This past Friday, students in K-2 kicked off Read Across America Day by having the Freshman class read to small mixed groups. It was only fitting that they read Dr. Seuss books. After all, it was his birthday on Friday and the Freshmen have been studying his work in their English class.
As part of our Presidents and American Symbols unit we drew George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for art class. The kids did a fabulous job with their drawings. It's interesting how similar AND different the projects turned out.
Project idea from Deanna Jump's America Math and Literacy Fun unit found on HERE TpT. I love Mrs. Jump's units, and her blog is a wealth of information and ideas for early elementary teachers!
Currently the 2nd graders are earning - and losing! - U Bucks. Essentially, U Bucks is a behavior management system and classroom economy all rolled up in one. The kids earn U Bucks, count, trade, and keep track of how much they have. They can use their bucks to purchase coupons. Coupons allow the 2nd graders to do special things in the classroom. For example, the "Stinky Feet" coupon allows them to take their shoes off in the classroom for a day. The "Pet Shop" coupon (a very popular coupon, I might add) lets them bring a stuffed animal from home to keep them company. The "Show & Share" coupon is essentially a show & tell coupon. This past week two of our friends used their coupons to show us two very different shares.
Here's a sea sponge (yes, it used to be alive in the sea!) that this 2nd grader's grandmother brought back for him from Florida. The kids were amazed that this sea sponge 1) used to be alive and 2) it is just as squishy as a kitchen/bath sponge.
For another Show & Share we had a special guest visit our classroom. Meet Holly, a spunky Yorkie puppy who became a member of her family during the holidays.
