Spelling Wishes

Grading papers has become an emotional roller coaster for me! I find myself rooting for the kiddos and holding my breath with every check mark...

So this was a nice little reminder that they feel the same way I do:

So close buddy! Good thing it was only the pretest :)

Launching Read to Someone

As I mentioned the first week of school, our class loves to read!! These kiddos followed the Daily 5 model last year, so setting it up this year has been a breeze! The components are

Read to Self
Read to Someone
Listen to Reading
Word Work
Work on Writing

We spend about 45 minutes each day doing two rotations. In the coming week,  The students will get to choose what they will work on as long as they do each "station" twice. 

Here we are Reading to Someone,  EEK style (elbow to elbow,  knee to knee).

Anytime we are in Daily 5, the kiddos can have one comfy thing. We have rugs, pillows, and stuffed animals to choose from. We also have a been bag, rocking chair, and wingback chair. Choosing may be half the fun of Daily 5 :)

This is what it is all about: fostering a love for reading.

G - I love that letter!

Last week we focused on the two sounds of G in your Word Study. To really make the hard g (guh) and the soft g (/j/) stick, I found this awesome blast from the past!

I love finding songs that fit in with the curriculum! It just makes it so much easier for the brain to retain. I even use it for giving directions! If I tell the class, "Alright guys, turn to page 81" it becomes such a struggle.  But If I sing it, the whole class becomes my back up vocals and we jam until everyone is settled. Just another way to turn the little things into little spots of fun :)

To practice writing these words we used GEL PENS! This simple tool made writing our spelling words the best thing ever! 

"Hey! Mrs. Serio! Gel is a g word too!"

*bingo*

We also broke out the shaving cream. I remember doing this in school and it was always the funnest thing and made our desks super clean! In this, the learners had to sort their words based on if it was a hard g or a soft g. If they messed up, no worries! A little rub and it's gone :) 

To give a grade, I just snapped a quick picture of everyone desk with their name tag visible. Yay for paperless assessment!!

Word Work

This week, we introduced our first section of sight words, of the 300 that second graders are expected to be able to read fluently. Not only did we create flashcards but we took it to the next level and practiced alphabetizing. 

These kiddos are so sharp! They already knew to look at the second or even third letter of words with the same starting letter!

Pen Pal Launch!

This friday, We wrote our introducorty letter our Pen Pals in Florida. The great Kelley Dolling from Teacher Idea Factory hooked us up and I am so excited for myself and my students to learn about a different culture within our country!

Before writing our letter, we brainstormed ideas on what to share with our new friends. Because the our cultures are so different, we really wanted to share what our lives are about!

Dear Pen Pals, How are you? We are hot! We just came in from recess and it was 92 degrees outside. We are in second grade and go to XX Elementary. We live in a rural community. Our school colors are blue, black, and white. We speak with a southern accent, We are panthers. What are you? We like to play football and cheer. What do you play? We are happy to be your friends! Sincerely, Mrs. Serio's Class

As we were writing, we voted on how we wanted to word things. They decided we should say that have a "southern" accent rather than "country", and to sign off with "sincerely" rather than "love". After all, we are just now introducing ourselves ;) It was so exciting watching them be so excited!!

A Visit from our Wonderful Counselor

On Thursday, we had a visit from our counselor. She is so sweet and cares so much for our kiddos! 

She read Mrs. Joyce Gives the Best High-Fives as an introduction for what a counselor does. 

Listening along with the kids, I thought it was a great explanation on why someone may want to visit with her- anything ranging from test anxiety to trouble at home. 

The Desk Debacle

This is my desk today. 

This is my desk today with a tall coffee mug, two water bottles, and a hippo on it. 

This is my desk today with two professional books and a teacher's manual on it. 

This is my desk today with my planner, meeting notebook, and brain/clipboard on it. 

This is my desk today with lesson plans open, box tops forms that need to be turned in, and an encouraging note from coworkers on it.

This is my desk.

This desk is a sign of success.  

This messy desk shows that I did not sit there all day. 

This unorganized desk shows that I was a good teacher today.

I have given and received nearly 50 hugs today.

I have changed a lesson on the fly to better suit my learners today.

I have monitored my struggling babies, and given them encouragement at just the right moment(s).

I have dried a waterfall of tears today.

I have sung Frozen with my kiddos as we worked on projects today.

I have been a teacher today.

I will clean my desk tonight, come in fresh tomorrow, and mess it up again.

I couldn't be happier.