Wednesday, October 31, 2012

October 31 Happy Halloween- Photos!

Photo heavy, word light.  In case you were wondering what was on everyone's mind today...Our Halloween Party!!!
Creepy Crafts!


Beanbag Toss

Halloween BINGO!


"Smarty" pants!

Eating Our Homemade Carmel Apples!

Messy But FUN!


Amazing Planning Committee and Party Workers!


       
I am so impressed!  If laughter, giggles, messy faces and hands are any indication of a good party, this one was a blast!  A huge thanks to Carole, Katie, Nicole, Rosemary and Andrea. 

Have fun tonight!  Happy Halloween!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

October 30

Tomorrow is Halloween and I feel the excitement in the air.  For the month of November, the students are designing the calendar pieces.  I have asked them to think of 3 things that November makes them think about.

Please be on the lookout in student backpacks today for several pieces of "mail" for you, the parents.  

News and compliments from the day:

"We liked writing our math story problems." Cole & Zac
"It was nice when Ava read Amelia Bedelia with me." Katie
"I liked reading with Savannah, Colin and Sami," Grace
"When I asked Catalina to read a story with me, she said yes." Madeline
"Kora, Lainey, and Hannah were nice to me today." Savannah
"I liked our ant project today.  We made a little book that tell about the jobs ants have in the ant colony." Colin
"I enjoyed listening to "Are You and Ant" book." Peter
"I liked the book "13 Nights of Halloween" Sami

See you all tomorrow!  Remember, no costumes, but bring your great attitudes and smiles!


Monday, October 29, 2012

Monday October 29

Hello!  October is zooming by...I can't believe it will be November this week!

Today we were very busy.  Here are news reports and compliments from today:

"When I could not find a learning partner on the carpet, Savannah said she would be my partner." Aoife
"I liked it when Katie helped me round up the pencils to sharpen." Madeline
"I liked the art- we used liquid glue and tissue paper and I have never done that kind of art before!" Calvin and many other students
"I liked designing the ant math story problems. "William and Teddy
"Reading the story Two Bad Ants was fun because it is told from an ant's point of view." Grace

As you can see, we were very very busy today!

Just a reminder:  Please have your student complete any work attached to the homework cover sheet.  This work reinforces math concepts learned at school.  Your child gains much understanding with your one-on-one support.  Thanks!

See you tomorrow!

Friday, October 26, 2012

October 26, Friday

Hi everyone!

From the class:
"I enjoyed learning about the life cycle of an ant today!" Peter
"I liked writing today because we got to read our published stories to the class!" Madeline

If you still want to order books, please do so before 8pm tonight. (L6VB8 order code)

We did not have library today because the library aide was out sick.

Have a great weekend- hopefully not too many of you are playing soccer out in the rain!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

October 25

Hi everyone!

Reminders:
If you are able, join us for Family Math Night from 6-7 this evening.  There are five fun math activities to try (and some candy to be eaten!).  Our room will be open as I am hosting "M&M Math".

Homework tomorrow!  Thanks!

Thoughts from the kids:

"Aoife helped me when the math was hard." Savannah
"I liked the ant math story problems!" Cole & Grace
"When I asked Hannah to play a game at math, she said yes!" Della

Thanks everyone!  I hope you were able to get outside in this beautiful weather today!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

October 24

Hi everyone...sorry no blog yesterday...I was home taking care of sick family who are now on the mend!

Compliments:

"Katie volunteered to help Catalina finish a project she missed when she was gone." Mrs. Robb
"Kora helped me count during Race to 100 game." Savannah
"I liked it when Calvin made me a paper airplane during choosing.  It was very nice of him." Della
"Mrs. Robb helped me solve a problem." Grace
"When I asked Della to play a math game, she said yes." Aoife
"Catalina made me a cool heart design during choice time." Katie

Thanks to all the students for being helpful and kind to the guest teacher yesterday. 


Just a reminder:  Last day to order books for this month is Friday! 

Monday, October 22, 2012

October 22

October is flying by!  Speaking of flying, today we created folded paper owls for seasonal decorations.  They are decorating our lockers for now, but we can take them home on Friday so they can decorate your home!
"I liked art!" Calvin

"I liked making paper owls and sorting buttons into groups of 10's and 100's" Aoife

"Catalina complimented my owl." Hannah
"At recess when nobody would play with me, Riley did!" Grace.

Just a reminder, I am still in need of small plastic containers for art.  If you have yogurt, cream cheese or other similar sized containers, send them on in!  Thanks!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Friday October 19

We had a very full day with reading, writing and math.  We had some nice time for observing and writing about ants.  We were so busy with our Friday choice time that we did not have time for compliments today!  Too bad!  :)

We had our quarterly Second Grade birthday bash today.  Students who had birthdays in July, August, September, and October were recognized with a little gift and all Second Graders were able to enjoy a little treat and Magic School Bus video.  We will have two more celebrations this year so all students will have a chance to be recognized!

Thanks for all the support of your child's learning at home.  I am watching excited, motivated learners everyday, and you are a big part of that.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Mrs. Robb

Thursday, October 18, 2012

October 18

We had much more "ant talk" today.  We labeled the parts of an ant according the the uses.  For example, we wrote that ant jaws are used for many purposes such as chewing, cutting, biting and carrying.  We measured 14 meters in the hall: that is how wide army ants fan out in a swarm, and we started a new book: Ant Attack, which we are reading and writing about!

Compliments:
" I liked it when Riley played One Hour or Bust with me." William
"Special thanks to Bailey for picking up a CD from a CD book and finding the book where it belonged without me even asking." Mrs. Robb
"I liked it when Riley complimented my ant story writing." Sami
"Hannah gave me the book that we made." Catalina
"Seth offered to let me play Race to 100" Hayden
"When I asked Catalina to play Count and Compare 2', she said yes!"Maddy
"Sami played a math game with me when everyone else was busy working."Seth

Remember, bring your homework tomorrow!  :)

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

October 17

Today was day 30 of school, which is a nice milestone.  We learned the "three" song today, a cute little song which gives us practice with counting by multiples of three.

"I liked the three song!" Calvin & Teddy


During math, I posed this question:  Why do we measure the length of objects?  Ask you child what they think the answer is...
Here are some thoughts about math today:

"I liked math." Peter
"Today at math centers, Ava played a math game with me." Katie
"I liked that Sami played the counting by 2's math game with me." Evan
"Peter played Race to 100 with me." Cole
"Hayden gave me a compliment during math." Bailey

More ideas and compliments about the day:
"Riley was really nice to me" Aoife
"I liked seeing new ant tunnels." Grace
"I like when Evan helped me spell a word." Sami

The weather is so beautiful right now...such a pretty view of the changing leaves from our classroom.
Have a lovely day!  See you tomorrow!



Tuesday, October 16, 2012

October 16

We were very busy today with special events.  We saw our ant farm for the first time.  The harvester ants inside are quite busy building tunnels and chambers.  They are very interesting to watch.

We also were able to paint our clay totem designs- can't wait to see how the colors turn out when they are fired again.

Finally, we were lucky to have the "tree lady" come and give us wonderful information about many kinds of trees and show us a huge leaf and huge seed pod and huge cone!  She also helped us make paper (it's drying now and we will take our paper home when it is dry.)

"I enjoyed learning about trees." Peter
"I liked making paper." Ava
"I liked painting clay totems." William

Compliments:
"Grace, thank you for being willing to tie someone's shoe without being asked." Mrs. Robb
"Katie read the I Spy book with me when I asked." Madeline
"Colin helped me design a haunted house drawing." Seth
"When I didn't like how my totem was turning out, Della told me it was cool.  That made me feel better." Aoife

Reminder: 2 hour late opening tomorrow!

Monday, October 15, 2012

October 15

I hope you all had a restful three day weekend.  I really enjoyed the extra time with my family.

Call me crazy, but I am loving the rain because it finally feels and looks like fall- such a beautiful time of the year!  The leaves outside our classroom windows are fabulous!

Today we experienced a lovely story that we will retell during our independent work time: Charlie Anderson.  Have your child retell this story to you!

We also learned more about ant anatomy.  Did you know that ants have two stomachs?  One stomach is for the ant's own nutrition, and the other is used to hold food for the grubs or queen ant.

Compliments:

"Cole was kind when he helped Teddy lift a heavy bucket of books. " Mrs. Robb
"When Bailey's water bottle fell on my arm, he said sorry." Riley
" Hannah waited for me so we could read a book together during quiet reading time." Aoife
"I enjoyed reading I Spy with Calvin, Catalina, and Calvin during quiet reading time." Grace

We are painting our clay art tomorrow!  See you then!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

October 11- Student Book Order code & info

Hi!  We had another busy day.  You child brought home their independent literacy center work today.  Remember, this is independent thinking and writing that reflects their time management as well as reading and writing.
We had our Writing Workshop time and began our own stories.  Later, we found information about ants in non-fiction books and shared that information with a group.


Please return book orders by Friday, October 26.  The simplest way to order is on-line and you get many incentives to use this on-line system.  Our class code is L6VB8     Book orders are voluntary.


Compliments:
"I liked it when Catalina was nice to me when I fell." Ava
"Bailey complimented my picture." Sami
"Hannah was very nice to me on the playground."  Savannah
"Hannah played with me when nobody else would." Grace
"Calvin said that he thought my picture was the best in the world." Bailey


That's all for today...enjoy your three day weekend!


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

October 10

Today we began our research study of ants.  We are entomologists who are focusing our study on amazing ants!  There will be an ant farm to observe, books to read, and reports to write.  I anticipate this unit of study taking approximately 5 weeks.  Let me know if there is an "ant expert" out there who wants to share their knowledge with the class...we would be thrilled to learn from you!

Our COGAT testing went very well.  I was very proud of all of the students- they were quiet and respectful and worked hard for almost and hour...whew!  Great work guys!

Remember: bring your homework tomorrow since there is no school on Friday.

That's all for today!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

October 9-Pictures of measuring....

Our last Special Person was Kora who told us a story about watching the circus as the Rose Garden.  We have had 24 days of Special Person and we learned so much about each other.  Thank you students for sharing your stories with the class.  We look forward to hearing more and learning more about you and your families this year. Tomorrow, we begin immersing ourselves in a new subject to study....

Compliments:
" Cole impressed me as a team leader during math today.  When a member of his team was looking upset, Cole helped him feel better and rejoin the team.  Wow!"  Mrs. Robb
"Kora and Lainey let me play with them on the playground." Grace
"When I told Catalina about the concert I went to last night, she was happy for me. "  Hannah
"Evan was willing to share a project with me."  Bailey
"I enjoyed the measuring job!" Kora

Well, here was the job...the students were in groups and given an animal with it's length. The mathematicians had to measure how long the animal was, make a piece of paper that long and write the length in inches, feet, and yards, then decorate the paper to represent the animal.
Here is how they did:

Evan was this team leader.  The boys measuring the length of a komono dragon: 10 feet!

Cole was this team leader and they measured the length of a tiger: 10 feet!

Ava was this team leader and her team measured the length of a dolphin: 15 feet.

Grace was this team leader and they measured the length of a boa constrictor.

William's team measured the height of a female giraffe: 14 feet.

Katie's team measured the height of  an elephant; 10 feet!













Great job mathematicians!  See you tomorrow!

Monday, October 8, 2012

October 8

Happy Monday!  Today our Special Person was Colin!  He told us about going swimming while vacationing because it was very hot.  Thanks for the story Colin!

What we did today:
Today we practiced measuring in yards.  We have been working on measuring in inches, feet, and yards.  Try estimating the length of some items in your home, then confirming the estimate with a ruler. 
"I enjoyed choosing new jobs." Peter


Compliments:
" When the girls were playing teacher on the playground, they let me be the teacher helper." Aoife
"Kora was nice to me." Savannah
"Cole played Race to 100 with me." Evan
"I liked it when Catalina read to me." Ava
"It was nice when Cole complimented my art." Teddy

A few things:
Remember, homework is due on THURSDAY because there is no school on Friday.
Also, a very nice parent brought a gray fan to our room when it was still very hot.  I have forgotten who that parent is.  If you brought the gray fan, feel free to pick it up at your convenience.  Thanks!

Friday, October 5, 2012

October 5

Today the Special Person was Cole.  He told us a story about playing Wii with his mom.  Almost all of the kids have played some kind of electronic game, so that gave us much to write about. Thanks!

Today Evan turned 8.  Happy Birthday!

What we liked today:
"I like special person because we get to know more about the other people in the class. "  Peter
"I liked measuring with rulers during math." Kora


Compliments:

"Aoife listened and was nice to me." Savannah
"I felt bad for Evan when he hurt his eye." Calvin
"I liked it when Katie and Savannah helped me during math." Sami
" At recess, Katie played with me." Madeline
"Peter has been very nice all week." Bailey


Have a wonderful sunny weekend...enjoy the sun while it lasts! - B

Thursday, October 4, 2012

October 4

Today our Special Person was Riley.  She told us a story about the goats on a farm she visited with her family...fun!

A classroom has many jobs, and on Monday, your child chose a job for the week.  Paper passer, door closer, teacher helper...there are many jobs in a classroom.  Each Monday, the kids will choose a new job for the week.   The kids in the room 13 are great helpers!

Compliments:

"William, Catalina, and Calvin did a great job cleaning up the very messy art bucket- and William helped even though he did not make the mess!" Mrs. Robb
"Lainey made me a paper purse." Hannah
"Peter showed me how to make a paper airplane, and Colin read "Runaway Pumpkin with me when I asked." Evan
"Bailey said he liked my picture." Calvin
"When I was sad, Grace was nice to me." Catalina
"When I asked Peter to make me a paper airplane during choice time, he did!" Bailey


Don't for get your homework and library books tomorrow!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

October 3

Today our Special Person was Evan.  He told us a story about visiting OMSI and seeing the Star Wars exhibit.  I remember when that was in town and it was very interesting... thanks for sharing Evan!

Just so you know...the playground was approx. 93 yards from gym to fence...how many feet is that?

Compliments:
"Aoife gave me the yeardstick during math and I didn't even have to ask." Lainey
"Hanna made me a phone during choosing." Aoife
"Catalina helped me spell rainbow when I asked" Katie
"Savannah helped me on the playground." Grace.

Below is a picture of all the wonderful volunteers and artists from yesterday!

Have a great day!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

October 2

Della was our special person today!  She told us a story about seeing a deer up close during a family trip to Sun River.  Seeing such beautiful animals up close are magical moments so thank you for sharing!

This week and next we are working with various measurement tools during our math time.  Yesterday, we used 12 inch "feet" to measure various objects in the classroom.  Today, we used 3 foot "giant feet" (yards) to measure objects.  We have discovered that small feet = more , big feet= less.  Our work asked us to estimate the length of the playground in giant feet...stay tuned for the results.  We will check our estimates tomorrow morning at recess!

Thanks to Seth for bringing in the cute little pumpkin...very festive!

Compliments:

"When nobody else would play a game with me, Riley would." Aoife
"I liked when Bailey complimented my All About Me book." Sami
"Zac helped me out when we were working on the giant feet activity together." Bailey
"Evan complimented my clay owl." Calvin

Thank you to the parents who helped during our art time today!

Thank you also for all of the kind words regarding the blog...the help I receive from parents on Friday makes it possible for me to find the time during the day to devote to writing.  Thanks...

Monday, October 1, 2012

October 1

We have reached October and are settling into the routine of school...we are lucky to have this nice stretch of sunny weather before fall really sets in!

Seth was our Special Person today!  He told us a story about seeing a movie at the movie theater with his family.  Thanks for the story Seth.  The idea gave us much to write about since most of us have seen a movie before!

Compliments:
"Aiofe and I worked together to get our math job done!" Savannah
"Savannah complimented me on my singing."Riley
"Peter and Evan helped me design a paper airplane during choice time." Seth
"Riley played 2 square with me on the playground when nobody else would."Grace

News & Reminders:

*Attached to homework this week are some daily ideas for homework or family activities.  These are optional, but I found them and thought they might be fun for you.  Also, there is a Scholastic News Magazine attached.  Your child can keep the magazine at home after completing their homework.
*We did NOT have library last week due to a scheduling mix up.  We will have library this Friday- much more time to get all of those books returned!
*Tomorrow we begin our 2 part clay art experience.  The parent volunteer is requesting that each student bring 2,  28oz sized tin cans for the project.  (this would be the size that canned tomatoes come in).  I'm hearing that there are extras available, so don't knock yourself out finding them.  :) 

That's all for today!  Enjoy the sun!