Work Weekend!

Work Weekend for me! My daughter (who usually hogs the computer :) is out of town, so I'm spending the weekend getting lessons, etc. done. Our reading units are 5 weeks long, so I usually like to plan those 5 weeks at one time - so that's what I'm working on and when I get done with that, we'll only have 1 more full week and then 4 days! Woo Hoo (not that I'm keeping track, of course!)

Sometimes I just have to laugh at myself. Last week, I was frantically looking for a little something extra to do on Friday afternoon. Ha on me! We always have a big Pep Assembly for our 3rd and 4th graders who have to take the state assessments. And this year, my 2nd grade team was in charge of it. That pretty much took the whole afternoon. So we didn't get to do our rather cool Watercolor and Salt Painting of Roosters. Maybe next year. 

Last week, we had a little extra time in the mornings (because we didn't have our reading intervention groups), so we talked about idioms one morning. Then I had them fold a piece of paper in half. On one side they drew what an idiom sounds like it means. On the other side, they needed to draw and write about what it really means. They did a nice job. (no pictures, sorry.) One example was "stomach was tied in knots." Some of the kids drew a stomach actually tied in knots. On the other side, they talked about how it really meant someone was nervous. 

I don't really have any cool ideas to share this week. Does anyone else use Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's JOURNEYS for reading? It is so much more "serious business" than our old reading series. Anyway, don't have any fun "connection" activities planned to go along with the story for next week. 

AND I haven't seen any cute math ideas lately to share. On the Leap Day sale at TpT, I purchased Toad-Ally in Love Math Centers by Lory Evans. I need to print the rest of those and laminate them, so I can put them out in math centers. These are really cute, and the ones I've already used seem to keep my students working (which I like!).

Alright, me - back to work! Hope you have a good weekend, whether you are working or enjoying the beautiful weather.

  

Springtime!

OK, I know spring doesn't start until March 20th, but once Spring Break comes, it feels like spring is already here. 

This was so weird - two days last week, I got done early with things and had a little extra time. Never happens! I have so much to cram in and so much I want to do. Anyway, one of the days, my kids and I talked about our five senses, then we folded a piece of notebook paper into four parts (plus the back makes 8) and we went outside to see what we could hear, see, touch, smell (we live in western Kansas - there are always smells!) and (really not) taste. Of course, as soon as I turned the corner to head outside, I realized the wind had picked up considerably since lunch recess (we live in western Kansas). Umm, go back or yell, "Hold on to your papers!" Choose the second. Then I had them write and partner edit. It worked pretty good.

Math centers - In four years, I've gone from totally whole group to centers. I like it better and I think the kids do too. I've been so glad this year to find things on TpT to use. I got Place Value Packet of Fun from Cara Carroll. Last week, I used the Dice Toss game with double digits. This week, I upped it to three digits. My kids were really engaged at this center. 
I also used Domino Math from Leanne Prince's Regrouping Addition and Subtraction. I'm not sure my kids were as much in love with this, but it's great practice for them. A couple weeks ago, I had them do addition and this week, subtraction. 
Finally, for after spring break: I purchased Toad-ally in Love by Lory Evans. I'm planning to use the Fact Family Frogs and the Polka Dots and Place Value. She has really cute graphics, but my color printer was out of ink. So I bought some spring looking cardstock - pinks, greens, blues etc. and printed out on those. It really looks nice and it's colorful, so yay there.
I'm also going to print and laminate this St. Patrick's Day Place Value Freebie from 2nd grade Paradise. By the time I use it, it will be after St. Pat's Day, but oh, well. 
 And (hee, hee) I made some of my own Bump games. But I don't know how to share those with you. I'll work on that this week, if I have time. I call them Bump Plus - so one is Bump Plus 7 and they roll the die and add the number to 7. A little practice with those harder math facts. Oh, wait, I might have done it - Bump Plus. Anyway, I just think they are too cute!

I was so excited to find this Splash idea by Denise Boehm. When we get back from Spring Break, we are reading a folktale called "Half-Chicken." I'm going to try this with my students. It seems like the thing to remember is to use Splash to start a lesson and NOT to get responses from children.

OK, for the rest of the week, the only school stuff I'm doing is FUN STUFF - like blog stalking and a few crafty things for organization (for myself). That's it! I mean it! Really, I do!! Enjoy your week, whether you have Spring Break or not.