We've been very busy experimenting with balancing.
Here are some pictures......
Mikayla building & balancing a mobile
Alex did it too!
Zac is double balancing!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Balancing!
Our science unit is Weighing and Balancing!
We've been very busy experimenting with balancing.
Here are some pictures......
Zac is double balancing!
We've been very busy experimenting with balancing.
Here are some pictures......
Zac is double balancing!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Wish List
**Room 9's Wish List**
Bandaids
Small bathroom size cups (for getting drinks in the classroom...eliminates wasted time walking down to water fountain!)
Cups & Napkins (for passing out snack)
Lysol disinfecting aerosol spray (for getting rid of whatever germs are floating around Room 9 and getting everyone sick!!)
Extra Snacks (for our many picky eaters! Crackers of any type or individually wrapped snacks such as granola bars, goldfish)
Thank you!!! :)
Happy New Year!!
We've had a busy start to the new year in Room 9!
We started last Monday morning with Brad from the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline. The kids LOVED making puppets with him! Today Brad came back and the kids made their puppets come alive! Their puppets will be sent home soon.
Thank you for your support and help with practicing spelling words at home. I am so happy with the check-in that we did on Friday! Everyone did great!! At the end of the month, we will share our data from this new way of teaching spelling with the other teachers at Thompson. It's really showing a great improvement in children by individualizing work to their level.
The kids are sharing their published stories to the class. It's such a nice time when the kids are able to share their work and hear compliments from other students. We will start up with Writer's Workshop tomorrow. The students will begin a new story organizer on a new topic from their homework sheet.
Each child picked a New Year's Resolution to work on at school in 2011. What thoughtful and accurate ideas our students came up with. We have some ambitious goals to work on! Look for the second grade bulletin board coming soon.....
In Math, we started a unit on time, timelines, and patterns. We are working on further looking at the calendar, fact families, and math facts. Today Ms. Ferola read Ms. Rumphius and tomorrow we will create a timeline of her life. Next week, we will organize a timeline of Martin Luther King's life.
Thank you for all of the work that you did to help your child fill out the homework sheet last week. They will pick the most important events to them and then create a timeline of these events. I can't wait to see the finished products!
I would love to begin to include photos in our blog! I sent home a note today (on peach paper) in your child's folder asking if you give/do not give permission of photos of your child on our blog. Please send it back as soon as possible.
I will send out an email tomorrow letting you know about the status of our field trip.... It's looking like it's going to be postponed :(
Happy New Year!
Nicole
We started last Monday morning with Brad from the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline. The kids LOVED making puppets with him! Today Brad came back and the kids made their puppets come alive! Their puppets will be sent home soon.
Thank you for your support and help with practicing spelling words at home. I am so happy with the check-in that we did on Friday! Everyone did great!! At the end of the month, we will share our data from this new way of teaching spelling with the other teachers at Thompson. It's really showing a great improvement in children by individualizing work to their level.
The kids are sharing their published stories to the class. It's such a nice time when the kids are able to share their work and hear compliments from other students. We will start up with Writer's Workshop tomorrow. The students will begin a new story organizer on a new topic from their homework sheet.
Each child picked a New Year's Resolution to work on at school in 2011. What thoughtful and accurate ideas our students came up with. We have some ambitious goals to work on! Look for the second grade bulletin board coming soon.....
In Math, we started a unit on time, timelines, and patterns. We are working on further looking at the calendar, fact families, and math facts. Today Ms. Ferola read Ms. Rumphius and tomorrow we will create a timeline of her life. Next week, we will organize a timeline of Martin Luther King's life.
Thank you for all of the work that you did to help your child fill out the homework sheet last week. They will pick the most important events to them and then create a timeline of these events. I can't wait to see the finished products!
I would love to begin to include photos in our blog! I sent home a note today (on peach paper) in your child's folder asking if you give/do not give permission of photos of your child on our blog. Please send it back as soon as possible.
I will send out an email tomorrow letting you know about the status of our field trip.... It's looking like it's going to be postponed :(
Happy New Year!
Nicole
Monday, December 6, 2010
Happy December!
I can't believe it's already December!
I've enjoyed meeting with many of you for conferences already. I look forward to meeting with the rest of you this week and next.
This morning we started something new. It's called Think About it. When the students break a rule, they need to fill out one of these papers. They are becoming more responsible for their actions. We are hoping this will hold them accountable for being more respectful and follow the rules more often. If they need to fill out a paper, a copy will be sent home so that you are aware of their behaviors in the classroom.
We started our journey around the world on Friday! Each student got their very own passport. We took a bus ride to Boston. We set the chairs up in 2 columns and had a bus snack! We then went on Google Earth and started at Thompson and zoomed in to South Station. We looked at some pictures around Boston. Today we read Tammy Does Boston. It's a picture book with great illustrations of Boston landmarks. Next stop: Logan Airport. We will continue our adventure around North America!
In Math, we finished our study of geometry and are reviewing fractions. Most students are quickly remembering what they learned in first grade. We will be working on equivalent fractions and some projects around symmetry. We also had our first mix-up math on Friday. The kids enjoyed working with the other second graders in leveled groups.
In Science, we are continuing to study frogs. Our tadpoles are growing back legs! The kids are doing on-going observations of the tadpoles.
In reading, we will begin working on a character study of Stuart Little. We are almost done with the Read Aloud. The kids really enjoy listening to such a great story!
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Nicole
I've enjoyed meeting with many of you for conferences already. I look forward to meeting with the rest of you this week and next.
This morning we started something new. It's called Think About it. When the students break a rule, they need to fill out one of these papers. They are becoming more responsible for their actions. We are hoping this will hold them accountable for being more respectful and follow the rules more often. If they need to fill out a paper, a copy will be sent home so that you are aware of their behaviors in the classroom.
We started our journey around the world on Friday! Each student got their very own passport. We took a bus ride to Boston. We set the chairs up in 2 columns and had a bus snack! We then went on Google Earth and started at Thompson and zoomed in to South Station. We looked at some pictures around Boston. Today we read Tammy Does Boston. It's a picture book with great illustrations of Boston landmarks. Next stop: Logan Airport. We will continue our adventure around North America!
In Math, we finished our study of geometry and are reviewing fractions. Most students are quickly remembering what they learned in first grade. We will be working on equivalent fractions and some projects around symmetry. We also had our first mix-up math on Friday. The kids enjoyed working with the other second graders in leveled groups.
In Science, we are continuing to study frogs. Our tadpoles are growing back legs! The kids are doing on-going observations of the tadpoles.
In reading, we will begin working on a character study of Stuart Little. We are almost done with the Read Aloud. The kids really enjoy listening to such a great story!
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Nicole
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Happy November!
Dear Room 9 Families,
It's finally beginning to feel like autumn! Please make sure your child is coming to school with a jacket for recess.
As part of our staff meetings, we meet in small collaborative groups and choose 1 topic to focus on. I am working on spelling with Sharon Kim (the other second grade teacher), Wendy Mason (special education teacher), and Tania Phillips & Sorelle Cohen (reading teachers). I have done a check-in on all of the K and 1 words. Last week, I did in a check-in on 20 second grade words (which students were not yet exposed to.) We will be implementing our new spelling study tomorrow!! Each child will get a list of the words that they have not mastered. They will get to choose 3 words a week to study. They will study them during Work Board using hands-on materials (sand, felt, sandpaper, stamps, etc.) They will also bring home a spelling homework bag tomorrow. Each child is responsible for studying their 3 words in 2 different ways each night. There is a direction sheet in the bag that will explain the 5 different ways to study their words. Their spelling words will be on the front page of their homework packet. There also is a recording chart that they are responsible for filling in. The spelling homework bag should stay at home. There will be a spelling check-in on Friday, and also the following Monday. We want to make sure they have retained the word even after the weekend. If students have mastered the word (got it correct both on Friday and Monday), they will get to move it to their spelling ring which will have all of their newly mastered words. If they get it wrong on either Friday or Monday, the word will remain as one of their spelling words. I'm really excited to see how this new individualized way of spelling will work out! Please send me feedback as to how it's going at home. It's definitely a work in progress and I'd love to hear your ideas on ways to make it more effective.
Our classroom is very dry. If possible, please send your child to school with a labeled water bottle. Students may bring in cough drops in a labeled bag. I keep them by my desk. I usually allow them to have one in the morning and one in the afternoon, unless if you put a note in there that states something else.
The Frog and Toad musical was awesome!! The rain didn't stop us! The kids had such a great time and it was a nice way to see many of the Frog and Toad stories in action. Thank you to Julia and Kathy for chaperoning.
Our tadpoles have arrived!!! The kids (and I!) are very excited to see the little guys grow and change! The students did observation 1 in their science log.
Our jack o'lantern carving turned into much more than just teamwork and decorating pumpkins. We saw our pumpkins grow mold and watch the side of one fall in. Each child planted 3 pumpkin seeds and with the help of sun and water, we are going to see if anything grows.
In Math, we started our study of shapes and symmetry. The students have been exploring shapes and patterns. Ask them to see if they can find any shapes around the house, on the walk to school, at the store, etc. Many students need to continue to practice math facts (10 facts, doubles, doubles +1). If an opportunity arises, let your child count out the change that you receive at the store. Another fun way to count coins is to play store at home with real coins.
Writer's Workshop is in full swing! Students are working from their story organizers to write personal narrative stories. Many students have finished writing their first story and some have even edited with Liz or I. Once every student has an edited piece of writing, we will begin to publish our stories. It's so helpful to have volunteers in during Writer's Workshop!
In Social Studies, we will begin a "journey" around the continents.
Thank you to all of the many volunteers who are coming into our classroom and doing jobs at home. There are a few slots left for volunteers in the classroom. There always are jobs that can be sent home. Just send me an email if you have some free time and would like to help out.
As always, thank you for all that you do for Room 9!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend. ~Nicole
Monday, October 25, 2010
Halloween Parties
Dear Room 9 Families,
We definitely have the best group of parents!!!! Thank you very much to all of the families who are donating supplies for our party. The kids are going to have such a great time!! Thank you to all of the parents who offered to volunteer at our Halloween party and jack o' lantern party. If any families would like to join us on Friday for our party, come to Room 9 between 1:15 and 2:15.
If you can, please send in a few dollars to Lisa (Benjamin's Mom) to help cover the cost of our pumpkins that we are going to carve.
A final thank you to Lisa and Jenny, our wonderful room parents, for organizing our parties!
Have a great week!
Thank you,
Nicole
Sunday, October 17, 2010
October News
The kids are really getting into the routines of second grade! They are gaining independence and working together to follow the classroom rules to earn a class party!
In Math, we are finishing up our first book which is mostly a review of first grade concepts. We reviewed story problems (both combining and separating), number sentences, greater than/less than, and money. We are need of coupons for an upcoming math lesson. If you have any store circulars/coupons that you can send in, please do so asap. Thank you!
Our social studies unit on mapping is coming to an end. The students worked together to create maps of outside of the school. Check out our maps on the windows inside of Room 9.
Our current read aloud chapter book is Stuart Little. The kids really enjoy listening and imagining the story as I read aloud to them.
On Thursday, we started our first science unit-Frogs! We watched some videos on youtube.com to begin to learn about the life cycle of a frog. The kids loved watching the videos and I'm excited to continue to use technology throughout the year. I promised the kids that I would post the links on here so they could watch them again at home.
Claymation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNd2z43Ofas
Frog Spawn Time Lapse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YV1QhYn1S8&feature=related
Intro Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GGuEr-MQf4
We had our first official day of Writer's Workshop with Lisa (Benjamin's Mom) and Jenny (Christos's Mom). We'd love to have other parents come in to the classroom to help us during morning work, writing, work board, math mix-up. If you have a time that you'd be able to commit coming in for, please email me.
There are always copying/laminating/prep jobs that can be done. Email me if you have a time that you can commit to or a free morning/afternoon that you'd like to come in just once in a while to help out. Thank you to Lisa (Benjamin's Mom) and thank you in advance to Peter (Lolitas's Dad) for starting to copy/organize the Think Tank. Thank you to Elizabeth (Corbin's Mom), Karen (Keely's Mom), and Kathy (Conor's Mom) for taking on the big project of copying/printing/organizing the leveled library.
There are some at home jobs that can be done. If anyone is interested in doing some cutting/project prep, please email me. I'd love to have all of the Open Circle parent letters scanned on to the computer so I can email the documents and save more paper. Let me know if you have access to a scanner and can take on this project. I couldn't survive without the help of parents!! Thank you!
In Math, we are finishing up our first book which is mostly a review of first grade concepts. We reviewed story problems (both combining and separating), number sentences, greater than/less than, and money. We are need of coupons for an upcoming math lesson. If you have any store circulars/coupons that you can send in, please do so asap. Thank you!
Our social studies unit on mapping is coming to an end. The students worked together to create maps of outside of the school. Check out our maps on the windows inside of Room 9.
Our current read aloud chapter book is Stuart Little. The kids really enjoy listening and imagining the story as I read aloud to them.
On Thursday, we started our first science unit-Frogs! We watched some videos on youtube.com to begin to learn about the life cycle of a frog. The kids loved watching the videos and I'm excited to continue to use technology throughout the year. I promised the kids that I would post the links on here so they could watch them again at home.
Claymation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNd2z43Ofas
Frog Spawn Time Lapse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YV1QhYn1S8&feature=related
Intro Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GGuEr-MQf4
We had our first official day of Writer's Workshop with Lisa (Benjamin's Mom) and Jenny (Christos's Mom). We'd love to have other parents come in to the classroom to help us during morning work, writing, work board, math mix-up. If you have a time that you'd be able to commit coming in for, please email me.
There are always copying/laminating/prep jobs that can be done. Email me if you have a time that you can commit to or a free morning/afternoon that you'd like to come in just once in a while to help out. Thank you to Lisa (Benjamin's Mom) and thank you in advance to Peter (Lolitas's Dad) for starting to copy/organize the Think Tank. Thank you to Elizabeth (Corbin's Mom), Karen (Keely's Mom), and Kathy (Conor's Mom) for taking on the big project of copying/printing/organizing the leveled library.
There are some at home jobs that can be done. If anyone is interested in doing some cutting/project prep, please email me. I'd love to have all of the Open Circle parent letters scanned on to the computer so I can email the documents and save more paper. Let me know if you have access to a scanner and can take on this project. I couldn't survive without the help of parents!! Thank you!
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