April Fools

     Oh no!   Tomorrow is the dreaded April Fools Day.  Kids just LOVE to try to trick their teacher.  Well, it just isn't going to happen.  I'm far to clever to fall for any of their shenanigans.  I wonder if I'll be able to fool them at all?  hmmmmmmm   We will have to wait and see.

     The students have started to present their biographies and boy-oh-boy are they doing a fabulous job.  Be sure to check out Edline this weekend.  I'll have some pictures of our famous second graders posted by then.

     We were super lucky to get a new student this week.  She is a lovely little girl and a fantastic addition to our classroom.

     We are reading all about 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  I think we've gotten to chapter 4.  This book is full of interesting facts about the White House.  Did you know that it wasn't always called that?   It was once burned down, too.  The only thing saved was a painting of George Washington and some walls.  We will keep reading all this week so be sure to ask your child for some more interesting facts.

     Tomorrow is Walking Wednesday.  We've had that trophy in our room all year.  I think everyone would be sad to see it go.

     My training for the Boys Club 5K was going great but has stalled slowed just a bit.  I've got to get right back at it.  Just over a month left.........I think I can, I think I can, I think  know I CAN!!!!

Math Word Problems and Goo

     UGH, math word problems.  They are soooooooooooo tricky.  We've been practicing all week and I'm definitely seeing improvement.  I have been encouraging the students to look carefully at the answer they get to see if it makes sense.  "If Timmy starts with 67 crayons and brakes 12 of them.  He couldn't possibly have 89 unbroken crayons."  Encourage your child to double check if their answer seems reasonable.   

     We have started writing our biography notes into a report.  Many students really know their famous person facts.  We wrote half yesterday, half today and the children think its FUN.  WHOO HOO.  How great is that?  Most reports are edited and ready for the final copy.  Presentations will start next week.  I'll send home your child's specific day by the end of this week.  Don't stress out about this......remember "fun". 

     We have lots of different things going on during reading block.  Everyone is reading non-fiction text.  Some students are reading about volcanoes, some Chinese New Year, and we all are reading about our government.  Today we used post-it notes to jot down facts that we thought were most interesting from our books.  

     Here are some of the learning centers we visited recently.

fact/opinion sort

sentence scramble

number ordering

missing addend

noun sort

snowman money

prefix/suffix sort

counting by 5, 10 or 100's

rhyming match

     I'm sure you are all aware that next Friday is a half day.  Well, I've been promising for months that we'd make goo in class.  It took me this long to get the main ingredient-Borax.  So we are finally ready.  I thought that we'd hold out until that half day, snow make up day, that wasn't REALLY supposed to be a school day and make it then.  Why not spend the day with learning fun?  Warning, there will be food coloring involved, so save that special spring outfit to wear a different day.  

     This is Petey.  He came in a junk mail catalog I received and I fell in love.  So here he is reminding us that goo is coming soon.

Biographies

     Happy almost St. Patrick's Day everyone.  We all got a taste of spring fever last week and boy did that feel good.  Looking forward to getting bit by that bug again.  Glancing at the calendar, we are so busy that it will be here  before you know it.

     Biography project directions went home last week.  Children are to pick a famous person from HISTORY (Tom Brady doesn't cut it) to research and present to the class.  This project is just like the animal one.  Notes will be completed at home (you should have those already), we will turn it into a report in class, then read our reports to the class.  Children are encouraged to dress up or bring in a prop representing their person.  This is supposed to be fun not stressful.  A simple construction paper hat for Abe Lincoln is enough.  Notes are due on Monday, March 23h.

     We have been testing like crazy last week.  We completed a city wide math, reading and writing assessment.  I was quite please with how well the children did but I'm glad it's over.  It's not very fun.

     If you haven't had a chance to meet Sprinkle or Sparkle yet get ready.  They are twin stuffed dragons that have been visiting homes with diaries this past week.  I cannot tell them apart but the students can.  One has a broken leg.  He fell out of bed but I bet he'll be back to himself in no time.   We read a story titled Missing: One Stuffed Rabbit and it inspired us to have a class pet just like the class in the story.   These little guys have been around for a few years and you'll be able to read about some of their past adventures in the diaries.

    The teachers at the Linscott School have been training for the Boys Club 5K.  I decided to take the challenge and quite a few Wyman teachers have jumped on board to.  It's a walk/run 5K (3.2 miles) that starts at Library park on May 3rd.  I was very excited to join and told the kids all about it.  Of course now they are all excited for it.  I predicted that I may win but honestly I'm just hoping to run MOST of it.  Click here for a link with information about it if anyone is interested.  I've heard that it has been lots of fun in years past.

    The second trimester ends this Wednesday.  That means report cards will be coming home sometime the following week.  Here are some of the learning centers we've been "playing".

matching shapes

counting coins

snowmen fact families

word sort

      If you haven't heard yet.  We will have a half day of school on Good Friday, April 3rd.

What Time is It?

     You won't be hearing that much longer.  Your learner has started telling time today.  The good news is that most of the students already knew how......YIPPEE!  Practice reading clocks at home.  Hopefully you have an analog clock to practice with.  Don't forget to add A.M. and P.M.

     Yesterday was FUN.  We all got comfy and read quietly for 15 minutes before recess, after recess and after lunch.  On Friday, a student told me she was concerned that she may be teased because her comfy thing was "babyish".  We discussed this as a class and assured her that we all had favorite comfy things and teasing would never happen in our caring environment.  This led us to an excellent text connection when we started Monday morning reading Ira Sleeps Over.  Ira is invited to his first sleepover and has a big problem (mostly caused by his sister).  I tear up whenever I read this aloud.  It's not at ALL sad, just sooooooo darn cute.  It's definitely one of my favorites.  

     We had two guest readers, Mrs. Elin and Mrs. Mahoney.  They both read CRAZY books about pigeons.  One pigeon wanted to drive a bus and another wanted to stay up late.  Be sure to ask you child all about these stories.  

     Subtraction with regrouping is going SPLENDIDLY.  I'm so please with how hard the students are working.  In writing today, we wrote about getting ready for bed.  Students used their transition words (first, next, after that, finally etc) and added details.