2nd year into teaching..

First of all, where did summer go?!? For one, I haven't blogged since the last day of school...I've spent my summer in Mexico, Virginia Beach, and Florida.. I've enjoyed beaches and just enormous amount of quality time with my family, friends, and Milan...Now, I'm forcing myself to get back into normal routine. With the new year approaching, I am filled with mixed emotions! Nervous, eh...excited, definitely..and just overwhelmed with emotions with the new administrations, news RTI, and new kiddos (the fact that I have 23 kiddos on my roster still freaks me out!) You probably think, eh 3 more kids, no biggie...well, sometimes those 3 kids mean A LOT!

Well, since I have spent few days here and there working on "minor school projects." The first official day of work is tomorrow which will consist of meetings and meetings. The kids report August 6th, 2014 so hopefully I'll squeeze few more things in!

 Guided Reading Table with the new Word Wall

 Welcome Sign for Parents/Students (They will take a picture with it,and I will use it for a bulletin board...On the last day of school, I will give the students their picture!) :)

 Tags for Accomplishments (Bookworm, Goal Met, etc) not sure who the credit goes to!

 Library Sticks

 The new-updated library! :)

And, we are ready for the 1st day of school! 

It has ended..

What? My first year of teaching is over.. a year full of happiness, joy, tears, stress, and just the overload of work.. all gone.. to wrap it all up, it has been a great one.. never have I doubted my career choice. I have enjoyed every bit of journey. I can't wait to see what next year holds in store for us!

On the last day of school kids shared what their favorite moment in 2nd grade was.. well, I had my sweet girl with ADHD say "I love you Ms. Stanisic" after I gave her 3rd grade advice. Yes, I teared up badly. Then I had DG say, "my favorite moment in 2nd grade was when I had a chance to hug you every Friday." If nothing, my kiddos knew they were loved, and that was my biggest accomplishment this year. It was a bitter-sweet moment to say goodbye but we all  are ready for summer break.

Sweet Summer treat for my babies (with a bag full of books for summer reading!)

Here is what we did last few days of the school..we read Dinosaurs Before Dark, and the kiddos did the cereal box project in one day.. (thanks to 150 minutes reading block!)

We also had Red Carpet Awards.. They loved walking down the red carpet.. Of course, they posed for camera!

Well, I am ready to enjoy this summer break.. Mexico, here we come! :)

Bucket Lists

Well, as you probably know, I live by to-do lists, agendas, and planners. They keep my stress level down, and they help me stay organized. Besides that, my life revolves around bucket list that kinda makes me content and helps me plan upcoming trips/events/getaway. On that note, Paris is set for Winter 2014.. how am I feeling?! EXCITED! Anyhow, this week in 2nd grade has been chaotic. Kids are winded up daily. However, we did accomplish one thing: bucket lists.

Students were so creative and inspired to reach these things!

Also, we finished our compliments projects. Few weeks ago, students were given 22 flashcards and were instructed to write compliments to each other. Today, they passed and shared amongst each other.. (each kiddo had 22 sweeet comments!) Then, they created compliments poster board where they glued down all the index cards. This will serve as a memory -- for them to remember their kind and fabulous classmates! Check out our pictures!

Well.. 5 more days of school! I am about to board to Chicago! Till next time friends.. :) 

How many days are left?

Yesterday, we started popping our balloons..countdown has begun! We are ready for 3rd grade.. (well, they are. I have mixed feelings, and I am starting to get emotional.)

In number 9, we found an activity that stated "chew bubble gum" and all of the kida went,"ahh we never get to do that in school." Indeed, it was a special moment for them. For me, I had to run to store during planning because I forgot to buy the gum. Yeap, teacher problems.

What does balloon number 8 hold? We shall find out in an hour!

Happy Tuesday y'all! 

Butterflies are free! :-)

Our butterflies finally fully emerged on Thursday. Therefore, each of us got a lolly pop, and made it sweet and sticky. Then, we put the lollipop in the net.. The butterflies landed on it smoothly thinking it was nectar! It worked very well.. except kiddos wanted to catch them and keep them.

& Mrs. Garland had a buddy butterfly that  would not escape.. 

Well, it is that time of year. We have started a countdown. 9 days  of school left.. We are going to pop one balloon a day and do the activity on that day! Activities include extra recess, popcorn party, chalk writing, and pick your seat for a day. Students have been asking about it for days, and I'm excited to see their reactions tomorrow! :)

LBL

Well, this weekend we went to LBL [3-day and 2 night camping trip] with 2nd graders. First of all, the kiddos behaved so well! They were super polite and friendly to each other. Also, we had no accidents or "home sick" crying. On the other hand, I realized it takes way too long for 8 girls to shower. Then, I had to brush, dry, and style hair for hours. Of course, we had to paint those nails too.. It was a good trip, and kids experienced so many things for first time!

          Nature Study and "Owl" Study

       Pond study.. what did we catch?

        Beaver's Dam (9 feet deep! eek!)

Stream Stroll.. Oh yeah, we found a lot of "crab fish" >> EL problems

        Pillow fight.. and the girls won!

       Bonfire, story time, and s'mores.. 

 

And we are on our way back to the school... happy Sunday! 

Wrapping up the week

Lets summarize today.. one student with broken tooth, another one bleeding, another one announcing to the class "My Mother is in jail...so I can't write a Mother's Day letter", two kiddos out of the school uniform, and the list goes on. Well, the good thing..it was Teacher Appreciation Week, and we got spoiled by SHINE volunteers with the yummy lunch! Thank you guys! (On the side note, I have been blessed by a SHINE volunteer who came weekly to work with a group of my students!)

On other hand, we wrapped up ARRAYS. I actually loved working on this standard more than I thought 

I would. I got a little creative, and we this is what we had for the final project..

Each student had to create a "building" that had an array. The student had to write the repeated addition equation. Of course, I had couple of students who were ready to write the multiplication equation.

 & then I had to add the "communities" to our city..so we worked and worked hard to make our communities  that contain many arrays (cars, trees, plants, butterflies, dogs, houses, swings, etc!)

 

And this is how part of our hallway looked with our city and communities..Could not get the other 2 communities in the pictures! Enjoy! :)

 

Well, here we go! 

Only 15 more days of school left! :-)

Love, Arrays, and Baby Shower :)

Hm. Well, this week, I had a student come up to me and ask, "Why do you LOVE us?" First of all, I was surprised  that my actions were that see-through...I guess so. I was kind of left speechless - I didn't know whether to elaborate or stay silent. So I asked, "Well..I just do. Why do you suppose?" and his reply was.."Um, I don't know.." That's when I realized no matter how much I "teach" these little precious boys and girls, I must remain a role model for them...constantly. No matter how bad my day might seem, I need to show that I care and love them. Indeed, that's my long-term goal for the remaining of the year.

And then, there are arrays. First day of arrays was a total disaster. Then, I decided to use Fruit Loops to demonstrate arrays...well, I can tell you one thing, even my LOWEST kids can write a repeated equation sentence after 4 days..use it in your class!!

Small Group Fruit Loops Arrays 

Well, there was a baby shower too this week. Two of my colleagues are expecting so the 2nd grade team threw a book theme for their baby shower..("If you give..." series) It turned out so cute! :)

 

This was my contribution.. Carriage Fruit Baby! :) 

(Thanks Pinterest for the inspiration! It turned out GOOD for the first attempt!)  

Special Moment

First of all, I can't believe there is only 4 weeks left.. where did the school year go?!? As excited I am, I am also very anxious to fit everything in.

Then, there was a special moment last week. On Friday, I decided to let students have lunch in the classroom with the teacher if they stayed on green all week (green is "ready to learn" on our behavior chart). Well, as you might know, lunch with teacher is very special. Most of them cherish me for weeks following, as I have not found out why yet. All they do is sit in their desks and eat.. Occasionally they will ask me random questions such as "Who do you live with? Do you sleep here?" etc. They barely even talk  with each other during the lunch block!! And of course, I am usually am grading papers on my laptop. 

On the other hand,  there are those who are pretty upset that I only reward the "good kids".. Regardless to say, it just happened that one of my students (who is severely autistic and barely spends any time in the general education classroom), had perfect behavior all week. He usually refuses SO many things that I can not even keep track of all of them. However, this week, he followed ALL directions, and his folder remained with a smiley face which was such an unusual thing. Well, he was allowed to have lunch with the teacher for having a perfect behavior. His face expression was priceless when he said, "I can't believe I CAN EAT WITH A TEACHER. This is the first time ever. This is the best day! " His face lit up with the biggest smile. I barely held myself together as my eyes watered up. Such a small gesture, and the heart of this kid is filled with joy. (On the side note, this is the kid who always tells him he is rejected by the world...) It was a special moment for a teacher.

All this to say, it made me realize that small things go a long way. Therefore, be thoughtful. Give simple things. Cherish little things. Smile. Just be happy....After all, that is what kids do, and they are happiest human beings out there!

And just something to think about as  you enter a new work week..Enjoy! :) 

 

All About Butterflies

Well, watching the caterpillars grow has been interesting. All that yucky gooey stuff in the cup has made my kids sick...Lets face it. It has made me sick. I'm ready for them to form chrysalis so they can already turn into beautiful butterflies...Just saying.

On the other hand, we have been doing many things with our theme. We created a life cycle as a whole group. We also are keeping a calendar to keep us on the track.

And then..our writing piece focused on butterflies. The students had to write, illustrate, and publish their work. It was a long writing process but we managed to complete it during intervention! Check it out!

 

Check our our hallway display! :)

PS. And I'm off to think of a idea to decorate my door for the last few weeks of school...more precisely, 4 weeks of school! 

Favorite Writing Piece This Year

Well, even though it is end of April, I had to share one of my favorite writing prompts this year. The students had to visualize what the snow would look if it came down in colors. They were so creative, and they wrote such detailed sentences (that contained many good descriptive adjectives!). Then, the students had to create that snow. They used various art supplies.

This was displayed in our hallway during the month of December! Ha, we got soo many compliments.

"If snow came down in colors..."

TCAP week

TCAP week is here (for our 3rd & 4th graders) ! Just the thought of it gives me goose bumps..In order to praise the teachers for their hard work, we showered our 3rd and 4th grade teachers with little suprises just as reminder of appreciation. Good luck guys!!

On the other hand, I've got my unannounced observation out of the way. It went well, or at least I think it did. We shall see in few days. Of course, my sweet M. had move her clip during the carpet time. In response to her bad choices, this was the note I received during recess.

I'm not sure if I should be impressed by her vocabulary (inner monologue) or if I should be concerned with her behavior..Either way, it sure made me smile. Her honestly is priceless..and oh yeah, she's the girl that came in this morning saying "I got a haircut. I have whooping bangs like you.."...whatever whooping means to her.

Guided Reading Organization

Well, since I took these pictures for our literacy coach, I thought I should post them to share.

This is my guided reading area. My bins are organized by sticky notes (easily moved from one group to another). Each bin has lesson plan, journal, comprehension strategies, and the actual text-leveled books.

On the table in green buckets,I keep all of the supplies (marker, eraser, pencil, sticky notes, etc.) to keep the students focused during the guided reading time. During guided reading time, the students wear BLUE star hats emphasizing that they are doing their best as they read. Also, it is a sign for other students (while they are in literacy centers) to let them know that I am not available for them. They can not come up to me or ask questions as long as my friends at the table have the blue hats. It has worked very well. Most important thing: No disruptions or questions during the center block!

What do you do in guided reading? Lets share some ideas! :)

Butterflies!

Oh, I just adored today's activity...Thanks Emilee! :) The students had a chance to complete this amazing hands-on activity to demonstrate each stage in the butterfly cycle. It was GREAT! Even my lower ELs could explain each stage, and they can use words such as larva, pupa, chrysalis, etc. It's a great way to retell the life cycle of a butterfly! 

Well, our larva is eating its food. It's smelling gross..Just saying. But the kids are anxious to find out how long it will be before they form chrysalis. Some of them predicted 2 days while others predicted 100...oh, once again, 2nd grades don't have good sense of time.

And my proud moment of the day...A student who started out on blue/red AR color has officially moved to ORANGE! Am I proud? OF COURSE! We celebrated his hard work today during math block..:) 

Until next time! :-)

Oh...just a week.

Adjustment after Easter week has been rough. I had kiddos with emotiona breakdowns, stomach bugs, and just overall chaos in the classroom. I think the kids can sense that it is the last few weeks of schools.

This week, we talked about line plots in math. For this project, the students got a "bag of goodies" for their table group. As a group, they measured the objects either in cm/inch. Then, they created a line plot. Afterward, they answered the questions. I supported the ELs with sentence starters which worked out to be success!

And then there is behavior issues that are arising that I have not seen yet. some of my students have started to be "unethical" often denying to tell the truth. They have started to blame each other for their behavior. Therefore, today, we came up with a new plan. If you moved your clip you had to do 3 things during recess: explain what did you do, why did you do it, and how you will make a better choice tomorrow. Oh yeah, it had to be in complete sentences. If students moved to red, they had to get it sign by a parent. Yeap, some of my students already wrote today..:/ They sure write fast under the pressure!

Oh yeah, our larva is here..and 2nd grade is ready to grow some beautiful butterflies!