End of the School Year Writing

The end of the year is full of testing, paperwork, and packing but it is important to remember that these are the last few weeks with your students. All of the hard work you have put in this year can be seen in the behavior and academic accomplishments of your students.

Every June I have the students complete a few fun writing assignments.  The kiddos are just finishing them up and then I will post some pictures. The first is a book they make titled "My Teacher". I got the idea a few years ago when a group of students started illustrating me.  We had just read the book "I Love My Hair" and I was explaining the importance of drawing what you see. How we interpret someone or something is our own vision and it could never be wrong. Well, I got some creative drawings alright but it made me think about how the children saw me. This idea morphed and now every year I have the children illustrate and write a biography of me, their teacher! They are so funny and incredibly eye opening. It is important to see how they see me and what they remember. This helps me reflect on my year...... and get a good laugh. (One year a student drew me with very bad dark roots! I brought the picture to my hairdresser immediately! hahah)

Another writing project I have them start in September. One of the beginning of the year projects is for students to draw themselves and then write 3 things I should know about them, two things they want to learn, and one thing they worry about. I keep them in their portfolios. At the end of the year they draw themselves again and write three things they loved learning, two things they want to learn more about, and one thing they worry about. I place them side by side in a book and they love reflecting on them. I also make a copy of the June one for their third grade teachers. It is a little hint of the student they will have.

Our last writing project is the one the students like the most....or so they have told me. They write letters to the first grade students coming into second grade the next year. The students write a paragraph on the manners and rules of second grade, another on the academics, and a third on advice for the new year. It is hysterical to read what they write and fun for the first graders to read. Many parents have told us they enjoyed this little surprise in their end of year report card envelopes and it has relieved a bit of the anxiety of the upcoming year.

I will upload images soon! Happy June!  

Science Fair

Every June our third, fourth, and fifth graders compete in an science fair. They work in groups of three and for weeks they conduct experiments. To involve our younger grades and help increase interest in science, every classroom grades K-2 explore the scientific process and conduct an experiment. This year we decided to work on absorption. The students started by asking questions about how plants absorb water. We conducted the generic colored water and flower experiment first. Students observed how the water is absorbed into the stem and traveled all the way to the petals. They turned blue!  After discussion and research on plant cells, the students wanted more. I found some great ideas on Pinterest and below are the results.

We started by placing a circular dot about the size of a quarter.  This team had red and orange markers.  We put about an inch of water in the bucket and placed the paper towel side without the dot in the water. 

This group used blue and purple markers. 

This experiment was just as easy and I had all of the materials in my cupboards. Place a paper towel from each cup and see what happens. Best results in 24 hours. 

The kids had learned all about primary colors in Art so their prediction about the color that would end up in the middle cup was right on! 

Reading Week Fun!

I feel as though I have neglected my blog as end of year craziness set in around April. I received an inspirational email from a new teacher who was using my blog as a guide to her first year in teaching. What an amazing compliment.  So to all of you out there enjoying this space for me to share- thank you for your emails and hope to see some of your blogs out there soon! 

Reading Week this year was a blast. We used the text Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier as a focus text. Go to her website here for everything you need.  For those of you who have not yet read this book it is about a student who mishears and misunderstands a weekly vocabulary word. The book is full of vocabulary blunders that the kids love.  The artwork is equally as wonderful.  

We held our Reading Week the week right after April Vacation. Students had the week off to come up with a vocabulary word and create a costume.  The entire school participated and the results were amazing! Unfortunately, many of our students can't be on the web otherwise I would have shared the vocabulary parade video. But, here are a few pictures. I made the giant dictionary out of boxes from the new tables. Our custodian is great and knows I will come up with a use for anything. :-) 

Melancholy- She wore all black and walked around all day with a frown! So creative! 
Idea- He covered a box with tin foil and taped a light bulb on top. Very original! 

Reading Week Fun!

I feel as though I have neglected my blog as end of year craziness set in around April. I received an inspirational email from a new teacher who was using my blog as a guide to her first year in teaching. What an amazing complement.  So to all of you out there enjoying this space for me to share- thank you for your emails and hope to see some of your blogs out there soon! 

Reading Week this year was a blast. We used the text Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier as a focus text. Go to her website here for everything you need.  For those of you who have not yet read this book it is about a student who mishears and misunderstands a weekly vocabulary word. The book is full of vocabulary blunders that the kids love.  The artwork is equally as wonderful.  

We held our Reading Week the week right after April Vacation. Students had the week off to come up with a vocabulary word and create a costume.  The entire school participated and the results were amazing! Unfortunately, many of our students can't be on the web otherwise I would have shared the vocabulary parade video. But, here are a few pictures. I made the giant dictionary out of boxes from the new tables. Our custodian is great and knows I will come up with a use for anything. :-) 

Melancholy- She wore all black and walked around all day with a frown! So creative! 
Idea- He covered a box with tin foil and taped a light bulb on top. Very original! 

Revamping the Word Wall

So..... wall space is at a premium in my classroom. With just a few bulletin boards....and having to adhere to fire safety rules, I don't have much space on the walls. Over the years I have gotten creative. Last year I hung up a "cloths line" and now it is where I hang the anchor charts for each unit. I have been wracking my brain on what to do with my word wall. I know it is important for the younger grades to have it available when they are writing. The issue is where to put it. With about 200 words to display, it was taking up my entire back wall.

Most of the children have to bring their writing to the wall and copy down the correct spelling of the word either because they can't see from their seats or they have trouble copying from the board.  This got me thinking. Why not let the students bring the word wall to their desks like they do for the Tired Word cards.  I reprinted the Fry word lists from The Curriculum Corner (my new favorite resource)  and laminated them at Lakeshore Learning (they have the best price around).  I realized after I made them that they will also work well for independent and partner Fry practice time.  (side note- The students also have a Fry list in their desk folders but somehow throughout the year they slowly disappear.....)

More Snow Means.....

More snow has fallen which means one thing for me lately....I put another product up on my TpT store! I have so many great materials I have made over the years for my classroom and students and I am excited to finally be able to share them.  The third and final week of our Fairy Tales, Myths, and Fables unit was a week of fractured fairy tales. The kids and I love reading them and it gives them the opportunity to do some serious comparing and contrasting practice along with discussing point of view and voice in dialogue.  (all part of the new common core standards for grade 2)  This Fractured Fairy Tale Unit is a blast! We start with reading The Three Little Pigs and the Princess and the Frog.  Then we read Jon Scoeszka's versions, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Frog Prince Continued.  There are so many fun activities to do with this unit. Find it here on my TpT store.  If you want to check out my Fables unit on TpT click here or my fairy tale materials click here.  ( I have more fairy tale materials to upload....just need another snow day) Hope your students enjoy it as much as mine did! 

Scrabble Word Work Center

It is finally up! I have been working on improving this center for a few weeks now. I have made simple changes like increasing the space where the kids write on the worksheet and making the scrabble tiles a little bigger.  I print the third page of this packet on different color card stock and laminate. Then I cut them out and put them in baggies.  Hope you enjoy my Word Work- Scrabble Center I know the kids in my room do!