Father's Day

I just remembered I didn't get a chance to share about our sweet Father's Day cards.  My students had so much fun creating them and they were just so very thoughtful in their work.  I hope all the Dads were super blessed!
Our theme was Super Dad!  To start out I wrote, "My Dad is a Super Dad because..." in the center of the white board then I wrote down all the kiddos adorable and heartfelt responses.  We completely filled the board and they could have shared more if we had more space.  With this front loading in place the students were able to write a great deal about their unique and special Super Dads.  Then they drew a picture together with their Dad and created a cover.   I was so impressed with the level of effort that each one put into their work I decided to go ahead and laminate them to make them even more special.  Here's how they turned out!

 Anyone who knows me well knows I am always changing things up till I am completely satisfied (then I change my mind about it completely).  I guess you can say I am CRAZY thoughtful. :)  So... I have already made some tweaks to this Super Dad project to make it better than ever for next year.  The new theme is "My Super Hero."  Be sure to check back to see the new version!

Good Listeners Shine!

Setting the tone for success at the beginning of the year is key!  I have found that taking the time initially to explicitly teach positive behaviors and routines greatly pays off in the long run.  Here's a little listening bulletin board I spruced up the other day.  I'm getting so excited to meet my new kiddos in a few weeks!  Before we know it we will be back in the swing of things working on those ever so important classroom behaviors and routines.   What are some of your favorite beginning of the school year routines to set the tone?

The Daily Five and Literacy CAFE

I am so thrilled to be kicking off The Daily Five and Literacy CAFE this school year!  Through a great deal of research, readings, blog posts, and even a couple of webinars I am completely sold on the positive effects The Daily Five and Literacy CAFE can have on students' reading abilities.  A few months back as part of my graduate studies I decided to conduct an action research project on The Daily Five.  My conclusions clearly identified that The Daily Five was definitely born out of research and is in line with best practices of literacy instruction.  Here is an excerpt from the book The Daily Five by "The Sisters" Gail Boushey and Joan Moser illustrating the research base of the system and defining the 5 components of The Daily Five.

Read to Yourself The best way to become a better reader is to practice each day, with books you choose, on your just-right reading level. It soon becomes a habit.

Allington, R. and P. Johnson, 2002. Reading to Learn: Lessons From Exemplary Fourth-Grade Classrooms: New York: Guilford Press.

Morrow, L., L. Gambrell, and M. Pressley, 2003. Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. New York: Guilford Press.

Marshall, J. C. 2000.  Are They Really Reading? Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Krashen, S. 2004.  The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Pressley, M., R. Allington, R. Wharton-McDonald, C. Block, and L. Morrow. 2001. Learning to Read: Lessons for Exemplary First-Grade Classrooms. New York: Guilford Press.

Routman, R. 2003. Reading Essentials: The Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Read to Someone Reading to someone allows for more time to practice strategies, helping you work on fluency and expression, check for understanding, hear your own voice, and share in the learning community.

Allington, R. 2001. What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman.

Miller, D. 2002. Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Work on Writing Just like reading, the best way to become a better writer is to practice writing each day.

Fletcher, R. and J. Portalupi. 2002. Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Graves, D. 1985. “All Children Car Write.” Learning Disabilities Focus 1(1), 36-43.

Routman, R. 2005. Writing Essentials. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Listen to Reading We hear examples of good literature and fluent reading. We learn more words, thus expanding our vocabulary and becoming better readers.

Allen, J. 2001. Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Trelease, J. 2001. The Read-Aloud Handbook. New York: Penguin Books.

Spelling/Word Work Correct spelling allows for more fluent writing, thus speeding up the ability to write and get thinking down on paper.  This is an essential fountain for writers.

Marten, C. 2003. Word Crafting: Teaching Spelling, Grades K-6. Portsmouth, NH Heinemann.

Snowball, D. and F. Bolton. 1999. Spelling K-8: Planning and Teaching. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Gentry, R. J. 2004. The Science of Spelling: The Explicit Specifics that Make Great Readers and Writers (and Spellers!) Portmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Stay tuned for more to come on The Daily Five very soon!

Along with my research on The Daily Five I have been digging in to find out all about The Literacy CAFE.  The CAFE system also created by "The Sisters" works hand in hand with the Daily Five and is firmly established in research.  CAFE is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand Vocabulary.  I am so excited to build my Literacy CAFE Menu Board and am working away on my reading notebook.  

Please check back soon for more thoughts and pictures.  Meanwhile, do you use Daily 5 and CAFE in your classroom?  I would love to hear about your experiences!  Please share! 

End of Year Wrap Up

Sweet summertime has come at last!  I must say I love my job and my students, but I look forward to summer break just like every one else.  The last week of school is really something...  I leave school each day mentally and physically exhausted!  There are so many fun activities and so much going on in my little mind I had to take basically all day Saturday to recover from the festivities. :)  Here is a little wrap up of our last two days of school...

On Thursday we went to the beach!  We got to see a really neat movie about the Channel Islands, hear a ranger talk, go on a native plant scavenger hunt, check out the visitor center and tide pool tank, and enjoy the ocean view from the lookout tower.  After our tour was over we headed to the beach for lunch and some sandy, wet fun!  It was a memorable day for all!  Thank you parents for diving and chaperoning. We love you!

On the last day of school we met with our study buddies one last time and created these adorable Watermelon People.  Aren't they just so dang cute!?

My heart is certainly full from a wonderful year.  The end of the year is always a little bitter sweet because as my students move on to third grade they always take a little piece of my heart with them.  Thank you parents and students form making this year so special in too many ways to count!  Have a wonderful summer and I will see you next fall!

With a heart full of love,

Today is Beach Day!

Yahoo!  We have been waiting 179 school days for this day to come!  

Don't forget to wear layers, pack a sack lunch, bring water, sunscreen, a hat, and a beach towel. :)  Parent drivers, first of all thank you for making this trip possible and I will see you all at about  8:30 in room 8.  We plan to leave school by 8:45.  Looking forward to seeing you all soon and hoping the sun will shine down on us. :) 

If I Could "PICK"le Any Class...

I'd "PICK"le YOU!

lol :) Havin' fun, keppin' kids engaged, and still learnin'!  

Today we taste tested pickles, made Pickle People for a pictograph, and wrote about our experience.  

I have to giggle as I tell about this silly adventure, but it was sure a hit!  

Which makes me and my little loves happy campers!  

I can't help but smile. :) How funny are those Pickle People!? 

Second Grade is "Berry" Sweet

Woo-wee!  What a day!  Note to self... must.take.vitamins. (and drink lots of coffee) to make it through the last week of school!  Ha! Any-who... we have been having a "berry" good and crazy fun time in room 8!  Today we celebrated each precious student with personal class awards.  Seeing the kiddos' faces light up as I described their award and called their name was such a joy!  Not only did everyone get special recognition, but everyone got a Blowpop for blowing me away with their amazing work and growth this year. :)  Gotta love the little things right!?

Oh my word!  Look at these little angels drinking Jitter Juice on the first day of school!
My how we have grown! (And  come out of our shells:)

As I announced the awards the kiddos snacked on strawberries and "berry" sweet juice.  SO much fun!  And the spontaneous hugs absolutely melted my heart. <3 

To keep with the sweet berry theme, we then made this adorable strawberry craftivity telling about the "berry" best part of second grade.  My plan is to keep these cuties and make a book to read to my new second graders next year (sniff).