December 19 in Room 11

• Mrs. Lojkovic led a school Christmas sing-along this morning. She told jokes between songs. Some teachers held up signs telling everyone whether to laugh, chuckle or groan. Austin told his teacher that although the groan wign was held up, he thought it was a pretty good joke!
• Elf Books: finished, bound and ready to be enjoyed.
• Crafts: painted, repaired, wound, strung, wrapped and packed. If you haven't seen these items, check the bottom of your child's backpack.
• For some old-fashioned Christmas cheer, Room 11ers cracked nuts with hammers, ate oranges and peanuts, popped popcorn and watched Horton Hears a Who this afternoon.
• Two children left their crafted gifts on their desks.
• Five jackets, four sweatshirts and a swimming suit remain hung on hooks in the classroom.
• The class spent ten minutes feverishly cleaning up the classroom before leaving for home.
• This blogger is currently standing on nut shell fragments and bits of yarn.
• This blogger is exhausted but thinking about how much she loves her job.

December 18 in Room 11

• Thank-you, thank-you to the moms who came and helped with the crafts today. It gives great satisfaction to the children to be able to have a gift to give someone special.
• Wasn't the Holiday Concert terrific? We heard comments like, "You could see your kid!" "It was so well organized," "I was impressed," and "They really learned some music." Applause for the student mucicians at Hillcrest!
• Room 11 won the contest for the most cans brought in by the second grade this year, so we are giving ourselves a pat on the back. Thanks, too, for the parents who helped out by donating cans.
• The second graders did two things with their Elf Books today. First, they finished making page 4. Second, they went to the computer lab and designed a cover using the Word program.
• All of the second graders and their teachers really enjoyed making crafts for their families. Keep your eyes open for Christmas tree centerpieces, portrail ornaments. puzzle reindeer and yarn God's Eyes.
• School sing-along tomorrow.

December 17 in Room 11

• Illustraters of "Little Elf" finished page three.
• Learning about teamwork ad well as having fun, the children played relay races in P.E.
• The second graders had a lot of advice for the Grinch this Christmas.Math test today.
• The spelling pre-test produced one gumchewer: Jonathan. Way to go, Johathan.
• Math test.
• The entire second grade practiced lining up on bleachers, singing and performing like little angels for the concert at the High School this evening.
• A visitor arrived in the aquatium in the fourth grade hall this mornig. A small red crab sporting a huge Santa hat glowered in the corner of the tank. A sign said "Santa Claws."

December 16 in Room 11

• This week's spelling words are much tougher than usual. Students wrote their words three times each. Extra practice at home would be helpful, too.
• The music concert tomorrow is causing great excitement throughout the second grade. Some students are very, very nervous, others can't wait to get on that stage and show off! the concert is at North Bend High School the 6:30. Second graders need to be there by 6:15.
• Page 2 of the "Little Elf" books has been completed.
• James and the Giant Peach is draws to a close with great fanfare.
• Mrs. Craig read How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which generating a class discussion of advice to give the Grinch for Christmas this year.
• Room 11 Bakers spent writing time considering good descriptive words for their apple pie experience before and after the pies were baked. Writers were to think of a word appealing to each of these: hearing, tasting, seeing, feeling to touch, smelling and feeling in the heart. One writer reported hearing people talking with their mouths full.
• The children wrote their favorite descriptive words into sentences.
• There is a mural of a sandy beach in Room 11. The Scientists of Room 11 drew and cut out pictures of creatures that would live on a sandy beach, and taped them onto the mural, making a colorful addition to the front of the room.
• After school today, the second grade teachers met over a piece of pie supplied by the Bakers of Room 11. Thank-you, class!

December 15 in Room 11

• Second graders began illustrating and constructing "Little Elf" booklets.
• In P.E. everyone played dodge ball.
• In math Mrs. Stebbins
• Students got practice reading a recipe, measuring and working in teams as they made apple pies.
• They used a little machine with a crank to peel and core the apples, then cut them up and put the chunks into a pie shell.
• Each child had the opportunity to add sugar and cinnamon, pinch the pie crusts together and dab on some butter.
• Mrs. Lampe came to school to help make the pies. Mrs Craig came back to school for the afternoon just to be part of the pie-making process. Mrs. Green baked them over the lunch hour.
• The children wrote sense words (sweet, crunchy, sticky...) describing their apple pie making experiences.
• Eating pie was the best part of the day!

December 12 in Room 11

• The James and the Giant Peach character sketches are finished and really good!
• As for music class and Christmas concert practice--Room Eleveners are becoming proficient at marching on and off risers--Bleacher Pros!
• Students are making "stained glass" panels by coloring a printed design with their chosen color pattern.
• Seven outstanding spellers produced outstanding final spelling tests today. The rest of the class did very well, too.
• Hillcrest children played inside during recesses because of stormy weather.
• Students wrote final comments on the Take-Apart-the-Computer project. Feedback was positive, although many of the students would have preferred choosing their own work team. Tyler said he liked the project because it was "tricky," and he likes "tricky."
• Second graders each received a Hill Bill this afternoon because Mrs. Johnson did not notice them passing her classroom door because they were sooooo quiet.

December 11 in Room 11

• Students catagorized some of the characters in James and the Giant Peach. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge were among them, as well as the fellow insect travellers. O.K. students, what were these characters like? Grasshopper...Ladybug...Centipede...Earthworm...Miss Spider...James?
• Makes some predictions--how will this story end?
• Library Day
• Students worked more on constructing their Communication Satellites during art. Wire and plastic materials were added for use. Besides hammers, some students used pliers.
• Three students needed cold treatment for banged thumbs.
• The class lined up according to height so children can be seen as well as walk on and off the bleachers easily on the day of our concert. Things are getting really exciting!

December 10 in Room 11

• First thing this morning, students were asked to write in thier journals answering this question: "What is the best part of a second grade day?"
• Students self-corrected spelling tests. Three gum chewers emerged--Zoe, Garrett and Jonathan.
• The class enjoyed playing "Run Octopus, Run!" in P.E.
• Floating high above the ocean in a giant peach, James and his super-sized insect friends narrowly excaped the cloud men!
• Students read silently and took Accelerated Reader tests if they finished a book. Some of them are really racking up the points!
• Mrs. Stebbins demonstrated next week's Holiday card bin art project.
• Report cards were sent home in backpacks this afternoon.

November 9 in Room 11

• Room 11 had a substitute teacher this morning. Her name is Mrs. Franklin.
• The class worked on more patterns in math. Some of the patterns were numbers, others were shapes and colors.
• The second grade will continue working more on understanding odd and even numbers, as well as on skip counting.
• The class practiced for our Christmas program in music. All parents should have recieved a green paper today notifying them of the times and location of the Christmas program. (6:15 at the High School)
• Mr. Stallings came to school to help Mrs. Stebbins and Mrs. Callery wrap up the computer project. He works with computers at his job. It was nice to have an extra set of hands and help. Thanks for sharing your dad, Ryan.
• John's mom opened the Hill Bill store for our class this afternoon. Sadly, not everyone in our class got a turn to visit the store, but they will be the first ones to go when we open it again.

November 8 in Room 11

• Students wrote a "Guess My Present" riddle this morning. This descriptive writing task took most of the morning and is now posted on the bulletin board outside room 11.
• Second graders played kickball in P.E.
• The class is working on pattern counting in math.
• Mrs. Craig told the class about the Positive Paws program in school where kids who go beyond the call of duty to do something good without any expectation of reward get some recognition.
• Our class has collected seventy five cans of food so far.
• Riley, John and Gregory each received a free book from the P.T.A.
• The computer engineers in Room 11 wrote steps on how to disassemble a computer. Many of them illustrated their directions.
• Holiday excitement is in the air!

November 4 in Room 11

• Journal entries this morning attempted to find out what second graders would say to a frog. Many would ask a frog about jumping.
• The class used the Splat squares to play a skip-counting game on the SMART Board during math.
• In the computer lab, students typed in each of their spelling words one time correctly. Then they practiced highlighting words, and changing the font, color and size of the letters.
• The Hill Bill winners for 100% on the spelling test were Zoe, Jacob, Spencer, John, Riley, Krissy, Kelsey and Colby. Mrs. Craig commented on how proud she was of everyone's spelling test this week. Wow,there has been some major studying going on!
• Jacob's sentence was used for the dictation of the week.
• Mrs. Callery came in again to show Room Eleveners more about the insides of computers. The excitement in the room could be felt. Here are some bits of overheard conversations: "He had the screwdriver for a long, long time." "Now, we have to get all those wires." "Hey, check this out!" "See? Here's the motor..." "We got the motherboard! We got the motherboard!"

December 3 in Room 11

• Second graders, writing more and more, are getting really good at it. They began writing short fables today. They have begun to explain math problems in words. They practice their spelling words in sentences.
• Here are the rules for using spelling words in sentences: The group of words must be a true sentence. It must have at least seven words in it. Each sentence must begin with a capital letter and end with a period. The spelling word must be spelled right. (Hmmmmmm.) Each week, an outstanding sentence will be chosen to be used for Friday's dictation.
• Frog Pond was the game-of-the-day in P.E.
• Even and odd numbers were the lesson-of-the-day in math.
• Students corrected their own work in both math and spelling. Studies have shown that self-correction helps students learn better by seeing their own mistakes immediatly.
• Dylan and Jonathan are gum chewers. Hooray for them!!!
• Room Eleveners are working on solving their own problems, whether its a math problem, a classmate disagreement or a playground issue. Usually talking about it together can take care of things. Seven-year-olds can come up with some really creative and kind solutions. Teachers emphasize, however, that big problems (like getting seriously hurt ) need to be brought to the attention of an adult.
• Babe came to school today. She thinks Hillcrest kids are her pack. She joined them at recess and chased balls and chased balls and chased balls...

December 2 in Room 11

• Students practiced writing spelling words as their bellwork.
• Everyone received a HillBill in music for their super singing!
• The children read four fables and worked with a partner to begin filling out a comparison chart. There were questions like, "Who were the main characters?" and "What was the main event?" And the big fable question: "What was the moral of the story?
• In math, students are working on wordering numbers. This is really easy for most of the kids. However, when it is their turn to stand in front of the class and try the speed answers on the SMARTBoard game, it is so scary, some students forget how to do it. Our class is working on being quietly encouraging.
• In Mr. Dunn's science class students worked in groups drawing scientific (realistic) drawings of different types of clams. Who knew there were so many different kinds right here on the coast?
• Hillcrest Hound Dog came in and paid us a visit explaining about hungry people in the community. Students were encouraged to bring in a can or a box of food to give to others. Our class will be competing with the other second grades to see who can bring in the most items.
• Families and friends are invited to come join the North Bend Community in this joyous start to the Holiday Season, Thursday, December 4th. Festivities begin at the North Bend Community Center at 5:45 p.m. Santa will be arriving at 6:00 p.m., just in time to help Mayor Wetherell light the Christmas tree. Santa will be handing out treats to all of the boys and girls following the tree lighting. The City of North Bend will be giving away two bicycles. The children must be present to win. wouldn't it be cool if someone in Room 11 won a bike?

December 1 in Room 11

• Students did ABC order for Bellwork.
• This week is dedicated to fables. Students discussed the meaning of "moral of the story," read Tortoise and the Hare, and worked together to fill in a fable chart.
• P.E. provided variety as athletes moved from one station to another for different games: Pogo-Ball, Hula-Hoops, Jump-Rope and Catch-and-Throw.
• James and the Giant Peach--WOW! Cloud men! Watch out!
• In math students learned more about ordering numbers. They completed a "More than, less than" paper then played a team computer game on the SMART board to practice this concept.
• At the end of the day, second graders partnered up to complete some skill papers together. They used a chart, multiple choice bubbles and a crossword puzzle.
• Hillcrest students will be participating in a canned food drive. Watch for details. We'll be competing with other second grade rooms!

November 27 in Room 11

• It is Saturday morning in Room 11 and I am here alone making lesson plans, thinking of the best ways to get kids involved in learning. One of those is by playing games on the computer.
• Below I have added a site which is used in school and which you can use at home for many kinds of skills practice. It is used at school primarily for math practice and friendly competition.
• http://www.aaaknow.com/grade2.htm
• You can get the jump on other second graders by playing some the speed games at home and using the timer.

November 25 in Room 11

• This was a catch-up-get-a-lot-done-day! Students finished their Thanksgiving packets, wrapped up their Thanksgiving feast stories and made the last of their folding Thanksgiving cards.
• Mrs. Nelson practiced music for the Christmas program. Everyone received a pink paper printed with the words to the longest songs. They should be working on memorizing these words every waking moment. (When they are not studying or eating.)
• The class went to the Scholastic interactive web-site on the SMARTboard. They learned about the parts of old sailing ships like the Mayflower, and the Pilgrims' journey crossing the Atlantic. They also peeked into everyday life for the Pilgrims and Native Americans of that time, discovering some of the foods these folks really had on that first Thanksgiving...not turkey!
• Students took a STAR reading test in the computer lab. Many children have really made progress!
• The class earned a reward last week and were paid today with the cartoon Bugs Bunny Thanksgiving.
• We have some terrific artists in Room 11. The kids drew and colored a character from James and the Giant Peach. These pictures bring smiles to the teachers' faces.
• When students finished a math paper, they lined up to participate in a SMARTboard interactive game. Many students were having so much fun they did not want to go out to recess.
• More of these interactive internet games to come as teachers learn more about the most appropriate and fun games out there!

November 24 in Room 11

• Students began working on Thanksgiving packets as part of their bellwork.
• The class played dodge ball in P.E. They are getting better and better!
• There was no Walk-to-Read today. Instead, the class worked in teams to read and find facts in a little book called Voyage of the Mayflower. Students highlighted important information in the book before they wrote answers on their papers. Then they colored their books.
• Mrs. Craig set up a math matching game on the Smart Board. First the class played, then individuals dueled as classmates worked on math addition fact papers.
• We wrote key facts about our Thanksgiving feast in boxes. Later we may use these notes to write a paper about our feast.
• The biggest excitement of the day was cleaning out desks. Crayons found! Missing papers discovered! Long-lost pencils unearthed!

November 21 in Room 11

• Swimmers each received a certificate of accomplishment after class.
• Students wrote about their favorite part of swimming.
• Garrett's favorite was Dolphin Swim. Zoe liked jumping in at free time best.
• Ryan wrote, "I like swimming in the deep end. I like using flippers. I like doing the Rocket Ship. I love free time."
• Riley said, "I like swimming because I get to dive. I like my swimming teacher the way she is. I like to have fun with my friends."
• There was a spelling test today but because of the very short week next week, there will not be a test so no words went home.
• Students were reminded about good manners, polite listening and quiet behaviour at a meal. They thought about being thankful for the food and their friends.
• All second graders gathered in the gym for a delicious Thanksgiving feast. The servers heard many compliments and thank-yous.

November 20 in Room 11

• Second graders started the morning off by practicing long and short vowel sounds.
• Sadly, tomorrow is the last day our class gets to swimming for P.E. Whaaaaaaa!
• James and the Giant Peach: Oh, no! Shark attack! What will they do? What happens next?!?!
• The Thanksgiving feast is almost upon us. Students in Mrs. Lojkovic's class actually cut up their own veggies and will be doing some cooking themselves! Our class brought vegetables, made place mats and hats, discussed the Thanksgiving story and wrote down things we are thankful for, both at home and in our classroom. We'll be talking about some of these things during our celebration.
• Students in Room 11 took apart computers today. Under the direction of Suzy Callery, the class was divided into teams, given how-to instructions, then turned loose on old computers the school district has been using for teaching tech classes.
• During this session, Mrs. Callery explained that computers have a tiny hole in the side through which a computer can be opened for emergency repair in case of power outage. One boy talked to his mother about computers all the way home from school, explained about the tiny hole a paper clip can be inserted into, and wanted to take the family computer apart now that he know how to do it. She said no.

November 19 in Room 11

• The placemats for our feast are colored and complete.
• The most difficult skill at the swimming pool is learning how to walk on the pool deck and in the dressing room.
• Our spelling pre-test produced ten gum chewers today! Wow! Spencer, Logan, Zoe, Devin, John, Jonathan, Ryan, Meagan, Dylan and Jacob. It's the largest number we've ever had.
• Before school started today, a big truck drove over our playground and dumped a load of new cedar chips under the play equipment. This brought about loud cheers and rambunciousness, setting the tone for the morning. Now the playground smells like the deep woods.
• Trinity's puppy visited before school today.
• Babe played with The kids at recess today. She wants all the second graders to move to her house and live in her kennel with her.
• We are still working on grouping tens and ones during math class. Today our papers were colored according to which numbers were in the tens place and which numbers were in the ones place. If the bouquet of flowers looked odd, students usually checked their work. It was a good method for self correction.
• Students will be attending the feast on Friday as Native Americans or Pilgrims, so we spent some time this afternoon crafting appropriate headgear. While we worked, we practices songs for the Christmas concert.

November 18 in Room 11

• Still swimming... Oops! Some people forgot their suits today.
• During a math review, students used their own whiteboards to explore place value. Some of the students took turns being the teacher by writing their own clues for the class.
• During bellwork time, everyone practiced spelling.
• Mr. Dunn directed a play in which all students participated. Some thesbians played rocks, others were mountains, still others were water and sand. It was a good demonstration of how rocks break down into tiny bits of sand and end up at the beach.
• We tried another Senteo activity today. First, students partner-read the Weekly Reader, next, they answered questions on the SmartBoard about what they read by using remote "clickers." After that, they checked their answers and compared their results with the rest of the class.
• We are preparing for two celebrations--our second-grade Thanksgiving feast on Friday, and the Winter concert in December.

November 17 in Room 11

• Preparations for Friday's feast are in full swing. Today's project was creating placemats.
• Swimming continues to be exciting. A reminder to bring a plastic bag for wet suits.
• Mrs. Craig reviewed place value in math.
• We had a math test this afternoon.
• At our feast we will have 14 Native Americans, 3 boy pilgrims and 5 girl pilgrims attending. We'll need to work on out headgear.
• Each child received a class list this afternoon and was asked to write in what they were thankful for about at least five students in the class. Some children wrote something about everybody.
• Because we wrote about what we were thankful for in our friends, Mrs. Stebbins read Frog and Toad are Friends aloud. She used the document camera so that all the students could see the pictures.
• The "bin project," an activity box created for those who have finished their work, held supplies for making a very popular pop-up turkey card, colored with markers.

November 14 in Room 11

• Meagan is a gum-chewer this week, too! I forgot to put her name in yesterday. My apologies. I'm glad you're reading this blog, Honey.
• Children brought home notes about a feast the second graders will be preparing themselves. To be held on Friday, November 21, this special meal will be shared by all the second graders.
• Our students are getting to be real little fish in swimming class. The teachers appreciate the pleasant fatigue students return with to school.
• The family project turkeys have been returned to school with a myrial of different materials. They are beautiful. Come see them in the second grade hall!
• The children read and attempted to follow directions on how to construct a paper turkey this afternoon. If they were successful, a turkey went home on the bus this afternoon.
• In math, students did most of a paper on estimating with the teacher, but finished it by themselves. Next, they teamed up to work out a ten's and one's place activity, using counting rods and cubes.
• Our Thanksgiving descriptive writing project produced some really heartwarming pieces. What fun to step inside the sensitive brains of second graders as they tell and write about what things make an impression on them. (Enlightening, too!...)

November 13 in Room 11

• Swimming is going well. At least one person has moved up a group.
• The class continues to listen to James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Because the insects in this book have very distinct personalities, each one reacts to James and their predicament in a different way.
• As the students write about Thanksgiving during the Writers' Workshop, they think of more and more ideas. Details you would not imagine bubble up from their memories, creating delightful papers.
• We worked more on our satellites during art.
• Library today!

November 12 in Room 11

• Swimming went well today. Everyone remembered their suits!
• We already have three gum-chewers in spelling. (congratulations to Zoe, Riley and Jonathan!)
• Our Thanksgiving remembrances in writing class are moving right along.
• Because of some difficulty in our scheduling, Mrs. Nelson, our music teacher, has asked us to practice some of our Christmas music on our own. We are singing Christmas songs in the bus on the way to swimming. If you can have your child sing his/her songs for you at home, that would be appreciated.
• Students made "sand" out of Jolly Ranchers by shaking the candy in jars to simulate wave action on rocks. This was not a quiet activity.
• To record this experiment, the children are drew pictures of rocks and sand, Jolly Ranchers and sugar.
• Place value continues to be a bug-a-boo for many students. During math, second-graders continue to work on the the meaning of "ten's place" and "one's place."

November 10 in Room 11

• The kids in Room 11 are attending swimming lessons at the North Bend Municipal Pool this week and next.
• Spencer can do a flip off the diving board!
• Most students have finished their Thanksgiving flip books.
• For our writing project this week, second graders are asked to write Thanksgiving sense words: tastes, smells, sounds, sights, and feelings, both in their hearts (emotions) and to the touch (physical). I was astoundeded to learn that the second graders in this class have turkey, but the food has no smell or taste, that crowds of cousins come to visit but do not make any sounds and nobody's grandmother wears perfume, sings or hugs... I think somebody needs some reminding.
• Using counters in math helped students understand concepts of grouping in tens and ones.
• As part of our school Veteran's Day celebration, the high school jazz band and choir joined otur students at Hillcrest in paying tribute to our veterans. They sang and played patriotic and moving music to honor those who fought to preserve the freedom we enjoy in our great country.
• The veterans attending lent a real sense of purpose and pride to the afternoon's activities.

November 7 in Room 11

• Swimming sessions for Mrs. Craig and Mrs. Stebbins room begin Monday. Remember to bring a swimming suit.
• In math we are sorting on grouping tens an "leftoverones." Its a tough concept for second graders.
• Many students were monitored for their reading progress today. Its fun to see actual data on improvement.
• Hill Bills are out! Lots of students earned Hill Bills today and there will be more opportunities toe earn them in the future. Hill Bills are rewards for being "caught being good."
• Our class made wallets for our Hill Bills this afternoon. Several students were able to stuff a Hill Bill into their new wallets.
• Second graders participated in some new technology when we used a Senteo program to take data this afternoon as we answered questions about facts and opinions. Students were given transmitters ("clickers," but they do not click.) into which they entered their lunch numbers (works like a PIN). Then a multiple choice question is flashed on the Smart Board and students enter their choice on their transmitter. The computer recaords right and wrong answers, who hasn't answered yet, and other chosen data, then makes a graph of the results. No names of who got things wrong are posted. Its as much fun as a game. Mr. Martin, Mrs. Craig and Mrs. Bryant all came to watch this activity. It was a learning experience for all of us.
• Jonathan had a show and tell item to demonstrate today.

November 7 in Room 11

• Today began with some really exciting news: "Somebody found a real, live salamander in the boys' bathroom!!"
• We had Library with Mrs. Green and got new books.
• As Mrs. Craig read James and the Giant Peach, we heard that the peach grows so large it falls off the tree and rolls down the hill and out into the ocean. Make a prediction--what will happen next?
• Students began to make flip books about things they are thankful for.
• Each child wrote in his or her journal where their favorite place to play outside is. This could include a description of things in nature to see, smell and hear.
• Fundraiser items and prizes arrived. Our class did a wonderful job of earning money for Hillcrest, and prizes for themselves.
• In the computer lab, students researched satellites. It was a really exciting session, producing ideas for our next art project
• In art class, the kids began constructing their own communication satellites. They began with a drawing of what their satellite would look like. Second graders will continue to work on this project for several weeks.

November 5 in Room 11

• We have moved on from measuring in inches to working withgroups of tens. Yayy! New information! We counted several groups of ten bugs on our worksheet today. If there were leftover bugs, they were counted in the ones place. For example, 13 ladybugs can also be grouped as 1 group of 10 and 3 ones. This is a hard concept for second graders.
• We continue to delve into the story of James and the Giant Peach.
• There was no Walk to Read today, so we had reading in our own room and worked on a whole-group activity.
• Our reading story for the week is Around the Pond.
• Teachers spent the afternoon going to school themselves. Students had early release.

November 4 in Room 11

• Based on events from this week and last, two books were read aloud to us: The School Nurse From the Black Lagoon and Duck for President.
• Our math worksheet required more measuring. We are getting really good at measuring in inches, even if the items aren't in exact inches.
• Everyone left school with a Thanksgiving turkey project which is meant to be a fun family-togetherness activity. Hopefully it will be just that.
• Mr. Dunn brought in samples of different kinds of sand from all over the world during science class. Students learned how to make sample slides, then observed the sand samples through microscopes. What everyone saw was surprising: boulders!!
• We keep practicing reading and writing. Slowly but surely, students get better and better. Some students have moved up to a higher reading group.
• We had inside recess and music today.

November 3 in Room 11

• With the combination of shifting of Daylight Savings Time, Halloween partying and its accompanying sugar highs and lows, the serious arrival of rain over the weekend and a plain old Monday morning, there were a lot of very tired, cranky children in school today. Whew!
• The first thing we did in the morning was to write in our journals about our favorite animals. some students wrote about real animals, others wrote about imaginary ones.
• In keeping with the animal theme, in P.E. we played Run, Octopus, Run.
• As we read James and the Giant Peach, we hear that James has discovered some giagantic, friendly insects. The new vacabulary words for Around the Pond are banks, crator, edge, moss path, and shallow
• As the winter holidays approach, the second graders discussed some facts and fictions about Thanksgiving.
• In writing we finished writing a story about a coat left behind by a Halloween ghost.
• Measuring a drawing of a house with twelve-inch rulers took up our math time.

October 31 in Room 11

• Halloween! Hooray! Did you notice? We did! The kids in Room 11 were treated to a Halloween party by their teachers, terrific parents and grandparents. We had candy, cookies, games, juice, and enough commotion to satisfy the most exuberant adrenaline junkie.
• Before the Halloween revelries officially began, however, we did have some education going on in Room 11.
• Mrs. Craig read more of James and the Giant Peach.
• In math we we reviewed, and did a paper on least to greatest numbers (with a spider theme).
• We took our spelling test.
• Many of the children learned to make "ampersands," "serifs," and "asterisks" this week. We also learned a little about Latin.
• Notices were sent home with directions about swimming, which is offered as a class to second graders at Hillcrest. Our class will be swimming from November 10 through November 21. The students will be riding the bus to the pool each morning at about 8:20 and returning to school at 10:00. Each child will need a swimsuit in a plastic bag each day. Towels will be provided. As the weather is turning colder, coats are reccommended.
• If students wish to trick or treat at my house I live at 462 Simpson. Red house, blue door.

October 30 in Room 11

• Students wrote Halloween stories first thing in the morning.
• Everyone practiced measuring things in the classroom during math time.
• As we listen to James and the Giant Peach, the peach continues growing to an amazing size. Second graders have finished decorating their Read-Aloud folders.
• During computer time, we practiced opening Word, typing in the word "Halloween," and highlighting it to change sizes and fonts.
• We finished gluing on eyes, noses and mouths to our Halloween lanterns. We got to take them home.
• We got new library books this afternoon.
• At the end of the day, students wrote one sentence about their Halloween costumes on each of eight paper spider legs. The legs were fan-folded and glued onto a silly spider body.
• As one twirling, wiggling youngster informed his teacher today, "Tomorrow is Halloween." (Do you know what I have to say about that information?...."Duh.")

October 29 in Room 11

• In Reading: more time studying fact and opinion. Kids are getting pretty good at knowing the difference.
• Pre-test in Spelling: Students write the test in marker and the class corrects mistakes together. That way, students get immediate feedback, which helps them to retain the correct spelling longer.
• We played Frog Pond in P.E.
• Second graders have graduated from measuring in inches to measuring in feet.
• Note-passing has become a problem in Room 11, so we had a class meeting about how that activity is not only distracting, but it spreads bad feelings.
• As Mrs. Craig reads James and the Giant Peach, students note the personality traits of each of the characters in the story. They are beginning to keep their observations in a special folder.
• We had our hearing tested in the library.
• Second graders sure can find a lot of different ways to fold a paper! As part of a science project, we folded and cut paper in sections to make a little book. Then the students drew pictures of things that might be found at the beach, adding two sentences explaining each item. Some students brought these projects home to finish.

October 28 in Room 11

• Today we had music, music, music!
• Students were given writing journals and Mrs. Craig helped the class to make their first entries--some thoughts on their favorite color.
• We sang a silly rhyming song with students' names.
• We began to compile folders which will contain activities connected with teacher-read book, James and the Giant Peach.
• Some of the students made up their own "facts" and "opinions" to share.
• Students measured parts of their bodies as part of our math measurement unit. The average ear size in Room 11 seems to be about two inches, and the distance between most elbows and wrists is between seven and eight inches.
• Nurse Carrie and her nurse helpers did health screening today. We took off our shoes to get weighed and measured, then had our eyes, skin and teeth checked.

October 27 in Room 11

• Students practiced writing this week's spelling words as bellwork.
• We began learning about measuring by using large and small paper clips as units of measurement.
• This week's Reading story was Exploring Parks With Ranger Dockett.
• We listened to the story and talked about the facts discussed in the selection. Then the class talked about how an opinion is different from a fact.
• We learned six new vocabulary words.
• Free time for good behavior!
• In P.E. we are getting better and better at dodgeball.
• As a preliminary to the construction of our space communication systems, we made up skits about what kinds of problems a space traveler might have and how that problem could be fixed.

• Confession time: I falsely accused our little second grade angels of getting 100's on their spelling tests because the spelling chart had inadvertently been left up. However, I was informed that Logan had taken the list down during the test, and put it back up after the tests had been taken and collected. I beg forgiveness for having harbored such bad thoughts.
• In math we reviewed solid shapes and introduced estimation.
• For anyone interested, a square pyramid has triangle sides and a square bottom. It also has five faces, eight edges, and five corners. (The top corner, or peak, is really called the apex, but second graders don't have to know that.)
• Students listened very carefully to a story about a nice little witch who builds a house that, when opened, turns into a jack-o-lantern. Following directions carefully results in a cut-out paper jack-o-lantern. Second graders, can you repeat this task at home?
• We also needed to be careful this afternoon as we make Halloween candle lanterns. We "painted" liquid starch and tissue paper onto a jar. Later we will glue faces on them. They will be terrific decorations for a Halloween table!
• Our book orders have finally arrived.
• Although we do not wear costumes to school on Halloween, it is crazy hat day. So find something really crazy and wear it on Friday!

October 23 in Room 11

• Mrs Craig and Mrs. Stebbins went to school themselves today. Mr. Kim Griffin was our substitute. Our regular teachers love us so much that they came back to school after their classes to see what kind of a day we had.
• The bad news: some of the students had their colors changed and owed time.
• The good news: Mr. Griffin taught just what was needed and saw to it that everyone was in the right place at the right time throughout the day.
• When Mrs. Craig and Mrs. Stebbins looked over the spelling pre-tests, they were surprised and delighted to find how many students had earned gum-chewing privileges...until they noticed that Mr. Griffin had forgotten to take down the posted weekly spelling list!
• In math students learned about solid figures, faces, corners and edges.
• Mr. Griffin read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.
• Most students should be proficient in printing the letters Aa through Gg. Test tomorrow! Orange enrichment students didn't get to practice letters. They shouldn't worry about a penmanship test.
• Children are still working on cards for our Marines. Reading their messages and viewing their pictures is a touching and enlightening experience.
• We still need glass jars. wood, wire and nails.
• We had Computers and Library today. Thursdays are favorite days for many occupants of room 11.

October 22 in Room 11

• There was a substitute teacher in Room 11.
• Mrs. Craig and Mrs. Stebbins left plans for students to do while they were attending a reading conference.
• Making a Venn diagram about Henry and Mudge was part of the plan.
• We have been working on geometric shapes in math class. Today was solid shapes.
• All of the second grades had different teachers today. Life in our hall was pretty different!

October 21 in Room 11

• The kids in Mrs. Lojkovic's class are searching for the owner of a beautiful calico kitten they found before school this morning.
• Mr. Dunn brought pails of sand as samples from the sandy beach to our room. We sifted through the sand, gathering things that we found buried there. Then we sorted these items into categories showing how they are alike. We found shells, rocks, sticks and trash.
• Our class is making cards for our troops in Iraq. We'll be working on this class project for several weeks, at which time we will send them overseas to cheer some marine during the holidays. Many of the students expressed gratitude to our soldiers for fighting to protect freedom.
• We held a Kids Election in our own room. Even though second graders are kids and can't vote, they have opinions. Holding an election, although it doesn't really count, makes everyone feel like they are participating in supporting our country. Here are the results. (Three students did not vote.) McCain 9, Obama 12. I logged these numbers onto the Weekly Reader website. It will be interesting to see how youngsters all over the country vote.
• We are reviewing the "magic e," as our spelling pattern.
• Many of the students find geometry really fun. A review test was administered today.

October 20 in Room 11

• Filth exposed and treasures discovered!! Second graders cleaned their desks today.
• The most efficient and task-oriented cleaners had time to work on a Halloween puzzle.
• Our reading story for the week is Henry and Mudge. With this story begins a new reading theme for the term: Nature Walk.
• Taking a break from computing and calculating, we sampled geometry today. We learned the differences between flips, turns and slides.
• Tomorrow Mr. Dunn returns to teach more science of the sea and sandy beach. To start thinking about what these places mean to us, we drew pictures.

October 17 in Room 11

• First the serious stuff: Precipitated by a report that students were talking about burning the playground, we had a discussion about what kinds of things are O.K. to joke or pretend about in school, and what are not. Just like it is not appropriate to yell "fire!" as a joke in a crowded room, at school we don't even pretend we have bombs, play like we are shooting people, or kid about burning down the school. We are not burying our heads in the sand. On one hand, we acknowledge recent national tragedies as we take these matters seriously. On the other, at school we really try to keep our sights on what is positive, good and worthwhile.
• We worked on and finished our bellwork packs.
• The teachers are very happy to note that many students are fixing the mistakes on their papers and handing them in again for a recheck. This shows a real seriousness about the business of learning.
• Reading Our Weekly Reader sparked some heated discussions about who should be our next president and why. The teacher was impressed at what kinds of discussions are obviously occurring at home.
• Mrs. Craig keeps raving about what good writers our second graders are. (In spite of being made the favorite screaming and running character in our Silly Story projects.)
• Music today. Always fun.
• The most fun, though, was playing with the "Splat Chart" on the Smart Board. We used a chart of 100 squares to count by 2's and 5's. We played game with it and everybody wanted to have a turn!

October 16 in Room 11

• Here are samples of some silly stories :

"One day a monkey cam into my classroom It Sang a Silly song. then it did a tapdance. Finally my teacher ran home."--Spencer

"One day a budrflie came in to the clasr then it trnd in t a tigre it dinst and likt and helde up my techr and spun my techr arod finle my teckr ran hom."--Dylan

"One day a girl with a pig nose came into my classroom. It made friends with a screaming bunny. It screamed. Then my teacher screamed, too."--Zoe

"One day a gorilla came in to my classroom. it danceb then it dat it krid Finally, my teacher gave it homyrk."--Zackery

(Trying not to take anything personally here, but I am sensing a theme. Zack, however, knows that teachers should take control. Good job, Zack!)

• We had a check test in math--adding, subtracting, and adding three digits."
• Our art project was awesome! Some students needed a lot of help making their fan-jack-o-lantern faces while others learned how to make it right away and ran with it, constructing multi-colored pumpkins or smaller versions.
• Devin won a prize for cleaning up trash today.
• We are proud of our students' writing.

October 15 in Room 11

• The "What am I?" riddles turned out really well. The kids listened to riddles they had written and guessed who each other would be for Halloween.
• We studied the Weekly Reader with a partner, filling in the answers together at the back of the paper.
• Frog Pond is the game of the week in P.E. Wow! It's fun!
• Babe lost two tennis balls in the space of three minutes this morning. Although kids aim their tosses at a cone in the middle of the playground field, sometimes the balls fly backwards into the woods or waaaayyy sideways to end up on the school roof.
• What are synonyms? Two words that mean the same thing. For example: little and small; frighten and scare.
• We have two gum chewers on Friday. Congratulations, Jonathan and Meagan!
• It's been a pleasure conferencing with parents about their children this week. Sharing kid information is fun and very useful. Isn't it surprising how many of the things we notice at school also happen at home?

October 14 in Room 11

• We began writing Halloween "What am I?" riddles. They are fun to guess.
• In math we are reading and writing story problems. The story problem is on of the most difficult concepts to understand and compute in all of elementary math.
• Free time today! Hard won and much appreciated.
• This morning Dylan complained to Mrs. Craig that the other classes were all getting Halloween parties. When she informed him that our class would also be having one, but not until Halloween, (which, in fact, is still two weeks away) he was delighted. I received this note on my desk his afternoon: "We ar haven a hawlwen party on the 31 on hawlwen. Dylan" Duly noted. Thanks for the reminder, Dylan.
• I am pleased that Dylan wrote this note. Not only did I receive a reminder, but I have evidence that Dylan knows how powerful writing can be, even if all the words are not spelled exactly right. We call this "Kidspell' and it is appropriate to use when you are learning.
• I also have a lovely card from Kelsey, with labeled drawings and the alphabet song written inside. Pictured on the outside are a duck, a black cloud pouring rain, and a smiling calico cat sniffing a handful of catnip offered by its master. It's a reminder for me: No matter how wet and dreary it is outside, we can still smile at the catnip we get from others. Thank-you, Kelsey.

October 13 in Room 11

• We played "Run, Octopus, Run" in P.E.
• During Reading class we practiced choral reading of poetry, then presented our poems to the rest of the class.
• Our very competitive students really got into the word game, "How Many Rhymes Can We Make in Two Minutes?" It is amazing how a timer and a team motivates some students!
• Although stores have had their displays up since mid-September, teachers are just beginning to admit that Halloween is right around the corner. We did Halloween word rhymes for bellwork today.
• In math we reviewed subtraction strategies. Some of the kids had math homework.
• Logan is saving all his extracted teeth in order to cash them in all in one lump in order to buy a Lego Space Station kit. He says if he just gets money for one tooth at a time, he tends to spend it right away, so saving teeth until he gets a pile of them is an effective savings plan. Good thinking, Logan.

October 10 in Room 11

• The kids may not have been in school today, but the teachers were!
• Teachers learned some exciting methods and ideas to use in their classrooms to make learning more interesting.
• Mrs. Stebbins and Mrs. Craig worked on filling out report cards.
• Both teachers in room 11 are excited to meet parents and be able to talk about our favorite subject: Our students!

October 9 in room 11

• We let the butterflies go today.
• Using the pale watercolor wash done two weeks ago as a background, second graders drew black crayon pictures of Halloween or butterflies. This study in contrasts inspired some really exciting pieces.
• Library today. We got new books. Subjects of greatest interest? Dinosaurs, insects and scary stories.
• Remember: Hillcrest students have no school tomorrow.
• Next week will be early release due to report card conferences.

October 8 in Room 11

• The butterflies are ready to be released. We will probably do that tomorrow.
• The North Bend Fire Department had an assembly at Hillcrest today. They demonstrated how to crawl on the floor if there is a fire in our home, talked about how and when to phone 911, showed everyone what fully equipped firefighters look like, and how their breathing would sound if they came into the house to do a rescue. Mr. Lucero told the students not to hide from them, because in spite of how scary they might look, they were just regular firefighters there to help. Next, the firefighters took off all their equipment, and, sure enough! Just regular people were inside all that stuff.
• The firefighters brought along Sparky, who got a lot of hugs at recess. He played basketball with the students. too.
• Hey, did you know that if you know what to add to 4 to get 12, its the same answer as subtracting 12 minus 4? Yep.
• All of our "Best Part of Me" writings are finished, except for Zoe's. Zoe has been absent.
• Get well soon, Zoe!
• We made a Venn diagram about real hippos and the silly hippos in our reading book.
• Hippopotamus means "water horse."

October 7 in Room 11

• Mr. Dunn taught about sandy beaches and showed pictures of animals that live there. He is a scientist who works and studies at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.
• We made pictures using congruent triangles
• Fire drill!!!! Mrs. Slack's kids were in the middle of finger painting. They went outside with very wet, orange hands. Mrs. Slack kept telling them to hold their hands over their heads so they wouldn't get paint on anything. Then Mr. Martin congratulated everyone on what a good job they did and told all the students to clap...
• Mrs. Stebbins had to squash some inquisitiveness about spiders, as they were being collected, observed and discussed during math class.
• One of our vocabulary words is "released." Soon we will be releasing our butterflies, which hatched and are strengthening their wings, getting ready to fly away.
• In music, we sang about black cats, pumpkins and candy.

October 1 in Room 11

• In P.E. kickball was a blast! Chris explained the rules.
• "We take turns."--Kelsey
• Students did more work on the life cycle of a butterfly.
• "We learned about butterflies! We love school."--Second grader
• Most of the students have finished up their writing about their favorite body part.
• "We had a fun day. We almost got done with our favorite body part."--Teron
• Groups of students made posters to describe plane shapes in math. They labeled each shape, described it, commented on how it is different from other shapes, then noted an object with that same shape.
• Babe came to school and had a terrific time chasing the ball at recess.
• This blog-keeper will be out of school for three days. No new blog until October7.

September 30 in Room 11

• "We read the book, Mrs. Brown Went To Town."--Teron
• In music, students are learning about composers. Stephen Foster wrote "Oh, Susannah!"
• Math class took a break from adding, subtracting and fact families. Today we drew shapes, colored shapes, counted shapes--and tonight we will dream shapes!
• Partners played a word game using the "magic e."
• Some second graders have finished their "Favorite Part of Me" projects. Others are wrapping them up.
• Cocoons remain quiet.
• Parent/Teacher conferences are just arond the corner.
• Many children are helping the P.T.A. by selling Nicholson products from a catalog of products ranging from gifts to the paper to wrapping paper. Selling just one item makes the young merchant eligible for a drawing of some nifty prizes. Tawnie entered her ticket today. Final turn in date is October 8.

September 29 in Room 11

• Math test--no help from the teacher!
• Students wrote six sentences on "The Best Part of Me."
• Caterpillars are still in their cocoons. One is hanging from the lid of its container, the other is lying on the bottom.
• Dylan is Top Dog this week.
• We had P.E. today.
• "I learned how to subtract."--Tyler
• "I learned how to read cursive."--Teron
• "I learned how to take care of caterpillars."--Trinity
• "I learned to take turns."--
• "I learned we need to listen to other people."--Garrett

September 26 in Room 11

• Do you believe it? Algebra in the second grade!!! Students are given a list of number sentences and asked to circle the sentence if the answer is a particular number. If it isn't, then students were to correct it! This process is called logical reasoning." Who says life at seven is carefree?
• They also practiced following directions by using a key to color in a butterfly.
• Spelling test today...
• Mrs. Nelson says our class did great in music.
• fuzzy yellow caterpillar wandered into our classroom yesterday afternoon, so we carefully placed him in a jar and added leaves and twigs. Today he is spinning a cocoon! We wonder what he will turn out to be.
• Second graders did not finish their writing projects, but they did compile their writing into folders, organize crayons, practice handwriting, read stories to each other, learn more about butterflies, clean up the floor, earn free time, and not miss the bus. Hooray!

September 25 in Room 11

• In math class, young mathematicians made little fact family houses.
• Mrs. Craig showed a video of the life cycle of a monarch butterfly.
• The class started learning how to take Accelerated Reading (AR) tests in the computer lab.
• Our class went to the library, too. Students are really excited about the books they have selected. Many selections fit in very well with our reading theme of "silly stories"this month: Tacky the Penguin, Ruby Valentine and I was a Second Grade Werewolf.
• Students learned how to make a background watercolor wash in art class. It's messy and fun!
• We also learned how to make beautiful chalk outlines of leaves on black paper.
• Our caterpillars are spinning their cocoons.

September 24 in Room 11

• We found out about the fuzzy, black and brown caterpillars. They are called "wooly bears" and will grow up to be moths.
• The students attempted final drafts of a "Silly Story." They will need more practice.
• Babe's ball got lost in the woods at lunch recess. Even her powerful nose could not locate it.
• Fact families were the star subject in math today.
• Mrs. Craig read The Hungry Caterpillar to everyone. Tomorrow the class will learn to take an AR test.
• Short "o" and short "u" are the sounds for the week.

September 23 in Room 11

• The next step in our "Best Part of Me" writing project was having a picture taken of that favorite part. The teacher/photographer very much enjoyed this assignment.
• During afternoon recess, someone near the school was burning in their yard. Sight and smell of the smoke caused much concern among many children who were afraid the school might burn down.
• The class played Spelling Word Sort on the Smart board
• Children received their own spelling dictionaries today. With this book, they can look up words they need for their writing projects, and add words the teacher spells for them.
• Mrs. Craig showed pictures and talked about the life cycle of the butterfly: Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, hatched butterfly...beautiful! The class is watching our caterpillars with anticipation.
• Because many children need reminders to "watch the sign" (plus or minus) we had extra math practice.
• To help us think of ideas for our writing project, each child wrote words that will later be included in sentences.

Today in Room 11

• The caterpillars are beginning to spin their cocoons. One of them looks healthy, one does not. We hope both of them will survive to be beautiful butterflies.
• Two students aced their pre-spelling test. Wah-hoo!
• When a minus sign is in the number sentence, it's important to remember to subtract!
• When subtracting, using a number line and jumping backwards can be helpful.
• We reviewed -s, -ed, and -ing endings as part of our reading lesson today.
• "The Best Part of Me" will be our next writing project, so we discussed our favorite body parts with each other today.
• Carrying chairs from one place to another needed some practice this afternoon.
• In P.E. we bowled.
• A reminder: Students will be dismissed at 12:35 on Wednesday.

Today in Room 11

• There was a comprehension check for Dragon Gets By. Many readers did very well.
• The final spelling test for the week produced three 100% s.
• Second grade musicians played instruments in music class!
• Zeros can be easy or tricky. Plenty of mathematicians discovered that today.
• Capital and lower case a's are approaching perfection on some handwriting papers. It is not necessarily beneficial to be fast. Better to be careful. Sitting position and hand position are also important when writing for legibility.
• We learned more about the Constitution today. Our Friday project has the Bill of Rights written on the back of it. How many of the First Ten Amendments can you name?
• Mrs. Craig and Mrs. Stebbins were delighted with the number of parents and friends who attended Hillcrest Open House yesterday evening. We were also pleased with how many new members joined the e-scrip fundraiser. Wow!
• A first grader from Mrs. B's room won the bike drawing.
• L-boy, R-girl, and M-girl each won free books from the P.T.A. drawing. Congratulations!
• Those self portraits make me smile every time I look at them...

Today in Room 11

• Everyone finished reading Dragon Gets By, then practiced reading for fluency.
• The class started working on subtraction. Our vocabulary word for math was "difference."
• We wrapped up several projects: Invitations to Open House, self portraits, and personal displays.
• Mrs Stebbins took a picture of each child holding his/her self portrait. Some of them really look like the artist!
• During Library time, Mrs. Green read us a book with many adjectives.

Today in Room 11

• Math review: adding doubles, adding doubles plus one, adding three addends, story problems
• We started making invitations to the Open House
• Babe came to school
• We saw a video and talked with Miss Stevenson about the Constitution
• Learned about digraphs
• Previewed books for the book fair. There are so many good ones!
• A question for student readers: What could Dragon have done differently?

Today in Room 11

• It was picture day today.
• We talked about math problems and number stories.
• We are reading some silly stories. One was about a dragon who goes shopping.
• Students are busy making personal displays to put on their desks for Hillcrest Open House
• Our phonics sounds for the week are short a and short i.
• Everyone ate lunch outside today!
• Open House is Thursday. Watch for your invitation.

Today in Room 11

• Walk to read started today. Students have a change of scene by attending small group, practice reading sessions every day. They have lots of chances to read aloud at their own level.
• Enrichment started today, too. Some students recieved extra reading help, others learned about healthy eating, a third group practiced penmanship skills, and a fourth group learned about the flag. The second grade teachers have planned special rotating classes to teach interesting and needed subjects in a concentrated format that sometimes gets glossed over in our day-to-day curriculum.
• We added three addends in math class. Changing the positions of addends does not affect the sum.
• After over a week of working on writing about our new Smart Board system in our classroom, students drew their own diagrams of the set up.
• Picture day tomorrow!

• "When's lunch?" becomes the favorite, most asked question in our classroom starting after recess. The teachers put up a clock that shows 11:15.
• We wrote our own silly stories today. Kids wrote about monkeys, dancing tigers or bears in the classroom. Many stories ended with the teacher screaming and running out of the classroom.
• In math Mrs. Craig showed the class how to make a ten's frame and use it to write number sentences.
• We made diagrams of the Smart Board in our classroom.
• These are the spelling words for next week: bag, win, is, am, his,has,ran, if,dig,sat,was, I. challenge: scratch, picnic, because
• Ten frames help to group things when we add.

• The second graders wrote number sentences about deep sea creatures.


• It is not healthy to put your mouth on the drinking fountain. Just sip from the stream of water.


• After discussing the peanut butter and jelly story again, the class evaluated and summarized it.


• Mrs. Craig and Mrs Stebbins accidently skipped afternoon recess today They promised they would not do it again.


• Self portraits got a skin-colored layer of paint. Next come facial details. Student artists observed the self portraits of Vincent VanGogh and Pablo Picasso.


• We had Computers and Library today.

Today in Room 11

• We talked about doubling numbers when adding; then we tried it.


• Hillcrest had a fire drill. Room 11 walks along the wall and the edge of the sidewalk. It's important to hang onto the railing when going up and down the steps


• Babe played ball with the kids at recess.


• Our class played with a parachute during P.E. Some children complained that their arms got tired.


• We read about Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept 15 to October 15 in Weekly Readers.


• Our handwriting is showing improvement. Today we practiced d's .

Today in room 11:



Our High School Helper Chris began the Top Dog Project. This means that he took a picture of the Top Dog for the week, interviewed that student, and will be making a poster to place outside the room door in honor of the week's Top Dog. Chris is taking his poster making very seriously. The teachers are concerned, and hope he doesn't lose any sleep over it, because he appears to be somewhat of a perfectionist, but the students are excited. The Top Dog not only becomes famous at Hillcrest, because he or she is posted on our hall wall, but that student gets to do "plum" jobs and be line leader for the week.



Things studied today in room 11:



Strategies for adding (start with the larger number, then count up)



Adding a zero

How to organize words when beginning a writing assignment

More about making perfect manuscript o's and a's (no cursive yet!)

How to monitor, question and clarify what is read

Looking for word clues, pictures, asking if what is read makes sense..

Autumn leaves and some ways of them

Today in Room 11:



Played domino math and wrote number sentences

Learned the words "equation," "addend" and "sum"

Predicted outcomes in the peanut butter and jelly story

Began writing words about how to install a Smart Board

Drew four-square pictures of Smart Board installation

Bear-walked in wet grass in P.E.

Mrs. Craig taught Mrs. Stebbins how to roll the dice on the Smart Board

School Year 2008-2009 Begins

September in Mrs. Craig and Mrs. Stebbins second grade began with a bang. They celebrated three teeth coming out and watched a computer Smart Board being installed during Math class (Guess what the kids were most interested in). Zoe got stung by a bee and Mrs. Stebbins' dog Babe visited. The children began painting self-portraits, practiced walking quietly down the hall after recess, AND did some reading and math. Next week the class will create a step-by-step Smart Board installation guide with accompanying diagram.

As they prepared to catch the bus on Friday, five kids were spotted vigorously wiggling loose teeth.

Snow Day

Today was, in the words of Mrs. Bryant when I called her on our phone tree, "a gift." Yes, yes, I know the importance of consistent school attendance, and I bemoan any cuts of school days because of lack of finances, but the unexpected wonder of sparkling, crystalline snow in this (blessedly, really) wet, green-and-grey coastal town calls for celebration. Ordinary scenes and mundane objects become magic under the soft spell of snow. Yesterday I took pictures , wrote letters and walked the dog, and I spent today reading, writing and drawing. (Hey! That's what I expect my students to do everyday! However, I also indulged in some chocolate and Good Earth Tea, which I do not habitually share with my students.) I recieved, then, a double gift: snow and quiet time for thinking.