Week 2 in Review- A little late

  I apologize for this update being so late in the week.  I am thankful for the pictures to remind me of what we did last week. ;-) The students spent time working on classroom procedures.  They are getting much better at following the school expectations. 

We spent time practicing the Daily 5 routines.  The Daily 5, written by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, provide a framework for literacy instruction which is centered on five literacy tasks that build student stamina and independence, including a model for student accountability.  It is a research-based approach to delivering literacy instruction, allowing for more intense targeted instruction through one-on-one and small group strategic conferences. The system provides means to monitor each studentʼs progress with continuous, reliable, and authentic formative assessment. Kids respond positively as they meet with teachers, set learning goals, and have choice to work on reading and writing strategies. They feel a sense of being in charge of their learning because they understand the purpose of their work. I LOVE using the Daily 5 in my classroom. This week we worked on 'Read to Self' and 'Read to Someone.' Next week, we will introduce 'Work on Writing.' 
During our ELA (English Language Arts) time, we have been reviewing short vowel sounds, clusters and H-Brothers. In the picture, the students were playing a relay game. They were given a word family and had to take turns making words. I was so impressed with how well the students worked together as teams.  

Our writing time was spent working on our school bus pictures. The students spent time reading and following the directions to make a school bus. Next, they put their bus in a scene. Finally, the wrote about their picture. Some students were very creative about their pictures.  The pictures are now hanging in the hallway above their lockers.
The students learned about their brains. We watched a movie, looked at some pictures, labeled a brain picture and learned how to make a brain using our fists. The students learned about the three main parts of their brain: brain stem, cerebellum and cerebrum. They also learned that it is important to eat healthy and drink plenty of water.

In math, we have spent the week reviewing math skills learned in first grade. We are working on solving story problems, making groups of ten and simple addition. On Friday, we worked with the students in Mrs. Skinner's second grade class. We were able to use our document camera (ELMO) to teach the lesson. The students can follow along with the teacher.

Happy Birthday to Hannah! Her real birthday is in the beginning of September. We were glad that she celebrated with us at school!

Our week ended with celebrating Constitution Day! This is a day that schools across the country celebrate and use to teach about our Constitution.  We read a book about the Preamble and then we made our own class Constitution. Everyone took a turn signing our Constitution, just like the 'real' one.