June 10 in Room 11

• Today was a mixture of joy, relief and sadness. Children and teachers alike feel relieved to have a break from the hard work of the school year. Many are sad to say good-bye to each other. Then again, summer adventures await...such joy!
• Students lugged home bags of belongings from their desks and the walls of their classrooms. Also included are notes from the library specifying hours and activities being offered by the children's department. Most of them also have booklets of activities they can complete in their spare time over the summer. Except Ryan! He's finished. He'll just have to read...
• Because the day was hot and sunny, some of the staff filled spray bottles with water to cool students off at lunch recess time. Samantha and Meagan really appreciated the mini-dousing.
• Students at Hillcrest watched The Tale of Despereaux this afternoon.
• Second graders switched classes as usual for Walk to Read this morning, but instead of reading, they played games!
• A parting piece of advice: Have fun and read, read, read! As Mrs. Bryant encourages her students--For every day that you eat, you should read.

June 9 in Room 11

• The class began the morning by cleaning desks.
• Some desks need more work.
• The class hiked down the hill to the library where Mrs. Simpkins read several books and explained the summer reading program.
• From her office, Spencer's mom saw everyone walk by, so she come out to give Spencer a hug.
• Trinity's dad drove his truck by the walking class. He tooted his horn.
• Next, second graders crossed the street to visit the fire department where Mr. Cooper reviewed fire safety rules.
• It was fun to see Samantha's dad at the fire station.
• The ladder truck was parked outside and a fire fighter went all the way up to the top of the ladder. It was really high!
• Most of the second graders were treated to a ride on the old fire truck.
• All the second grade classes ate their lunches at the park, then played and played and played!
• There were many tired children returning to the classroom just before the buses arrived.
• They lugged "debris" and good stuff from their cleaned-out desks home in plastic bags.

June 8 in Room 11

• First thing: bellwork
• Then P.E. to practice bowling in the gym.
• Next, music.
• After that, a trek down to The Back Alley for some genuine bowling.
• Wow! Glow in the Dark bowling! Loud music! Dancing in glowing blue socks! Spinning on bottoms on smooth, wood floors! Thank you to Mr. Mark Mattecheck for the terrific time.
• The hike back up the hill was arduous!
• Yayy! Lunch! Then Lunch Recess!
• Tough day so far...
• In the afternoon everyone practiced adding money.
• They read the Weekly Reader and took a test on the Senteo computer program about the Tropical Rain Forest.
• Queen Shelby Moody, beautiful queen of the Coos County Fair and Rodeo, visited the second grade. She talked about what she does as queen, what rodeos are all about, and how to get involved in 4-H. She wore green trimmed, custom-made chaps, a stunning western belt, a tall cowgirl hat and showed off her finely tooled saddle.
• Time to go home!

June 5 in Room 11

• Although the title for today says "in Room 11," it should more aptly read "out and about from Room 11."
• The teacher finished reading The Adventures of the Backyard Sleep-out."
• The teacher then checked and re-checked which children had ordered lunches and which brought their own. Sure enough there was a mistake. Then she checked to see if everyone had paid their $2.00 to pay for the swimming pool and took care of that. Next she checked to see which parents were indeed accompanying everyone to the swimming pool. Whew. That was a lot of checking!
• The class walked down the Chicken Walk to the swimming pool.
• The second-graders-soon-to-be-third-graders swam, jumped, leaped, swung, splashed, dunked, paddled, teased, floated and laughed with their friends in the North Bend Swim Pool. Thank-you to the pool staff for their vigilance. No one was lost.
• Walking back up the Chicken Walk was an challenge and I am sad to say there were whiners every step of the way. I am proud to say that the whiners were not the teachers.
• Spelling test...not yet corrected.
• Senteo test on Weekly Reader about women's accomplishments. Students are getting the hang of using the "clickers" (remotes).
• This is the schedule for the rest of the year: Monday--Bowling 10:00-11:00; Tuesday, Library, Fire Department, Park for lunch and back to school; Field day and a movie in the afternoon.
• Marathon Stand-outs received medals.
• Tawnie won the Student Camp Learned-a-Lot Bubble Gum Bubble Blowing Contest at campfire. Yayyyy, Tawnie! Mrs. Bryant won the teachers' contest. Yayy, Mrs. Bryant!!!

June 4 in Room 11

• Gum-chewers for the week were not reported yesterday, so here they are: Meagan, Zoe, Riley and Dylan.
• In P.E. yesterday, students played hula-hoop tag.
• Students continued their work on camp-themed subjects as they did their camp word books.
• In the computer lab, the second graders had a choice of Paint Shop, Bite-Size, or Math Magician sites.
• Mrs. Craig read from the Adventures of the Backyard Sleep-out this morning.
• Students created maps of their backyards using symbols from a given map key.
• After lunch students had more choices. They needed to finish several projects in this order: 1.) Beach Writing 2.) Bug Drawing 3.) Bird Drawing 4.) Thousands Book
• Many children cashed in their Good Camper coupons for a chance to read in the tent.
• Our class cheered boisterously for our teams in the three-legged race during campfire time. Our runners were Kelsey and Megan; and Teron and Logan. They did great!
• The top marathon runners, Devin, Logan and Ryan were treated to pizza for lunch today. Way to go, guys!

June 3 in Room 11

• Teacher read-aloud The Adventures of the Backyard Sleep-out
• Students did more camp projects. "Canoe" was the topic of the day.
• Many of the students are still working on their beach writing.
• Megan finished her ABCDirections book today. Wow!
• The class worked on a Senteo test after reading The Weekly Reader. It was about summer safety.
• Everybody joined in singing at the campfire at the end of the day. Mrs. Nelson led "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain."Teacher." Two students' names were picked out of a hat. One of the students was to get dressed using clothes from a bag of the teacher's clothes. The other student was to pull the clothes out of the bag and help ther dresser don the duds.

June 2 in Room 11

• The day began with rousing camp songs in music class.
• Students made camp-name necklaces.
• Teacher read-aloud The Adventure of the Backyard Sleep-Out.
• There was no math today because students needed to work on their final writing about their beach trip.
• The class divided into five different teams to play M.A.R.E. Jeopardy with Mr. Dunn this afternoon. They were asked questions about science topics from throughout the year. Congratulations to the Back Group, who won with 150 points!
• Mr. Dunn was very pleased that all the groups earned over 110 points because it showed that everyone learned and remembered a lot of what he taught this year. Everyone clapped for Mr. Dunn, agreeing that he is a really great teacher.
• Because science class ran so late, Room 11-ers did not get to go to "campfire" this afternoon. However, when science was over, the class brushed up on the words to "Do your Ears Hang Low?" especially the second verse, which begins, "Do your ears flip-flop, can you use 'em like a mop?" Then they sang it faster and faster until they were out of breath.
• There were five Mystery Scrap winners this afternoon.

June1 in Room 11

• The second-graders arrived at school today to find that they are not students this week, but campers at Camp-Learned-A-Lot.
• They cut out happy camper tents, cutting the tent flaps open and gluing their photos inside. Backgrounds were added using oil pastels.
• During P.E. students rotated from station to station. They tried pogo balls, hula-hoops, jump ropes and basketball.
• The new read-aloud book is The Adventures of the Back Yard Sleep-Out by Nancy McArthur.
• It's review time in math this week. Today everyone counted money.
• Students could collect good camper coupons to earn reading time in the tent, which is set up in the front of the classroom.
• At "campfire," campers cheered for their cabin's team. Today the challenge was wrapping a student with paper towels. LoJo's Lucky 13 team won with Hailey wrapping Tony from head to toe in the shortest amount of time! Yayyy LoJo's Lucky 13 team!
• The day ended with singing around the campfire.

May 29 in Room 11

• Here is the short list of today. (Bear in mind that, although the list is short, it is Friday, the 29 of May in the second grade. There are eight more days of school left. Now use your imagination as you read.)
• Coast Guard helicopter flies in, hovers above the playground, lowers a man to the field, then lands with all of Hillcrest watching.
• Spelling test.
• Music
• Nurse Carrie shows a video and explains about good and bad touch.
• The class did a paper of subtracting and adding in math class.
• Students brainstorm topic sentences for a paragraph about the beach field trip.
• It was a good day!

May 29 in Room 11

• Field trip:
• Simpson Reef Overlook--Students used spotting scopes, seals, sea lions, kelp, boats, a whole bunch of sharks (their sharp fins were going around and around!), a whale ( the children saw the whale breach and spout. Someone saw two, maybe three, and a baby. The teachers were not sharp enough to spot any whales or sharks)
• Sunset Beach--The second graders dug in the sand for beach hoppers and explored the tide pools. Most of the children saw hermit crabs, anemones, a gumshoe chitin, limpets, sculpin, seaweeds of different colors and red rock crabs. The teachers managed to see these things, too.
• Bastendorf Beach Park--Everyone ate lunch and the kids had a roaring good time on the play equipment in the picnic area.
• There were wet feet, muddy bottoms, scraped legs and two crab bites (tiny, tiny crabs..no blood). On the bus home the kids complained that the bus was stinky.
• Back to school to begin writing about the day.

May 28 in Room 11

• Spelling Pre-test Gum Chewers for today--Zoe, Logan, Trinity, Samantha, Jacob, Dylan, Tawnie, Jonathan, Meagan, Spencer, Adolfo and Colby. There's been some mighty studyin' goin' on!
• In P.E. the class played Dodgeball.
• The class worked together to construct complete sentences that pertained to the story of the week.
• In math, everyone is still adding and subtracting three digit numbers. Oh, those zeros are a bugaboo!
• As a journal prompt for the story of the week, which was about a talented percussionist, students answered questions about their own talents. Several students shared their own talents with the class: magician, soccer player, singer, sign language expert...
• Library time was changed this week because of the field trip.
• Many students worked on their Thousands Book because they finished their math early. Ryan even finished his ABCDirections book!
• Everyone is looking forward to the field trip to the beach. It will be an exciting day.

May 26 in Room 11

• The day began with music.
• The class listened to a recording of Moses Goes to a Concert.
• They also studied vocabulary words. Ask your second grader what "percussion" means.
• The teacher read a new Skippy Jon Jones book. Skippy Jon is a favorite in room 11. The new book was titled Skippy Jon Jones in the Dog House.
• The second graders had a class meeting to discuss what would be best to wear on the field trip to the beach. These are some of the things they decided: Wear tennis shoes, dress in layers, no skirts or dresses.
• They also talked about how they should behave: Be kind to sea life, do not run up to strange dogs, no throwing sand or rocks, don't talk to strangers and do not run off!
• In math, the students are practicing more and more regrouping. Today they had to watch carefully for the signs.
• Everyone watched Mr. Dunn's scientist story one more time. Then they wrote about what it would take to be a good scientist.
• At the end of the day they worked on their Thousands Book.

May 22 in Room 11

• The class made singing puppets in music class.
• Second graders teamed up to play a rhyming game.
• The final spelling test. was today.
• Work continues on Oregon state information as well as memory books.
• The crossword puzzle featured a picture of Snoopy because many of the words in it were cute, huggable words.
• Those finished with all their work got to work on drawing lessons given from a computer site which they watched on the Smart Board.
• There was a math review and test.
• The teams of Ryan and Teron; and Logan and Adolfo won Hill Bills for getting all the math challenge problems correct before recess time.

May 21 in Room 11

• Gum Chewers: Logan, Ryan, Zoe, Jonathan, Colby and Dylan
• Library: Room 11 is very good at returning books. They are only missing a few and those who have them say they know where they are. Mrs. Green congratulated them today.
• The class worked on problem-solving skills. They decided what question the problem was asking, what information was useless and whether to add or subtract.
• Everyone took their last big reading test on the computer this morning. It was called the STAR test.
• Everyone finished their personal narrative writing. The students are working on their second grade memory books. The autograph page was a big hit.
• Research on the state of Oregon continues. The children are adding facts to their Oregon books.
• During Art class, the teacher gave very specific directions on how to draw a bird. Then the students added their own details and backgrounds. Although these are not finished yet, some of the resulting pieces are worth framing!

May 20 in Room 11

• Room 11-ers practiced three digit regrouping in subtraction. They know how to do it but some of them forgot and some are trying to go too fast and are missing their answers.
• The children are busy finishing up their personal narratives.
• Babe came to school today. She spent her favorite time of the week chasing tennis balls hurled across the playground by her favorite people, Hillcrest Hound dogs!
• Pre-spelling test today. They haven't been corrected, so Gum chewers have not yet been notified.
• Mrs. Craig read Dr. Seuss' Happy Birthday to You in honor of all second grade birthday kids this year.
• Students are beginning a second-grade memory book.
• "How old is Oregon?" and "What year was the commemorative coin for Oregon minted?" are the questions of the day as students work on a Celebrate Oregon map.

May 19 in Room 11

• Students continue to work on their personal narratives. Most have begun the pre-write and a few are ready for the first draft.
• The class worked on more three-digit subtracting with regrouping. They had to borrow from the hundreds place as well as the tens place. This is a stretch. There will be a review and many will be re-doing their work in the morning.
• The last of the year's D.I.B.E.L.S. (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) test was administered today.
• There is some real music making going on downstairs in the music room with Mrs. Nelson as well as up in Room 11.
• The teacher read and everyone sang that old favorite camp song, "Down by the Bay." Then the kids practiced making up their own rhymes to go with the song. It was so much fun the teacher decided to show off the literary skills of the class.
• Each child created and wrote a rhyme on a blank piece of paper, illustrating it with with a colorful picture. These will be assembled into a "Down by the Bay" book to be published by Room 11 Press.
• Marathon running continues with great enthusiasm. Trinity has just completed her first marathon.
• The teachers are still waiting for the return of many slips regarding upcoming field trips. They need to be in the teachers hands before students can go.

May 18 in Room 11

• Morning started with a favorite class: P.E.
• Students once again are practicing regrouping in addition and subtraction
• There is an all-school testing of reading going on in the gym, so the regular Title 1 teachers could not come in during reading class. Room 11 had reading in their own room all together this morning.
• Second graders continue to work on telling time.
• They drew pictures of a favorite character in Because of Winn-Dixie.
• Students who finished their math early had a challenge. They could work with a partner on a set of word problems. If their team finished the problems correctly before recess, each member of the team received two Hill Bills. Today, six children met the challenge. Tomorrow there will be another opportunity to try with a different set of problems.
• During writing class, everyone has been assigned to tell about an interesting event in their lives. This writing is called a "personal narrative."
• Students who did not complete last week's writing assignment are writing in the afternoon as well.
• Children who are finished with their Collection writing project are working with a team mate on a social studies research project about Oregon. They may come home with some interesting facts or questions about Oregon.
• Most students are still plugging away at their Thousands Book.
• Marathon running at recess continues with great enthusiasm. Some of the second graders are approaching six marathons!

May 15 in Room 11

• There were so many gum chewers this week that only four kids took the Friday spelling test!
• Logan, Megan and Devin have all finished their Thousands books this week.
• Each child has been assigned to be an expert for one letter page in the ABCDirections book. They are to finish their page before they do any others, show it to the teacher to make sure it looks like the work of an expert, then continue with the rest of the book in order.
• The teacher finished reading Winn-Dixie. Then the students took a test on that book.
• Students sang a Hawaiian song to Mrs. Stebbins when she visited music class today. What lovely voices!
• Students worked the crossword by themselves. Next they worked with a partner. Many of them did not finish in time, so there will be crossword puzzle homework this weekend.
• Fire drill this afternoon.
• Some students are still working on their Collections writing.
• Everyone practiced three digit regrouping in adding.
• Second graders left for home this afternoon with a corrected work, a parent letter and a bag of goodies from Smokey Bear's presentation earlier this week.
• Here is a site with Smokey Bear activities for kids: Google Smokey Bear. Go to the tab that says Smokey Kids. It is good reinforcement for what they learned about being safe with fires.

May 14 in Room 11

• Students wrote an entry in their journals about a favorite character from a story.
• Students were paired into teams, given a scrambled list of events and asked to cut these items apart, then palce them in correct sequential order to match the story, The Art Lesson.
• There is still state testing int he computer lab, so the second grade did not get to go to the lab today.
• The teacher is almost finished reading Because of Winn-Dixie.
• Students left for home today wearing sticker reminders for the ice-cream social and book fair being held in the gym this evening from 6:00 to 8:00.
• In math, student reviewed two and three digit adding using regrouping.
• Shoppers had the opportunity to spend those hard-earned Hill Bills at the HIll Bill Store this afternoon.
• The second graders followed directions to draw imaginary insects during art. When they finished drawing, they painted these creations with water colors.
• Room 11 had library today. Each child is required to have a book at the correct reading level in his or her desk at all times.

May 13 in Room 11

• The morning began with running laps to earn marathon sticks, which was a good thing, because by recess time, it was raining and no one went outdoors.
• Pre-spelling test
• The teacher read more of Winn-Dixie.
• The class worked on carrying across three digits during math. Many students (hooray!!) remember this skill from a month and a half ago.
• Smoky Bear and his buddies Camper Kyle and Camper Bob gave a play about fire safety in the gym. The second graders helped solve a puzzle, pointing out wrong things Camper Kyle did as he set up camp. No one really wanted Camper Kyle to sing, either.
• Students are working their way through their Thousands Book. Some have begun their ABCDirections book.

May 12 in Room 11

• Tuesday is a music day.
• Students filled out a chart about the author's point of view after they read The Art Lesson," by Tomie dePaola. The story is an autobiographical narrative of the author's experiences as a youngster, and how they still affect him today.
• The teacher continued reading "Because of Winn-Dixie."
• In math class, the students are reviewing regrouping as they prepare to learn three digit regrouping in both adding and subtracting. Today they only carried ones to the tens column in addition.
• Writing about their collections continues as students work to complete a writing sample required for their portfolios for next year.
• New ABCDirection books were distributed, along with a discussion on how these books are to be used. Each child will become an expert on one or two letters, so that as children work their way through the book, they can ask the expert if they do not understand something on a particular page.
• Devin is past 800 in his Thousands Book!

May 11 in Room 11

• In Reading, students learned about the two different sounds "oo" can make--as in "moon," or "took. The kids spent time sorting the spelling words into different categories.
• The new reading theme is "Talent Show." The teacher discussed the theme and its related vocabulary for the wee.
• Everyone had the opportunity to read along with Tomie dePaola as he read his own story, The Art Lesson.
• The Book Fair is coming up P.E. time was used to preview books and write a wish list.
• The dates are: Thursday, May 14, 2:00-8:00 PM, Friday, May 15, 2:00-8:00 PM and Monday, May 18 from 2:00 -3:30 PM.
• Congratulations to Jonathan and Zack for winning a free book.
• After listening to Winn-Dixie this morning, students took a test assessing their long-term comprehension about the book.
• There was a review of telling time in math, and then a test.
• Riley gave her speech today. After that, students began writing a paragraph about their collections. This piece will be placed in a file to be given to the teacher for next year.

May 8 in Room 11

• An orchestra from Bend Middle School and the North Bend Middle School Band played for the students at Hillcrest. Room 11-ers really listened well and were a good audience. They remembered that at a concert you only show appreciation with the hands.
• The orchestra showed four different kinds of stringed instruments: violin, viola, cello and string bass. The bigger the instrument, the deeper the sound.
• Students finished their Mother's Day gifts. I wonder how many will wait until Sunday to present them...During Bellwork time, students had an writing activity using the letters of the word "Spring."
• Final spelling test today.
• In math the class worked on adding on time, as well as counting back. For example, 20 minutes before 4:15 -- draw the minute hand and write the time.
• The class worked on their Thousands Book at the end of the day.

May 7 in Room 11

• Math class--BINGO game!
• Students recorded their last observations of the sunflower experiments.
• The conclusion for the sunflower experiment was also recorded.
• Students finished their homophone books.
• Library time--Room 11 children are required to take out at least one book at their reading level so they have something in their desks to read at all times. This book also comes in handy for the reading log at home.
• The teacher read aloud from Winn-Dixie.
• Second graders worked on their Mothers' Day gifts.
• It is Kindergarten Round-up day at Hillcrest. Remember that long ago day?

May 6 in Room 11

• Aaaaand the gum-chewers aaaare-----Colby, Jacob, Ryan, Jonathan, Garrett, and Tawnie!!! Students self-corrected their work. Teacher checked it over.
• For bellwork, the class did both: subtraction practice, and ABC order.
• In P.E. the class played kickball.
• The teacher read Winn-Dixie aloud.
• Telling time needs practice, practice, and more practice. Today the lesson zeroed in on how to say time. e.g. "Quarter to seven," "six forty-five," "Fifteen minutes before seven." They all say the same thing. It can be confusing.
• Before school let out, students practiced in their Thousands Book.
• The day let out early because of teacher meetings.

May 5 in Room 11

• Kids in room 11 had a sub in the morning, Mr. Griffith.
• They did more work with Winn-Dixie.
• The students worked on telling time. They have moved from telling how many minutes after the hour it is, to telling how many minutes before the hour. Most of them need work on this concept.
• Second graders did a clock paper today.
• Mr. Dunn taught a lesson on snowy plovers. He showed pictures and talked about how they nest, what they like to ea,t and what people can do to help them survive.
• Students made posters with suggestions on how to save snowy plovers.
• Music this morning!
• The second graders are working on their Thousands Books.
• The sunflower seedlings in the cabinet are looking really sad...
• Rainy day recesses today.

May 4 in Room 11

• The day started with P.E.
• Mrs. Farlow, a very familiar teacher to many of the students, as they had her last year as first graders, was the substitute for the morning. Mrs. Craig is sick.
• Students are working hard at learning to tell time in Math class. Some of them got a surprise when they corrected their own work today. Many of the speediest workers discovered that--Oops!--most of their answers were wrong. Perhaps slowing down and listening to the teacher might be useful.
• Devin lost a tooth!
• The class began making flip-books for homophones.
• Read-aloud Winn-Dixie continues to keep the interest of the second graders.
• At the beginning of the year, students were given a packet of papers with a large grid on each page. They were told to fill in all the squares until they got to one thousand. One student, Ryan, completed that task, and the others let the work fall by the wayside. The job is once again being tackled. Students received smaller booklets, and smaller grids, along with directions to follow as they finish each set of one hundreds. This project began today with the covers. Ryan will not be required to repeat this activity.
• Kelsey gave her speech about her rubber duck collection. She even has a duck in a Santa outfit!

May 1 in Room 11

• In math, students reviewed regrouping.
• Later, they practiced reading clocks and filled a worksheet out. They are learning about telling time in fifteen minute intervals.
• Students completed Science Sunflower Observation # 5.
• Everyone took the final spelling test.
• Kaleyah, Dylan, Monica and Spencer gave speeches. Ryan gave his again.
• School was released early because an unconfirmed case of Swine flu was reported at the High School. While students waited to be picked up, they cleaned their desks.
• Progress reports were distributed.
• Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Geier for helping out this afternoon!

April 30 in Room 11

• Gum Chewer names unveiled! Riley, Trinity, Teron, Spencer, Jacob, Ryan, Logan, Zoe, Jonathan, Zack, Meagan, Samantha, Dylan, Kelsey and Tawnie!
• The journal prompt, "Who's an important person in your life and why?" elicited fascinating responses, especially from Trinity, Monica, Dylan and Garrett (especially Garrett, who feels the teacher is one of the most wonderful people on earth. Good job, Garrett!)
• In conjunction with the studies on plant life, the students watched a video about a plant's life cycle.
• The class did not have computers today because the older kids are taking State Tests in the computer lab. Good luck to them!
• Students played a lively game of Charades by drawing a verb from a basket and silently acting it out. This room is full of hams!
• The SmartBoard came in handy for practicing telling time. The children took turns writing the correct time on the board next to the clock.
• Library today
• Students are still working on their Mothers' Day gifts.
• Many of the second graders are learning about tornadoes. They are taking a Senteo computer test on this subject by sending answers remotely to the computer as the computer asks questions.

April 29 in Room 11

• Putting twenty-five words in ABC order is tough but these almost-third-graders can do it!
• There was a pre-spelling test today, but the gum-chewer names have not beet released as yet.
• In P.E. most of the students are learning the rudiments of basketball. Of course, several of the students are already approaching N.B.A. draft status.
• Winn-Dixie continues....
• Students worked on counting by fives as they learned to count minutes and tell time on a face clock. They learned that counting the hour is always counted in ones. They practiced making five minute interval times on their personal clocks, then reading the time on the teacher's clock. Later, they finished a review paper.
• Several students gave their speeches to the class today.
• Room 11-ers began to write a paragraph in their journals about what they learned in Science class yesterday during their experiment with O.I.M.B.'s Oil on the Beach lesson.

April 28 in Room 11

• Music
• Science observation # 4--All plants have sprouted, but it was noted that the ones in the window are much greener than the one in the closet. Hmmm...
• The second graders began learning more about telling time. Today they looked at the parts of a clock: minute hand, hour hand, and face. They noted that the hands touch the numbers in order, creating a "clockwise" circle. They worked on how to tell what time it is if it's on the hour or 1/2 hour.
• After watching pictures of oily beaches and oily birds in distress, students grouped in teams to experiment with beach clean-up of oil on water. It was a messy, quite fun experiment. Students predicted, then attempted to discover which material soaked oi from the water the best. Additional discussion on this topic will continue tomorrow.

April 23 in Room 11

• The class earned a popcorn party, so they played Volcanic Cash and ate popcorn this morning.
• Most of the students finished their personal narratives.
• Mrs. Craig read Winn-Dixie; the issues become more thoughtful and involved...
• Library
• Students in Room 11 are getting old enough to sort their own work, insert paper in silver folders, pack up returned work and organize announcements. This chore was completed this afternoon, so check the backpacks.
• Plan to attend the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology's open house Tuesday evening at 5:00 PM. It's really worthwhile.
• During art everyone worked on Mothers Day presents. Not telling!
• Neither regular classroom teacher in room 11 will be at school on Monday. Their sub will be Mrs. Hutcherson. There will be no blog on Monday.

• Mr Griffin was the substitute teacher for the morning. Mrs. Craig was sick.
• The class had P.E.
• During Reading time, students worked on the narrative they are writing. They shared their stories with each other and offered suggestions for improvement. Their final draft will be written tomorrow.
• Second graders had and assessment paper on counting money.
• Several more children gave their speeches. Interest in these speeches runs high among classmates.

April 21 in Room 11

• The day began with Music.
• Logan's hands were cold because he rode on a motorcycle to school today.
• Students watched a video about taking care of the Earth and completed a fill-in the blank paper about the video.
• There is no "Walk-to-Read" this week. Instead, students are remaining in their classrooms and receiving extra instructions about writing. Each student will go through the steps in the writing process (idea, jotting words, organizing, title, topic and conclusion, rewrite...) to complete a finished personal narrative by Thursday.
• Anticipation for the next round of speeches is building. Students were still talking about yesterday's talks this morning.
• The sunflowers are sprouting!
• In math, students did a worksheet with the teacher on counting back change. Then they played "Volcano Cash."
• The children wrote in their journals using their foursquare from last week about the life cycle of trees.
• Mr. Dunn came in with five different types of marine worms. Students moved from station to station observing the worms and recording information about each worm. They kinds of worms brought in by the science teacher were Spaghetti Worm, Peanut Worm, Ribbon Worm, Sand Worm and Pile Worm.
• It was hard to tell on some worms where the head was.
• Dylan says the Pile Worm moves in "eses."

April 20 in Room 11

• Lots of writin' goin' on. Students worked on ideas for writing a narrative. They jotted down words and ideas, then discussed with a neighbor which story they should tell. subjects ranged from Easter egg hunts to getting bitten by a dog.
• The class did a worksheet on money,
• Several students gave speeches on their personal collections. There are some enthusiastic speakers with a wide variety of fascinating interests in Room 11!

April 17 in Room 11

• Music today.
• The teacher read aloud, The Life Cycle of a Sunflower. Then students colored, cut, and assembled in correct order, the stages of plant life growth, making a flip book they are proud of.
• So far, no sunflowers have poked little green heads from the soil, but the teacher's hibiscus has been blooming shouting-loud pink blossoms for three weeks!
• Final Spelling test!
• Those who ordered Spring school pictures should have brought them home today. If anyone wishes to order, use the enclosed and send the completed form with the correct payment by April 26. If you don't, we still need the sample picture back.
• For math, the class watched a video about how money is made.
• After the video, students wrote a four-square preliminary writing paper about money and what it means to them.
• In the halls at Hillcrest are two really fascinating aquariums put there by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Students each drew a picture of themselves giving their Collection speech.
• John, Logan, Meagan and Samantha will be giving their speeches on Monday.

April 16 in Room 11

• Students wrote about their favorite types of weather in their journals.
• The class has a small sunflower garden in the corner of the classroom. Each child planted a seed
• At computers, the class explored a wonderful web-site for Math and Literary games. It's a bbc site and can be accessed by googling "BBC Kids' Games Bitesize."
• There is a Coins for Cancer bucket set up in Room 11. The proceeds will go to Dornbecker's Kids With Cancer Program. Families are asked to contribute spare change to help kids just like Hillcrest students who happen to have cancer. Its a good opportunity to develop generous and thoughtful spirits.
• Mad Minute--adding 7's, 8's and 9's is tough. Practice at home! Flash cards work well. So do math games on -line.
• Math Magician on-line is a good math game. Go to "timed facts."
• Students started their Mother's Day gifts during Art. Its a secret!
• The teacher covered names on writings in journals and put them under the document camera. In an effort to point out easy-to-correct mistakes, she talked about what was good in some of them and what was missing. The point-of-view in their journal writings is really fun to read--in all of them!
• Library today...yay! New books!

April 15 in Room 11

• Bellwork was a word sort.
• After listening to Winn-Dixie, the students will be taking quizzes. Today was quiz # 1.
• The spelling pre-test produced gum chewers John, Samantha, Jonathan, Kelsey, Riley, Trinity, Teron, and Logan. Happy chewing, friends.
• In the book, Winn-Dixie, Opal is beginning to make friends in her new town of Naomi, Florida.
• Students worked in teams for math today. The teacher wrote a monetary amount on the Smart Board, and the students drew their coins on whiteboards at their desks. They were to use the least number of coins to get to the correct total. Good teamwork.
• In P.E. students played a game with scooter boards and a huge blow-up ball.
• The children wrote paragraphs about the Hillcrest marathon.

April 14 in Room 11

• This playful, enthusiastic, creative, singingest class received Hill Bills in music this morning!
• Verbs: Action words
• All this week's spelling words are verbs.
• The class discussed the meaning of the word "verb," and made a list of verbs on the Smart Board.
• In another step toward maturely taking charge of their own learning, students self-corrected their math papers.
• Students practiced making change and using the fewest number of coins for a given amount. They did a paper on this subject as well. If they finished, they played "Volcano Cash."
• Each student received a tooth care kit to keep this afternoon. The teacher demonstrated the best way to brush and floss teeth. Then the children practiced. It is not easy and takes some work, but second graders can do it and their smiles are worth it!
• Young scientists observed beach hoppers (also called "sand fleas" or amphipods) today. Some hoppers were very small and hard to see because they had dug themselves into the sand. Others were quite large. Then the students labeled hopper body parts on a diagram.

April 13 in Room 11

• The class listened to the week's Reading story, Thunder Cake, and previewed the vocabulary words.
• Current P.E. hit? Underwater Freeze Tag!
• The teacher taught a lesson on base words and endings (sit+ ting= sitting, pin+ned = pinned).
• Many of the spelling words for the week are base word and ending combinations.
• The math facts in Mad Minute are getting harder.
• Students still need work on money counting. They were asked to show two different ways to make the same amount of money. For example, sixty seven cents can be six dimes and seven pennies as well as two quarters, a dime, a nickle and two pennies.
• Second graders will be giving "formal" speeches beginning next week. They haven't realized it, but "Show and Tell," and their description of their Space Communication Satellite in front of the class were both "speeches." Students have papers to take home with the directions of what is expected for their speech project so that their parents can suggest and encourage their children at home.
• The teacher went over the writing scoring guide for the class. The children are very interested in how they got their scores and why. The class will be working on more writing, so everyone will catch on in time.
• Tomorrow the class will be writing a paragraph about the marathon program at Hillcrest, using the foursquare they did on Friday.
• Also tomorrow: Beach hopper study!

April 10 in Room 11

• There were so many gum-chewers in reading class today, it was hard to do oral reading! I That's actually a pretty good thing.
• Room 11-ers had music in the morning.
• Some of the fourth-graders made a short animated video to advertise the carnival. The second graders viewed it and thought it was pretty cool. Can't wait to get to fourth grade!
• Money counting is still a topic during math.
• Addition and subtraction facts are taking a front seat in math, too. Some students are really beginning to stand out for their ability to finish their mad minute facts both quickly and accurately. They should be proud of themselves.
• Speaking of pride, Devin has been running like Phidippides at lunch recess. He runs close to three miles each lunch period and will have his third marathon very soon. It's another reason to be proud.
• Students wrote a four-square organizational paper about the marathon program at Hillcrest. Next week they will write a paragraph using their notes from their four-square paper.
• The children made paper bag bunnies this afternoon.

April 9 in Room 11

• Mrs. Craig is reading a chapter book called Because of Winn-Dixie to the class. It is about a child, Opal, whose father is a preacher. Opal's mother has left the family, and Opal wants to adopt a dog, Winn-Dixie. The subject matter if this book is really making the children think and has resulted in fascinating discussions.
• Students are working on Easter crossword puzzles.
• The second graders are still working with money, counting, adding and subtracting. It is important when counting money to begin with the largest amount coins first.
• The class went to computers and library today.
• In art, they are practicing concentrating on what they really see, and on following directions. These skills will evolve into learning how to draw specific things, as well as stimulate imaginations for individual, personal works.

April 8 in Room 11

• As the teacher reads Because of Winn-Dixie, the students are keeping related activities in folders they have created.
• Students took a math assessment on how much they have learned about money so far.
• Students practiced their ABC order in spelling
• The spelling test produced gum-chewers Samantha, Zoe, Kelsey, Jacob, Colby, Riley, Garrett, Adolfo, Zack, Tawnie, Dylan, Ryan, and John
• Sometimes not getting 100% on a test can be a good thing. It gives a person an understanding of those who try and try and never get 100%. Can you imagine that? Getting a less-than-perfect score can be a way for a person's "loving heart" to grow.
• In P.E. the students played dodge ball. A group of sixth grade students came to Room 11 to present a book they created, called The ABC's of Geography.
• Students were released two hours early so that teachers could meet, plan and do a better job of teaching!

April 7 in Room 11

• Mrs. Nelson assigned seats in music class. Then the children learned the "Bunny Hop."
• The class divided up into different groups for Readers' Theater presentations. Some groups were more dramatic than others, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears was especially theatrical.
• Students reminded Mrs. Craig that they needed to do their math "Mad Minute" today. Not only are they getting better at math, they are becoming more responsible about their own learning, too!
• The second grade continues to learn more about money. Today they were given choices of things to buy and they had to figure out how much money they needed.
• Mrs. Haney taught about trees in Room 11. She talked about the life cycle of a tree, taking students on a journey through the stages of a tree's life: seed, sprout, sapling, adult, old growth, snag, fallen log and dirt, good rich dirt in which a seed can grow...
• The class wrote an "eight-square" summary of the life cycle of a tree, beginning with a title and topic sentence, then adding the stages as details.
• As everyone prepared to go home, the class played a game of adding up coins. If the person called on had the right answer, he/she got a Hill Bill!
• Most of the enrichment groups have finished studying Dr. Martin Luther King in the Weekly Reader and taking a Senteo test on the information. A Senteo test is given by posting questions on the Smart Board and having students equipped with "clickers" register their answers remotely.

April 6 in Room 11

• This week's story is "Carousel." The class read and listened to the story and will be working on the story and vocabulary all week.
• There was a fire drill during P.E. this morning. Because this is an unusual time for a fire drill, some students had trouble finding where to line up outside, which necessitated a discussion about waiting for the teacher's directions.
• The class had their hard-earned free time today and are now working toward a popcorn party.
• Today was the last day for collecting items for the second grade arts and crafts basket to be donated to the carnival. (Carnival--3:00 PM, Saturday, April 11, at North Bend Middle School)
• Mrs. Stebbins invited Room 11 and their families to the Easter egg hunt they have at their house each year. This year it is at 1:30 on Sunday. Bring your bags for collecting eggs.
• In order to keep adding and subtracting skills honed and sharp, students will be taking a "Mad Minute" test every day through the end of the year. The object is to answer as many math facts correctly in one minute. Congratulations to Logan on his great score today!
• The class did two review worksheets this afternoon. One was on what to eat for healthy teeth. The other had a list of items to buy, and asked what coins should be used to purchase these items.
• Students were asked to write about what it would be like to be, or to help the Easter Bunny. A writing rubric will be used to score these pieces. There are some really fine imaginations in this class!

April 3 in Room 11

• The second graders will not forget how to regroup as they add or subtract if Mrs. Craig and Mrs. Stebbins can help it. They had more review for bellwork first thing in the morning.
• Next, they had music.
• After that came a spelling test on contractions, which was hard!
• Students did a worksheet on counting money.
• The rest of the day was spent on finishing and catching up projects:
• Finished the scientific drawing of an animal
• Displayed the Spring cinquains written earlier this week.
• The Favorite Place in the School Project got final added details and pasted on words.
• Several students took Accelerated Reader tests and did well. This classroom is bursting with good readers!

April 3 in Room 11

April 2 in Room 11

• The class did math re-grouping practice for bellwork.
• Everyone finished up the final write of Spring cinquains.
• Students created biocubes of Dr. Seuss at the read/write/think website in computer lab.
• Teacher began to read Because of Winn-Dixie aloud.
• Teacher discussed reader's theater, which will begin tomorrow
• The class learned how to play a coin counting game called "Volcanic Cash."
• Monday is the final day for the collection of art supplies for the carnival.
• In art, the class began learning some new vocabulary, techniques and methods of art production.
• Rainy-day recesses much of the day...
• HillBill store today!
• Library, too!

April Fool's Day in Room 11

• Picture Day!!! Appropriatly for April Fool's Day, after taking several shots of the class and dismissing them, it was discovered that two children were missing from the picture, so everyone had to be collected and led back to wait for a second go at the class picture.
• April Fool's Day is a perfect day for second graders. There was a lot of "There's a bug on your neck!" and "Your shoe is untied," going on. Hardy-har-har. Then two children toppled over each other when one of them really did step on untied shoelaces!
• April Fool's Day is even more fun when it's one of the teachers' birthday. It's time to make birthday cards instead of doing bellwork.
• This afternoon, a neighbor's chickens got out and were wandering around the parking lot at recess time. Three youngsters spent their entire playtime watching the chickens through the fence.
• P.E. couldn't be held in the gym, so the class played "Heads-up-7-up" during P.E. time.
• Young bankers are learning how to order coins from greatest quarters, dimes, nickles, pennies) to least, then count up the total. Most of them seem to enjoy the money activity...they may be running the country's banks some day!
• Everyone participated in a review of adding with carrying and subtracting with borrowing.

April Fool's Day in Room 11

March 31 in Room 11

• Music today! Mrs. Nelson brags about what good singers Room 11-ers are.
• The class brainstormed about what they knew about Spring. They chose one spring topic to write a poem about. Then each child wrote his or her own cinquain poem.
• Wow, is it ever fun to play with money in math class! Quarters and half-dollars were added to the coin list today. Students completed a worksheet on counting coins. They also had their own bags of coins to help them count.
• The second-graders reviewed parts of a tooth, and dental growth.
• Students made scientific drawings of an animal. Each child chose a model of an animal and drew it as carefully and realistically as possible. Then they added details and a background.

March 30 in Room 11

• John, Jacob, Ryan and Zoe wrote some fine entries in their journals about their Spring Break.
• The class discussed the vocabulary for this week's story, "Jalapeno Bagels."
• Mrs. Craig notices much improvement in the way the second graders play kickball now when she thinks about how they played at the beginning of the year.
• This week's spelling test is made up mostly of contractions. They were introduced today.
• Studying money in math is a very high-interest subject. The students are learning names and values of coins. Because some of this was learned last year, counting groups of coins was fun.
• Students cleaned out their desks and then wrote a paragraph about it. There were some interesting observations made about the contents of some of those desks!

March 20 in Room 11

• As a reward for good behavior and effort earned over time, the second graders in Room 11 got to watch A Bug's Life. It was a good follow up for their reading story about ants.
• The day started with Music.
• Students wrote their final paper about making cakes.
• Room 11-ers are learning about "study stamina." During certain times of the day, the teacher tallies up the number of minutes the entire class is completely quiet. If someone talks, the minute starts over. If the class can do five minutes of complete silence in the space of ten minutes, everyone gets a Hill Bill. It's a challenge, but they are learning and getting better at it.
• Many notes went home with students today: book orders, menus, school news, picture notices and a spelling list.
• Have a wonderful Spring Break! Let the sun shine!

March 19 in Room 11

• Mrs. Craig taught at school all day!
• Watch for Spring picture day envelopes coming home tomorrow.
• It was Library Day today. Students are encouraged to check out at least one book at their AR reading level so that they have a chance to earn AR points and prizes.
• Most students finished their leprechauns.
• Some students helped carry in three gallons of paint which will be used to paint a Sandy Beach mural in the second grade hall. Hopefully, it will be finished over Spring Break. Thanks, PTA for helping to fund this project and thanks for the carrying helpers!

March 18 in Room 11

• Spelling pre-test gum-chewers: Megan, Trinity, Logan, Ryan, Zoe, Kelsey, Monica, Zack, Samantha, Garrett and Tawnie. Wow!
• Students also self-corrected their work. This is one more step to self-sufficiency.
• The green group won their hula-hoop game in P.E. For the first time ever, the team tagged everyone. Congratulations, Greenies!
• Students worked their "Brothers and Sisters" crossword puzzles by themselves. The second-graders are speeding into becoming competent third-graders!
• Students are becoming more proficient at re-grouping for both adding and subtracting, but the challenge grows. They are now being required to--wait for it--watch for the sign! Hmmm...add or subtract? Plus or minus? Check for the sign!!!
• Students received their winter term reports today.

March 17 in Room 11

• Music today.
• St. Patrick's Day!! As far as the teacher knows, there were no injuries, although John was accidentally whacked in the nose with Kaleyah's writing folder. This injury was treated with application of a cold can from the refrigerator and he survived.
• Students wrote stories about leprechauns. Here are some samples:
• If I were the size of a leprechaun I could hide many places. I would have a lot of gold and I'd hide it in my house where there's no mouse. I would share it with everyone!--Megan
• If I was a leprechaun I would hide my pot of gold in a log. ha ha ha ha ha. No one will find it now.--Colby
• If I was a Leprechaun I would hide my gold in a tree. Why I put my gold in a tree is because only animals go in trees. But Zoe is good at climbing. She could get my gold--Trinity
• If I was a leprechaun I would hide my gold underground. A rat would not look underground and a cat would not look underground and John will find it.--Spencer
• If I was a leprechaun, I would hide my pot of gold under ground. Nobody ever looks underground except for pirates. If pirates come I will trick them all.
• Students took a math post test for borrowing comprehension. Results not in yet.
• After the test, the teacher did a paper with the class. The paper had written story problems which students were expected to read and solve. Some story problem clue words are "left," "many more," "than,"(subtract); and "altogether," and "and."(add) These words give a hint as to whether the mathematician should add or subtract.
• Mr. Dunn taught science today. The class wrote down their hypotheses about which sea star could turn over fastest; the leather seastar, the pink sea star or the bat sea star. Then the sea stars were turned on their backs and timed. The pink sea star won by turning over in one minute, thirty-one seconds. The bat seastar took over nine minutes to flip.

March 15 in Room 11

• This week the second grades begin a new reading theme, Family Time. they practiced new vocabulary and listened to this week's story, Brothers and Sisters.
• In P.E. everyone enjoyed playing Frog Pond.
• Students challenged themselves by trying to fill in all the blanks on a leprechaun story sheet.
• Subtraction with regrouping took the center stage today. Students received minimal help on their work and were expected to finish. If they answered correctly, they were able to match the numbers to a letter and solve a mystery question. Tomorrow will be a real test in regrouping.
• They are also working on a final write-up about baking cakes.
• Fact-finding as a skill got a work-out as students finish a worksheet about teeth. Today they labeled the parts of a tooth. They were allowed to check back in their health book if they could not remember the answers.
• A reminder: Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and many people like to wear green. If someone does not wear green, there will not be any pinching anyway. No pinching at Hillcrest.

March 12 in Room 11

• The day began with music!
• There were St. Patrick's Day riddles for bell work.
• The class completed Dr. Seuss' biography.
• Students took a computerized (STAR) reading test in the computer lab to assess how far they have come this trimester.
• The final spelling test was today but results are not yet out.
• Everyone went to the library this afternoon.
• St. Patrick's day was the theme for art, today, too. The class is constructing some quite creative leprechauns.
• The teacher talked about St. Patrick's Day, Ireland, pots of gold, shamrocks and leprechauns. Some classrooms in this school apparently have leprechauns making their homes there. These leprechauns are responsible for the loss of pencils. Who knew?

March 11 in Room 11

• Mrs. Craig, sadly, was not at school today. Our sub was Mrs. O'Reilly. The students agree that she is pretty nice, although nobody quite comes up to Mrs. Craig. Mrs. Craig smiles sooo much.
• The second grade is learning about biographies. Yesterday they read about Theodore Roosevelt, today they read about Dr. Seuss, and highlighted important facts from his life.
• P.E. today.
• As the class begins to wrap up their cake making unit, they drew pictures of themselves eating cake.
• Room 11-ers were promised one HillBill each if they could manage to not talk for five minutes until everyone finished a math test. They made it for three. They'll have more opportunities to practice this exercise in the future. It's a skill needed for the third grade.
• Students read about dental health with the teacher. They practiced brushing their teeth and discussed healthy food choices and dental habits.

March 10 in Room 11

• In math class, students teamed up to play a subtraction game.
• Later, each child worked on a paper alone to see how well everyone understands borrowing.
• Much of the day was filled with the field trip to Marshfield High School where Really Rosie was playing. The musical captivated the second graders, providing intriguing experiences for everyone.
• In the afternoon, the children wrote sentences and drew pictures of what they had done in the morning, and what their favorite part of the play was.
• The class also did a Smart Board project showing the differences and similarities between Chocolate Chip Cake and Dutch Apple Cake. They had an opportunity to review past notes and learned to include commas in their lists.
• Many children are also earning points at recess. Ryan, Logan, Teron, Dylan, Adolfo and Zachary already have ten miles under their belts and Devin is well on his way to two marathons! Devin says his favorite subjects are running and whisper reading.

March 9 in Room 11

• Students are reading about Theodore Roosevelt and what an outstanding person he was.
• Mrs. Craig talked about conservation and Earth Day
• P.E. today!
• Mr. Martin visited Room 11 to remind the class about how to behave at a play.
• The class discussed what good behavior at a performance should look like. Then they wrote a 4-square paper about it. They thought of a topic sentence and four details. Here are their thoughts: "This is what a good audience looks like. Look at that good audience. They are not playing. That audience is listening to what the performers are saying. Look, they're not being loud. I like their polite clapping."
• The children practiced polite clapping and learned the difference between clapping at a play or performance, and clapping at a sports event.
• In math, the class is learning how to check their subtraction by adding.
• At the end of the day, everyone watched some videos of songs that will be sung at the play Really Rosie tomorrow.

March 6 in Room 11

• Dr. Seuss packet for bellwork: the students were to finish a word search and draw their own room-cleaning machine. This is a very creative group of children...
• Music--the class received HillBills!
• Students Partner read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish booklets. Then they wrote down as many rhymes as they could find in the story. Congratulations to Colby and Logan, who found 23 rhymes, and Ryan and Teron, who found 22!
• The spelling test today was a great success! WOW!
• For math, the class worked on borrowing using the SmartBoard.
• During the Dr. Seuss Read-a-thon, students wrapped up in blankets and read books together. Some students preferred to read by themselves while John and Devin busily wrote book notes in their journals. There was a Cat-in-the-Hat bin activity at the back table as well.

March 5 in Room 11

• The school has just received this notice from Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, through which we get our wonderful science teachers. We will not be able to take a class field trip there but the museum is open during non-school hours. Some of your children may be interested:
• 
  Here's a chance to see the beauty of marine life! The Art Museum has new
  exhibits, including one of fluorescent micrographs of marine larvae and
  embryos produced by 2 OIMB faculty, George von Dassow and Svetlana
  Maslakova.
  February 27, 2009 to April 11, 2009
  Artistic Microscopy from the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology: the work of
  Svetlana Maslakova and George von Dassow
  In The MABEL HANSEN GALLERY
  Opening event March 6, 2009, 5-7pm.
• On a more mundane note, the second graders in room 11 worked on ABC order this morning.
• They also finished painting and constructing their "stacking turtles." The turtles did not get stacked however, they were hung on our "clothesline," but not before the discovery that they made terrific Frisbees. Who knew?
• Our class drew pictures and wrote notes to one of our favorite classified people today: Mrs Green, our librarian.
• In the computer lab, the children are still working on typing a story about their favorite place in the school. Those who have completed their typing have changed fonts and letter colors to finish their paintings off.
• Dylan joined the gum chewers today.
• Students wrote short paragraphs about their favorite Dr Seuss books and why.
• During Art/Student Store/Finish-Up time today, students listened to music from the musical they will be attending next week, Really Rosie.

March 4 in Room 11

• Here's a joke that can only be told on this day: "Did you hear about the big parade?" "What parade?" ""All the calendars march forth!" Not many second graders understand the humor. It was used to teach homonyms. This joke is in the same category as "What time do you have to go to the dentist?" "Tooth-hurty."
• A new girl joined our class today. Her name is Samantha. Welcome, Samantha!
• The students finally got to eat their cake today! It was good and chocolaty.
• Before eating cake, second graders had to describe their piece of cake and make a scientific drawing of it.
• The class did more work on borrowing in math.
• For bellwork this morning, the students practiced proofreading.
• Dodge ball in P.E. It's everybody's favorite.
• The pre-spelling test produced these gum-chewers: Riley, Teron, Adolfo, Trinity, Garrett, Jonathan, Logan, Kelsey, Zoe, Devin, and Meagan.
• The teacher read Yertle the Turtle this morning. Now the class is painting paper plates green in order to make a stacking turtle.

March 3 in Room11

• Students created a zany animal flip book in response to the teacher's reading of If I Ran the Zoo.
• In math everyone continues to work on regrouping, deciding whether they need to regroup or not, and then actually doing the computing.
• Music today!
• Mr. Dunn, the science teacher, showed films of elephant seals and told the class a story of how he helped rescue a baby elephant seal (which, at about four months, weighed a mere 300 pounds. A full-grown male weighs 4,000 pounds.)
• Students lined up shoulder-to-shoulder in the front of a life-size drawing of an elephant seal. The seal was fifteen second graders long!
• The cake eating will have to wait until Wednesday because there was no time to do a proper write-up describing the experience.
• The class did have time to study another recipe on their own, and figure out just what steps to take in making succotash.

March 2 in Room 11

• Spelling word-sort. It's a review week, so there are twenty-five words to study.
• Because it is Dr. Seuss' birthday, Mrs. Craig read The Cat in the Hat and the students made tall "cat-hats" afterwards.
• They were so happily busy constructing hats that they totally missed P.E. and there was very little complaining.
• "Up, Up, Up, With Reading!" That's the theme of the new bulletin board outside of the room. As students complete a book, they write the name of that book on a paper stripe, then add it to a growing hat on the board which gets taller with each book. Who's hat will be the tallest?
• The class is working on setting up subtraction problems. They must figure out which number is bigger, then put that on top, at the same time, aligning the tens and ones.
• Everyone in class had a chance to contribute to the baking of a chocolate cake in Mrs. Stebbins' bread making machine. From measuring oil to adding chocolate chips at the sound of the beep, students were engrossed in the process. Tomorrow they eat!
• As part of the baking, students were then asked to write five sentences about how the cake was made. They were encouraged to use words like "first. next, after that, finally, and lastly."
• Students are also keeping track of ingredients, in order o better compare the cakes later.

February 27 in Room 11

• Spelling test--wow! Great spellers this week, and the words were a challenge!!
• Second graders sang their hearts out in music class.
• The class watched a Magic School Bus video about ants. It was called "Ants in Your Pants."
• A paper about opposites, called "Ant-o-nyms" became a really fun challenge once the students caught on how it was to be done. There were no hints!
• The rubber is hitting the road in math. Students are expected to finish nearly thirty-five examples of regroup and subtract. Many of them must complete it as homework this weekend.
• Top Dog Logan pulled sticks from the basket as contestants tried their hands at deciding which characteristic matched the seals and which one matched the sea lions. They slid their answers around on the SmartBoard.
• Students are working on a Venn diagram for sorting out pinniped characteristics.
• Each second grader is bringing a yellow note home with a permission slip to sign. The second grade has an opportunity to attend a children's musical at Marshfield on March 10 and it is hoped that all of them will be able to go.

February 26 in Room 11

• Teacher finished reading Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, Very Bad Day. Many of the students could really relate to Alexander.
• In the computer lab, students began typing in previously-written comments about their favorite place in the school.
• Thanks to Mrs. Stallings for helping with art. It was a very paint-y affair, and the students have accomplished some lovely pieces so far. Outlining and details are next.
• A positive report: no water was dumped on the floor today and no one tipped over in his or her chair.
• Names of gum chewers were omitted yesterday. Here they are: Riley, Colby, Jonathan, Ryan, Kelsey, Trinity, Dylan, Meagan, Devin, Jacob, Logan, Garrett.
• Zoe, who moved away, has happily rejoined our class.
• Groups of students worked together to make their own word sorts.
• Library today
• Many students finished their art projects early and were able to make little paper Abraham Lincoln figures.
• The P.T.A. is sponsoring a cookie-dough fund-raiser. Students brought home the catalogues today. A letter telling about benefits to the school accompanies the promotional information. Speaking from personal experience, the cookie dough is really terrific.

February 25 in Room 11

• First thing in the morning, right after flag salute and lunch count: P.E. Yayyy!
• Although it was indoor recess because the playground was full of puddles, at lunch recess, Room 11 went outside to throw the ball for Babe.
• Pre-test in spelling.
• Still working on The Great Ball Game, a Native American story.
• The class did more practice on subtraction and regrouping. Students can make voices to tell the story of the Ones Guy who goes over to the Tens Guy to borrow a ten so he/she can subtract.
• Students got out of school two hours early today.

February 24 in Room 11

• Music
• The class completed a cause and effect chart about The Great Ball Game."
• Regrouping in subtraction (borrowing) began today.
• Mrs. Craig began to read Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good Day.
• After recording taste, touch, sound, sight and smell of the Dutch Apple Cake, and draw a scientific drawing of their piece, the second graders got to eat a slice. Several students requested the recipe. It is for a bread-maker, but could probably be adapted to an oven using a large-size bread pan and baking at 350 degree oven
• Students teamed into green and yellow groups for a competition using their knowledge of pinnipeds.

February 23 in Room 11

• The class reviewed this week's vocabulary and listened to the story The Great Ball Game.
• P.E. class consisted of stations: hula-hoops, jump-ropes, pogo balls, and shooting hoops. IT WAS FUN!
• Mrs. Craig paid out ten extra minutes of recess as a reward this morning.
• Borrowing is beginning in math. Students subtracted by tens today.
• The class made Dutch Apple Cake. Each student had and opportunity to add one ingredient. Brynn turned on the bread maker. The cake was baking when school adjourned for the day. Monica and Meagan both took long sniffs of the baking cake and said they would hold the smell in their noses.
• The class divided into two teams and competed in a pinniped fact contest. The team with the most points won.

February 20 in Room 11

• Music--there are so many enthusiastic singers in this room!
• Students did an ant word search.
• The teacher read aloud "Two Bad Ants" by Chris Van Allsburg. A group discussion followed on character perspective and the way in which things look different to ants and humans.
• Final Spelling test
• The completed animal research reports turned out wonderful!!
• More writing: students wrote about what is their favorite place in this school. Topics ranged from the playground to the office (ofis) and places in between.
• Students completed their subtraction pattern paper. If the answers are correct, and students follow the directions on an answer key by coloring each answer box the right way, a pattern appears.
• Some of the students read Weekly Readers and took a Senteo computer test using remotes. Mrs. Stebbins is learning this learning technique right along with the students.

February 19 in Room 11

• Library day.
• Journal writing assignment was about being a good sport
• Each child labeled an ant diagram with ant anatomy.
• Students began researching state of Oregon in the computer lab. Required to find stat capital, flower, bird, and other Oregon facts. (Amazing how many students thought the capital of Oregon is "O!")
• Animal research writing continues. Most students are on their final draft.
• The class completed a weekly crossword puzzle of this week's spelling and vocabulary words.
• Children painted a favorite place in the school. More work on this art project next week.

February 18 in Room 11

• The class did an ABC order paper today.
• Babe played with everyone at recess. Sarah, Teron and Logan tossed the ball between the cones, quite an accomplishment!
• Pre-test self-corrections produced these Gum Chewers: Garrett, Meagan, Trinity, Ryan, Jonathan, Dylan, Devin, Krissy, Logan and Colby. Woo-hoo!
• The animal research project is going great guns.
• There were exciting relay races in P.E.
• The two-column subtraction practice went smoothly today.
• Journals in hand, room 11-ers took a tour of the school as part of a fact-finding mission this afternoon. They were to choose their favorite place at school, make a sketch, and write about it. Tomorrow they will be drawing and painting this special place.

February 17 in Room 11

• After working for weeks on regrouping the tens when adding, the class tried two digit subtracting without any regrouping today. Pandemonium! Everyone forgot how to subtract!!!! Luckily, Mrs Craig offered a few gentle reminders, Mrs. Stebbins helped with completing worksheets, and calm was restored.
• Mr. Dunn explained the difference between sea lions and seals. He showed pictures and some short videos. Then, students filled in pictorial charts, labeling pinniped body parts. Those who finished early drew whales and labeled them, too.
• Music was today.
• Students colored, cut and glued ant life cycles.
• Ant observations continue, with students looking for specific changes in tunnels, ant numbers and eating habits.
• Instead of Walk-to-Read this week, second graders remain in their own classrooms to gather information and write about their assigned animal.
• In researching animals, students have books from which they find characteristics, habits, habitat, food and behaviors of animals. Later they may be allowed to use computers for further fact-finding. Not only are students learning to read for information and how to write a research report, they are also learning fascinating animal facts.

February 13 in Room 11

• Hillcrest School celebrated Valentine's Day today. Friendships are so important!
• In the morning second graders did a Valentine's Day word search.
• Mrs. Craig read "These Amazing Ants" aloud.
• Our own ants are slowly building a tunnel. They would work faster if the room were warm all the time. It is still fun to watch them.
• Students took their final spelling test today.
• Room 11-ers watched a video about George Washington.
• In music, they played a game. Musical, of course.
• Students worked a math pattern puzzle. The answers provided the clues for the puzzle solution.
• After the afternoon recess, the class relaxed, passed out Valentines, chatted and frosted cookies. Thank-you to all those who donated frosting, sprinkles, and time!

February 12 in Room 11

• In honor of president's day, the third graders gave a presentation to Room 11 about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
• Students discussed topic, main idea and details as they created an ice cream sundae chart based on the subject, "dessert."
• The second graders are learning about ant anatomy.
• They also read about bats in a Weekly Reader and filled out a chart showing the topic, main idea and details.
• The young artists and crafts persons built their own extra-large Valentine envelope with a window in it. It will be used to hold the Valentines they receive tomorrow during our party.
• Many of the children chose new library books today.
• Because so many are sick, there were only fourteen students in our room today!

February 11 in Room 11

• Kickball was played in P.E.
• Ant observations continue.
• Pre-spelling test today--gum-chewers are Adolpho, Logan, Colby, Jonathan, Krissy, Trinity, Teron, Jacob and Meagan. You guys rock!
• Each student signed up for an "ANT" word to illustrate for the class "ANT" book.
• A brass ensemble from southwestern Community College demonstrated their instruments and played music for the entire student body in the gym. The students in room 11 really have a fine ear for music. they were good listeners and an appreciative audience.
• The classroom Sandy Beach mural received a wrack line today. More sea wrack is being constructed.
• Babe came to school today and would rather have had a chance to play at recess, but because of the concert, she had to stay in her kennel for the afternoon. Some boys played with her at lunch recess, though. Thank-you, fellas. And Babe thanks you.
• Hillcrest students each received a free ticket to the Bulldog vs. Douglas basketball game this Friday. The high school games are fun, and an excellent opportunity to show support and school spirit.
• For the Valentine's party on Friday, students will be frosting Valentine cookies. Each student will be asked to help out by bringing a can of ready-made frosting to school. What is not used this week will be used for another project in the near future.

February 10 in Room 11

• Room 11 had a substitute teacher today. Her name is Mrs. Spring. She taught school a long time ago with Mrs. Stebbins at North Bay
• The class worked on regrouping in math.
• They cut out pictures of an egg, larva, pupa and adult, then pasted a correctly sequenced life cycle of an ant onto another paper.
• The class watched a video of pinnipeds for science.
• Students reviewed the meaning of "sea wrack" and saw some photos of Babe below the North Bend bridge with sea wrack in the background.
• Mrs. Spring helped the class to complete a crossword puzzle of the spelling and vocabulary words for the week.

February 9 in Room 11

• Did anybody notice that IT SNOWED? Yes, right in the middle of reading class.
• The class did one more practice paper with regrouping an extra ten befor moving on to the next step in carrying.
• Most of the children finished their writing about what workers at school do. It was part of a project learning about how to write details.
• The reading story this week is called ANT.
• As a special treat related to last week's reading theme, Furry Friends visited the classroom. These working dogs help trainers teach children how to treat animals well. The children learned about pet safety and care and had a chance to pet and snuggle with these helping dogs. They sure are friendly!
• The class finished the rainbow face heart project.
• Mrs. Craig read a book called Antics, in which every word has the word "ant" in it. Students will be choosing their favorite "ant" word from a list and illustrating it to make a page for a class Ant Book. So far, the favorite word seems to be "Mrs. BryANT!"

February 6 in Room 11

• Math: still weorking on regrouping. Today their papers had a lighthouse on them.
• The ants are proving to be as industrious as thier reputation. They are building mounds and tunnels.
• Students wrote "sloppy copies" of the writing they are doing on school community.
• The second graders will be joining the rest of the students at Hillcrest in Marathon Madness, which begins on Monday. This is a challenge encouraging students to run laps during their recess time. They can earn points and prizes.

February 5 in Room 11

• The ant farm is set up and ready to go . The children are avid myrmecologists who have been inspecting, commenting, observing and recording ant information in their personal ant booklets all day.
• Many students will be bringing home a crossword puzzle of their vocabulary and spelling words as homework. This size of a crossword is a new experience for most of them.
• This morning the smell of popcorn permeated the school, producing envy amid second grade hall inhabitants. This was the smell of success--Room 11 students had earned a popcorn party and a cartoon as a behavior reward. The cartoon, Officer Buckle and Gloria, coincidentally matched the story they have been working on in literature class this week!
• Library today. Craft books, especially the ones with paper folding and construction, are flying off the shelves, ending up in many desks in room 11, where they are consulted and attempted whenever time allows. (And even when it doesn't). Students are building some amazing creatures and machines.
• The last hour of the day found second graders as busy as little ants, cutting, gluing and assembling their space projects in art class. Most paintings include a satellite, a planet and a constellation, each piece researched by the artist.

February 3 in Room 11

• Music, music, music!
• Mrs. Craig has arranged a display on the table in the front of the room with pictures and books about ants and the way they live. Soon our class will be getting an ant farm. Then everyone will be able to watch live ants in action!
• The second graders got something new to go with their reading this morning: a crossword puzzle with vocabulary and spelling words. Its a new skill for them to learn.
• In math, as the children learn to move the regrouped ten over to the ten's place, the helpful little box above the other tens has disappeared! Now they must carry their regrouped tens over with no reminders. This development did not seem to faze them.
• Mr. Dunn taught a lesson about tides. He had the class play a game outside. First students sat in a circle. Mr. Dunn held the "moon." Then, as he walked around the outside of the circle, students stood up as he moved close to them and stoop as the moon traveled away around the circle. After that demonstration, the class stood on the hill outside of school and looked at the mud flats which were visible because of the low tide.
• Babe came to school today.

Groundhog Day in Room 11

• The new reading theme beginning today is "Amazing Animals." The day began with Mrs. Craig reading a story about Aero, the K-9 Officer. Then the class read poems about animals.
• Journal entries were poems about animals using the letters in the animal's name.
• In case anyone missed it, today is also Groundhog Day. It looks like this winter will be a long one, as Mr. Groundhog surely saw his shadow and dove right back down into his burrow for another six weeks of snoozing. To celebrate this legend, the class made stand-up groundhogs, just for fun.
• Students played the much-requested game of dodgeball in P.E.
• They listened to Mrs. Craig read the story "Groundhog Day."
• In math, students set up two column addition problems, then solved them by regrouping.
• They wrote sentences about what the maintenance people do here at Hillcrest.
• Valentine's class lists will be arriving at home soon.

January 30 in Room 11

• Room Eleveners left music class with smiles and a happy note from Mrs. Nelson, the music teacher. Good job, kiddos, you are an exuberant group!
• Students worked on their letter to a community helper this morning. Some hard-working community helper is soon to be the recipient of a letter of encouragement and gratitude labored over by a second grader.
• The final spelling test was a really difficult unit test. It is now over.
• Garrett's grandma, Mrs. King, helped with writing and math in our classroom today.
• Many students stayed in for recess to finish overdue work.
• The assigned job idea seems to be working well. Jacob was seen with a clipboard and check-off list this morning, asking students for their homework the moment they appeared at the doorway!
• The class continued writing about Hillcrest community helpers. They are getting a clearer idea of what kinds of work people at Hillcrest do just by thinking and writing about it.
• Work on "carrying" and place value continues in math class. Today many students used unifix cubes to figure out their work.