Math Stations

 In 2nd grade we rotate through stations for our math block.  I love this framework so much because I'm able to see small groups for instruction.  I'm able to see pretty quickly who understands the new skill being taught and who needs some additional practice or instruction.  The students complete their assignment in a different station.  We're so lucky to have Mrs. Ruen in our room to help students with questions on their assignments.  The third station includes math games on an i-pad, partner game station, and a hands on or paper and pencil task.  We just started stations this week, and the class is doing a great job!

Writing Binders

 At the beginning of the year we take time to make our writing binders a special place to hold our writing.  The students use pictures of themselves, family, and friends to make collages that will decorate their binders and help them with writing ideas in the future.  I also love looking at their pictures and the collages they make to see what is important in their lives.  The students will fill up their binders with stories of playing with friends, riding their bikes, going on vacations with their families, playing their favorite sports, details of their pets, and so much more!  Writing is a special time of the day.  We turn down the lights, turn on our quiet music, and put our thoughts down on paper.  They are so proud of what they write!

 

Morning Routine

 When the students arrive in the morning they have a very predictable routine each day.  The students bring in their take home folders to our basket, sign up for their milk and snack choices, complete their wake up work, then make a good quiet choice.  The choices include read to self, read to someone, shop for books, get their materials organized and ready for the day, or draw in their notebooks.  Once everyone has completed their wake up work, they hear our morning song come on which signals that it's time for our morning meeting.  The students gather on the rug to say good morning to each other, share news and take questions from classmates, and discuss our schedule for the day.  This is a great way for us to start our day!

Word Work Activities

 This week in 2nd grade we reviewed short vowel words in both real and nonsense words.  The students played Go Fish, sorted words by vowel sound through a read the room activity, and sorted words in their notebooks.  In our activities, the students were asked to read and decipher the real words from the nonsense words.  Next week we'll start our first quarter spelling with beginning blend words.  

Launching Daily 5

 We follow the framework of Daily 5 for our literacy block.  Through this framework, students are either meeting with me, doing read to self, reading to someone, listening to reading, working on writing, or word work.  This week the students continued practicing read to self.

We learned how to shop for books in our classroom library.  This is always exciting for the students to pick out their own books from our library!

The students began reading from different comfy spots in our classroom.  This always makes our reading more fun!

We also learned about reading with a partner and practiced picking out books with our partner and staying focused on our reading.

 

Beginning of the Year Math

 At the beginning of the year, the students slowly start to learn about the different stations we rotate through to run our math block.  This includes the teacher lesson, assignment station, and math game station.  We've started practicing our different parts by learning a few math games, learning how to complete our math assignments, and making a math about me person.

Fantastic Froggies!

This week we finished our froggy art project.  These at these 2nd grade froggies!

You're Finally Here!

 The students are finally here in 2nd grade!  We started our first day of school with the read aloud, "You're Finally Here!" by Melanie Watt.  The students all shared one thing they did this summer that has kept them away from 2nd grade for so long as I have been waiting in the empty classroom for them!

  
I learned that they had been riding their bikes, going on vacations, playing football, riding horses, jumping on trampolines, and so much more!  These ideas lead us into our first writing project about how they spent their summer.

As I learn more about this 2nd grade group, they are also learning about our routines and expectations in the classroom.  It is so important at the beginning of the year to practice all of the little things that make our classroom run smoothly.  We've practiced how we come to the rug and listen to a story so everyone can enjoy it.  We've practiced how to transition in our room and out of our room.  We've learned about how materials are handed out and how to keep our desks organized.  With each new routine or expectation, they are doing a wonderful job practicing! 

The students are building their stamina for read-to-self as they practice getting started right away, reading the whole time, and focusing on their reading.

The students are learning about playing a math game with a partner and the importance of being a good sport, using quiet voices, and taking care of our materials.

On Friday, we began an art project to go along with our theme: Fantastic Froggies.  The students are creating their own froggies that will be drawn and painted with water colors.

Keep up all of your hard work 2nd graders!  We are off to a fantastic start!