Last week we decorated our binders with pictures of our family, friends, pets, magazine cut outs and stickers. Some students also added their own drawings. This is one of my favorite days and highly anticipated by the students. It is so fun for them to make their own unique binder to hold all of the stories that will be written throughout the year.
Yesterday we celebrated Homecoming, and the kids had a blast with all of the events. The day started with decorating cupcakes in the gym and was followed by a pep fest.
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 notebook. 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 discuss our schedule for the day. This a great way to start our day in 2nd grade!
We follow the framework of Daily 5 for our literacy block. Through this framework, students are either meeting with me, doing read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing, or word work. This week the students continued to practice read to self. We practiced building our stamina to focus on our reading the whole time. This week the students also learned how to pick their own spots in the room for reading.
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.
On Friday, listen to reading was introduced.
This week we finished up our super star art project. We started with a doodle star and added them to watercolor backgrounds. They turned out so unique like each of our 2nd grade super stars.
My class of super stars has finally arrived, and they truly are super stars! We started our first day of school with the read aloud, "You're Finally Here!" by Melanie Watt. After reading, the students all shared something they did that kept them away from 2nd grade for so long!
I learned that they had been camping, swimming, on vacations, at cabins, visiting family, riding horses, at the sales barn, and so much more! These ideas will lead us into our first writing project about how they spent their summer and what they are excited to do in 2nd grade.
As I learn more about my super stars each day, 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 to 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!
Many students have shared that they are excited to read in 2nd grade! We are practicing building our stamina for read-to-self. We are practicing getting started right away, reading the whole time, and focusing on our reading.
We 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.
