LACMA

Each summer I stalk wait patiently for the LACMA field trip site to open. The competition is fierce for grants and I have been VERY fortunate each year to score a free field trip AND free bus for my awesome students and my fantastic colleague and her class. 

#grateful

Today we went on that amazing field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I love the LACMA trip so much because the docents are simply outstanding. They are art gurus with teaching experience and the kids gain so much from the trip. 

The kids loved the art, but they may have loved the space even more. Rolling down a grassy hill on a beautiful day in the city - what could be better?

Oh yeah - this is what's better - working on Common Core skills like collaborating about art and thinking critically about Hockney's depiction of LA!

An amazing day!

October!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Squirrel!

This squirrel unit is just so much fun! My students are loving interacting with non-fiction and are learning so much about our little furry friends! 

Check out some of their squirrel drawings and labels!

Take a Peek Into 2nd!!

This year I will be sharing some fantastic information from a bunch of my amazing 2nd grade teachers friends. We're calling it...

Check out our featured 2nd grade blogger this month!

It's..... LISA!!!!!

Lisa has a BEAUTIFUL blog, with super-cute ideas! Check out her blog - Second Grade Stories by clicking here! Once there, check out her other social media, too!

But I have to tell you about one particular unit. This is so excellent, y'all! OMG! I love, love, love squirrels! At least here in Southern California, our squirrels are mellow and merry! So introducing a non-fiction topic that I am really hyped about always makes teaching (and I'm sure learning) so much more fun! 

Look how fantastic this is!

OMG - This unit has got it all!

The unit will be on sale her TpT til the end of the weekend. How nuts is that!

Click here to get this fantastic unit! 

 Click NOW! Trust me, you want this unit!

ART!

My students are really getting accustomed to the schedule and rigor of 2nd grade - this is not like 1st grade, people! 

A great part of finally being in the swing of things and getting our work completed is that we had time for art! I used this awesome unit from Deep Space Sparkle and students worked hard to create their own portraits! 

What a great way to tie in concepts like symmetry, and form, and demonstrate listening skills. 

They really worked their little hearts out on these and I hope they keep them for years to come!

Take a look at the process...

Scholastic Book Orders

Yippee!! I just placed our first book order of the year!

Our next book orders are due 10/20 and there are some great deals and some fun fall-themed books!

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!
Click below to shop for books! 

Remember - our code is NCHK8

Writing About Math!

I've always done math journals and I love them for a lot of reasons.

1. Students get daily practice writing about math.  The students' journals are great because students really have to consider the process and work to explain their thinking.

2. The journals become a source of reference. I start the year modeling and scaffolding extensively so that every student has examples of really good journal entries - then slowly take away support. Students are able to look back and reference similar problems or explanations to help them with future learning.

3. Journals are fun to create! My students are primary kids - they LOVE scissors and glue! These fine motor skills are not to be scoffed at!

4. They are never the same! Though I've done journals every year - how I do them, what I use, how they look - that all changes! 

5. The journals are evidence of learning (and teaching)! I know I refer back to prior year's journals to see the sequence of what I taught and how I did it. I can also show the student's journal at a parent conference to illustrate learning or struggles.

Our journals are already amazing!