Field Trip to Roper Mountain Science Center

On Monday, our class took a field trip to Roper Mountain Science Center. We saw a presentation about the three states of matter, as well as freaky frogs and sneaky snakes. There was lots of smiles, laughter, and most importantly learning!

 Scientists observe, predict, and test!

How is the dry ice reacting to the liquid ?!?!?

We are sorting and classifying different amphibians according to their characteristics.

 We got to touch and hold frogs and snakes!

One of my FAVORITE pictures of the day...I wish you could hear the joyous laughter!

Love these smiles!

Valentines Day 2013

Our school chose to celebrate Valentines Day on Friday, February 15th. We had a school dance, Jump Rope for Heart, and of course class parties! Here are some fun pictures from the day.

 We were so blessed with parent support for our party! Look at all of those goodies! We did manage to eat some healthy fruit.

 Delivering our Valentines to our friends.

 Candy Heart Math Activities

 Our monster sacks! These were perfect for all of our gifts of LOVE!

Teacher friends - The candy hearts math graphing activity and ADORABLE monster sacks came from the great Teacher Wife. I use this pack every year!

We are 100 Days Smarter !

Friday was our 100th day of school, and it was a day of celebration for our hard work thus far in 2nd grade. We had a fun snack, played math and spelling games, and presented our 100th day projects. This is a special family project we do every year. Students must creatively display 100 objects to show their understanding of counting to 100. I was SO proud of their hard work and creativity! This activity aligns well with the common core speaking and listening standards, as well as the math standards.

If you would like the parent letter and rubric for this project, click HERE and HERE.

 Our fun snack and visors to wear ! Students also received bracelets and dog tags for their back packs.

How did you celebrate the 100th day at your school?

Author Studies

Throughout the year, I love to incorporate author studies during my guided reading block. In my classroom, I try and implement an author study at least once a nine-weeks. It takes a lot of planning and collecting of resources, but it is so worthwhile! The students are very curious and motivated to learn about the author's lives and their reasons for writing about specifics topics. Here are some recommended authors that fit perfectly with this curriculum: Jan Brett, Cynthia Rylant, Robert Munsch, Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes, Patricia Polacco, David Shannon, Tomie De Paola, Dav Pilkey, Laura Numeroff, and James Marshall. Again, these are just a few of the amazing children's authors out there. 

One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing the children seek out these authors on their own, and excitedly check out books they actually WANT to read. I often will hear "Look Mrs. Phillips .... I'm reading a book by ____ !" 

Click HERE for a handout with tips and tricks on implementing an authors study in your classroom !

When studying the author, my students complete an "Author's Portfolio" full of activities. This will be graded with a rubric and counted as a major reading grade. The work is done both independently and collaboratively (with reading buddies).

Click HERE for an example of a cover sheet and HERE for a grading rubric.

Partner Reading

We are comparing texts, looking for connections, and 

searching for the author's purpose.

Plenty of Cynthia Rylant books to expose to students!

When planning an author's study, there are many great teaching resources out there. Below are links to just a few:

http://www.teachersclubhouse.com/authorstudies.htm

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Favorite-Author-Posters

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jan-Brett-Books-Activities-and-Ideas

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Henry-and-Mudge-Reading-Trifolds-and-Response-Sheets-for-20-books

Polar Express Day 2012

On the last day before Christmas break, our school celebrates the holidays by proclaiming it Polar Express Day! Everyone wears pajamas, we have a dance, read the book and watch the movie, and most importantly have a classroom party ! Here are pictures from that fun day. Happy Holidays from Room 244 !

Opening our stockings from Mrs.Phillips

What could it be ???

We love our stockings !

Drinking hot chocolate in our pajamas

Yum !

Do you like your hot chocolate plain, with marshmallows, or with whip cream?

We graphed the data.

More students in our class like their hot chocolate with whipped cream.

Getting our groove on at the dance !

DJ Philly (principal)

Our principal knows how to let loose and have fun !

Goodbye Miss. Neds !

On Wednesday, December 12th we said goodbye to our amazing student teacher Miss. Neds ! She will be finishing her studies at Bob Jones University and will graduate in May with a degree in Education. The students will miss her terribly, but we look forward to her visits !

'Thank you for being a gift to our class. We will miss you Miss. Neds! "

Students wrote persuasive letters to convince her to stay !

The crazy crew

Miss. Ned's reading her letters.

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary