. If even only one person breaks a rule, our chain is broken and it must be repaired. We decorated our shapes to remind us of how we need to work together to keep our chain strong.

While we all pledge to make good choices and to follow our classroom promise, we understand that everyone makes mistakes from time to time. We discussed what happens when rules are broken. Here are the descriptions of the consequences for breaking a rule:

1. You break it, you fix it: If a student breaks or damages something on purpose (accidents need not apply), he or she must work to fix it. This refers to many things: whether it be a classroom tool, dropping something on the floor, or even hurt feelings (hearts can be broken, too!), students must work to fix their mistake. If it is something that cannot be fixed (such as a snapped pencil), students will be asked to replace that item.

2. Take a break: There are several areas around our classroom in which students may be asked to take a quick time-out. This time out (called "take a break") is a quiet reflective time that must not exceed three minutes. During this time, students remove themselves from the area, think about what happened, and reflect on how they plan on fixing the mistake when they return. Breaks are not considered good nor bad; they simply are regarded as time to "refocus." We all need this...even adults!

3. Loss of privilege: Another consequence that a student may face is a loss of privilege. This is meant to be a logical consequence for behavior- not a "punishment." The privileges that may be lost will always be tied to student behavior. For example- if a student makes a poor choice during a game, the student may be asked to sit out for the remainder of the time. If a student mishandles a classroom tool on purpose, the student will lose the tool for the remainder of the day/week.

Again, thank you for your support in making our classroom a wonderful place for learning! As always, please let me know if you have any questions or, better yet, leave a comment below!

As a bonus for reading this whole post, here are some more pictures!

Enjoy!

:-) Mrs. B

Here we are exploring a special math tool: pattern blocks!

We learned a new morning meeting game: Bug in the Rug!

Here we are exploring our coloring tools by making a "First Week of Second Grade" book.

Drop Everything and READ!

We learned a new math game: Number Line Squeeze!

I am TOO EXCITED for our new classroom rug!

Our caterpillar is now filled with wonderful student work!

Mr. Tinjum visited to teach us about kindness.

All-school assembly #1: Meet Mrs. Palodichuk!

YAY for library day!

Happy Birthday, Joseph! :-)

Have a great evening!