Glad To Be Back!

So much has happened since my last post and I am glad to be back and ready to share all of the great things happening in second grade and in the adventures that have happened in the past few years.  

In February I got engaged! I was super surprised and we have been excitedly planning a November, 2016 wedding in CT.  Here is my amazing Fiance! 

(Photo Credit Stephanie Pavone Mills Photography. www.spmillsphotography.com) 

Now back to the blog. I am now in my 8th year teaching second grade in East Providence, RI.  Our school has undergone some changes lately and as is education, new programs and curricula.  This year we dove into Amplify's Core Knowledge Language Arts Program.  At first I was a bit hesitant but once I started seeing the way the my students were thinking and discovering information I was hooked.  We just finished a unit on the US Civil War and ended in a class debate. I might be a little biased but hearing 2nd graders debate about whether the south should have seceded in the first place was incredible!  My second graders were researching at the library on their own! They were talking at lunch about Gettysburg. I even had one student try to convince his parents to go to Gettysburg instead of Disney this summer. He wrote a letter with reasons as to why they should go! 

I've always had one huge goal as a teacher- instill the love of learning in my students and with the help of this program, it has been an exciting year! 

First Days...

            What an amazing first day! We had a great time getting to know each other and will learn even more about our new friends in the upcoming months.  Today focused on learning about our school rules and classroom manners.  We also toured the school for our new friends from other schools.  

             We started our year with a great science experiment which also focused on the importance we play in our community.  We started with a ZipLock bag of water.  We explained that the water in the bag is our community.  Then each student pushed a sharp pencil into the bag and all the way through. They thought it was magic because the water did not leak. We explained to the students that each pencil was a person in the community. Our community is better and stronger because we are all a part of it. Then we asked what would happen if one person decided not to follow the rules of our community?  What would happen if just one person decided to do whatever they wanted?  At this point we pulled out one pencil which represented one person. The water started to leak out of the bag.  

             Students made the amazing connection that our community would "leak" or fall apart if we did not all work together.  One student even said "I don't want to be the hole in my community bag!" After a bit of a chuckle the kids realized that this was exactly our point. Be an amazing part of our community and our world! 

(A few teachers asked where I got this idea. The experiment itself is all about molecules and can be performed many ways. I decided to add the community part because it was the beginning of the school year. It just kind of worked. :-) )

Amazing Blooms Taxonomy Resource

As most of us, I can easily spend hours searching Pinterest. Sometimes it is just to get a laugh on the humor page and other times I am actually doing real schoolwork. :) Today was my first day back and full of meetings and new information.  This year our district wants a push towards posting learning objectives. Although, we all post the standards we often forget to make them kid friendly. These objectives should be used to teach the children what they are learning about and how it will actually help/impact their lives.  I came across this amazing Blooms Taxonomy page tonight.  

It is a huge file with tons of information so check out the link above for the site and full image.  

Student Goal & Data Tracking Journal

Over the last few years I have noticed a shift towards students tracking their own data in order to create goals and track their own progress. I tried it a few different ways with my students last year and found that for their age (2nd graders) it was best to keep it quick and simple. I also found it a bit difficult to keep up with because it wasn't all in the same location.  

This summer I worked on creating a journal the students could fill out on their own. They can also keep all of their results and goals in one place. I think it will be a great journal for them to reflect on at the end of the year.  I also plan on using it during family conferences. I want my students to be motivated learners. Can't wait to see how they work! 

I included pages to track their reading testing, math testing, sight words, monthly goal pages (these include; what I am good at, my goal, how will I achieve my goal, and results) and a page at the end for a year long reflection and goal for the following year.  You can find the journal on my TpT store. Click the image below.

Find It Friday 8/29/14 ( A day late....)

This time of year it seems that organization is even more on our minds that usual.  I am a firm believer that an organized classroom and teacher makes for a much more fun day.  My friends often pick on me because I am typically at school by 7 am (kids don't come until 8:30 am :) By 3 pm I am as tired as the kids- the morning is my "get it done" time.  

Each year I try to release a little more of the learning to the students.  I love inquiry based learning and try to incorporate it into different aspects of my day.  Our science lessons are 100% inquiry based. I see how amazing the kids are during these learning times and want to incorporate it into more parts of my day.  

  This summer I tried to create a language arts lesson plan template that would help me create lessons in which the students are actively engaged all the time! I want to move even farther away from the "talk at you" teaching and move to more discovery teaching. Although I pride myself as being the type of teacher who guides her students instead of force feeding them facts, it is easy to slip into the talk, talk, talk lesson.  

Below is my first attempt.  My district has a great scope and sequence but we are in charge of creating the actual lessons. Eventually I will put it on TpT but for now here is a sneak peak.  I never put a product up unless I have used it with success. I'll keep you all updated! Enjoy!

My idea is to highlight the standards and essential questions for that particular day & lesson. 

Wicked Website Wednesday! 8/27/14

This week my Wicked Website Wednesday post comes from my friend Amy Pinhancos. Amy is an amazing Physical Education teacher in my district. She recently started integrating math and ela in her lessons along with the physical education standards she is responsible for. Round of applause for AMY! :-)

And the site of the week is....

click to go right to the site 

This is an amazing free site for brain breaks.  It integrates subjects with yoga, relaxation, dancing, and you can even register your class and compete against other classrooms in your school.  My class is registered and I even practiced a few. Can't wait to teach the kids! 

Want to be mentioned in my next Wicked Website Wednesday post? Send me your favorite site and I will mention you and your site in an upcoming posts! Please leave your name, school, state, and website.  Thanks!

Bucket Seat Fun!

Pinterest has definitely taken over my world! :) I could spend hours browsing the pages and pinning away. One of my projects this summer was to create bucket seats for my reading table.  Home Depot was wonderful and donated the buckets and covers. I bought the foam at Joanne Fabrics and I had left over fabric from the curtains I made last summer.  I painted the buckets with spray paint made for plastic but if you can get solid colored buckets- and don't have to paint them- do it! The painting was tedious and it has chipped just a bit.  And the total.....drum roll please.....$2 a bucket! Here are a few pictures ...

It might not be pretty but no one will see it anyway. I simply cut the foam in a circle, cut a square of fabric, wrapped it up and stapled it down. 

This cutie is my friend's daughter. She was such a good helper when I was painting. haha :) Notice the Charlotte's Web book in the background... I am never without a book. 

The finished product! I love how they came out. The next step is to organize and store my science materials in them. Great double use!