Sparkling Eyes, Haikus & Worker Ants

My spring break was filled with family get togethers for Easter, wedding shower and bachelorette party fun for one of my sisters, and a few days in my mom's kindergarten classroom. (Yes, I spent hours inside a school building on my spring break...) 

After a fantastic (and busy) spring break with family and friends, I've been back in school for almost a week. This break was exactly what my students needed. They came back to school sweeter than ever and ready to learn. 

If you're ever in need of a confidence boost, just spend a day or two with 2nd graders. These kids crack me up and make me smile every day. 

Some stories from this week...too cute not to share!

1 - A few days ago as my class was entering the room, one student stopped and looked at me like she was going to ask a question. She stood there for several seconds. I said, "Can I help you?" Her response, "Oh no, I don't need anything. You just look so pretty." 

2 - As we were working on haikus in writing workshop time today one boy raised his hand and said, "Miss Schneider, your eyes just sparkle!" (You never know when they raise their hand if what they are about to say actually pertains to the lesson...)

Speaking of haikus - look what I caught a few of them writing in their notebooks. Melts my heart...

3 - We've been learning all about non-fiction text features the past few weeks. Today's Time for Kids magazine was all about ants. They loved watching youtube clips of ants carrying objects several times their own body weight. Later in the day some students were finishing an art project, while a few others were helping me put papers in ABC order. It was then determined that I'm the queen ant and my students are all the worker ants. I just tell them what to do and they get to work...hilarious! 

 

We're one big happy colony in 2nd grade! :) 

Jelly Bean Graph FREEBIE!

Just a quick post...Jelly Bean Graphing!

Click here to download my Jelly Bean Graph for free. I also created a separate recording page for students to write 3 facts and 2 questions about the data on their graphs. They love creating their own questions to ask classmates. It really gets them thinking about the information on the graphs. 

Just pick up a bag of Wonka Sweet Tarts Jelly Beans and you're ready to go! 

If you're looking for some additional Easter activities just click on the pictures below. You'll be directed to my TPT store where you can download both ABC order activities for free. Can I really call it a store if everything I've uploaded is free? 

What activities are you doing in your classroom to celebrate Easter? 

Heather

March 22nd Five for Friday & 2 Easter Freebies!

It's been a super busy week! Here's a quick look at what we've been doing...

...there are links to two Easter freebies at the bottom of the post! :) 

Be sure to check out Doodle Bugs and link up! 

1. I taught my students how to draw a leprechaun. 

Side note - I love my SMARTboard, but some things are easier done on a white board. I'm happy to have both in my classroom!

2. We painted water color rainbows and made pots of gold for the leprechauns. 

3. We started our science unit on force and motion. They made ramps out of classroom books and measured how far each car rolled. Students conducted four test runs and wrote down their observations. 

If you're curious about those blue tape lines on the floor, check out my post about area. 

4. We made prayer journals in religion class. Directions are below!

1 - Cut a 9" x 12" piece of construction paper in half. 

2 - Add small pieces of lined paper to the inside. 

3- Fold construction paper in half and staple pages together.

4- Decorate the front cover.  

I'm assuming these were quick and easy to make. I actually didn't do any of the prep work for this project. My awesome amazing wonderful incredible teacher's aide did all the work. Do you have a teacher's aide? I don't know what I would do without her in my classroom every day. She literally saves me hours of work each week!

5. We're currently writing a class non-fiction book about the ocean. Each child chose his/her own topic to research. Look at them putting non-fiction text features to use - diagrams, labels, facts, different types of print. These are the first drafts of their pages. We'll work on revising, proofreading and publishing next week. 

If you made it all the way to the bottom, feel free to grab the Easter ABC Order freebies. 

Click here for religious words and here for general Easter and spring words. 

Heather