Maths Tools Exploration

At the beginning of the year, I like to take out five different maths tools and have students spend some time playing exploring with them. I choose five at a time because I usually have five different table groupings. I put one tool on each table, we "explore" for 10 minutes and then we all move as a group to the next table to explore the tools on that table in a round robin fashion until we have been to all 5 tables. Then we do it again the next day. I might change out one of the tables for another manipulative so that all of the maths tools we have become very familiar to the students straightaway.  For instance, I noticed that the color tiles didn't have a lot of appeal to the students this year. I will replace the color tiles with Judy clocks-- which in all likelihood won't be one of the favorite tools either. At the same time, students know what these tools are used for and will be able to use them appropriately when they are needed. The Base 10 blocks, the geo-blocks and the pattern blocks are always popular and the students really need time to play explore with them before I ask them to use them.

This is important for many reasons: #1. To have the students become familiar with the tools and what they can do. #2. Playing is how children learn--- yes, even in Second Grade! They are still young learners. Allowing them to play legitimately, actually gets rid of the desire to play with them. By the time we begin to use them to REALLY solve maths problems, they will have had their fill of "playtime" and be able to get down to work with the manipulatives. #3. Familiarity allows children to "think outside the box" in using maths tools to solve problems. Thinking "outside the box" is usually the goal whilst solving problems as creativity is the most essential traits needed. As Einstein said, "It is impossible to solve a problem on the level at which it was created". I want my students to be creative and persistent problem solvers.  Here we are on our first day of "Maths Tools Exploration".

  Geo-blocks

Base 10 blocks



Color tiles



Cube-a-links


Pattern blocks

Sno-Cone Social

Were YOU able to join us for our annual Sno-Cone Social? It was AHHHH-mazing! Our school secretary, Mrs. Duncan, went all out this year and we had a lot to see and do and GET!!!! 

Didn't make it? :(  

Lucky for you, I took a few pictures... Here's what you missed:

Here we have our new librarian, our Reading Interventionist and our Art Teacher making Sno Cones. Nurse Jill Has her back to us (unfortunately). Ms. Harris a 2nd Grade teacher andMrs. Gragg (Kinder) are in the photo as well.

                             The Pflugerville Fire Department brought out an engine for the Windermere community to look at ... and we even got to climb into the truck! They also used their engine to announce a few raffle prize winners but alas, I was not one of them! But, YOU could have been a winner...

The Pflugerville Police Department was there.

AND  we had two very special guests, 
Elsa and Anna!!

They had their audience transfixed by their hit, "Let It Go". They also stayed for pictures and to sign autographs. 

Costco was there offering membership discounts...

The Girl Scouts were there signing up girls for the new year...



Hmmm... How did I not get a picture of HE Buddy, the Mt. Playmore table,  and Barnes and Noble? 

Well, they were there too, with goodies and information. (I scored... just saying')




At any rate, a good time was had by all and I hope YOU can join us next year as we once again host our annual WPS Sno-Cone Social!

Birthdays!!!

We've been lucky to have TWO classmates with August birthdays!

Birthdays are exciting for EVERYONE, especially children. It's a special day when they are recognized and appreciated. In our room, all festivities occur after lunch and right around 2:00. We finish up our work for the day and get set with our backpacks ready to leave since we won't have any time after the "partaaay" begins! 

First off I read the story, The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle. 

                               

The students just LOVE this book! I read it at EVERY birthday so it becomes a class tradition. I also change the name in the book to be the birthday boy's or girl's name. Then we all sing "Happy Birthday" as the child stands up in front of the class to fully receive all the LOVE that flows at that time. We end with "jazz hands" at "... and many MORE!..." We all laugh and giggle. If the child brought treats, we get one on our way out to the "party" which is really just 10 minutes of free play on the playground. I do require that every child takes a few seconds to say "Happy birthday" personally to the birthday girl or boy and I always suggest that they play with the birthday boy or girl. 

Sometimes, a birthday falls in the summer when school is not in session. It's just not fair that everyone doesn't get the pleasure of hearing their classmates sing and wish them a happy birthday. In those cases, we celebrate their "half birthday", usually in December or January. They get the full birthday treatment,--just 1/2 a year in advance of their birthday! 

                          

Birthday cupcakes or not, EVERYONE loves celebrating a birthday in our classroom. We have two more coming up in September, which includes mine, and 18 more to follow this year. I know I'm excited! Happy birthday once more, Andrew and Kayden!

Introducing...

...Our new class pets!!! Please give a big hearty welcome to Van Halen and Ozzy (as in Osbourne)!

The guinea pigs join Princess Peach, our turtle, 

and five fish in the aquarium. Princess Peach L.O.V.E.S. the classroom and she's always so happy to come back after spending the summer at my house. She enjoys the kids and she especially enjoys when the students sit by her and read. She actually comes closer to the children to see the pictures in the books.

This week we started our science unit of tools and observations with a study of turtles using Peach as our science observation. We are reading and graphing about turtles and creating an interdisciplinary unit about turtles using our classroom pet. Next week I'll talk more about the reason I have pets in the classroom.

Meet the Teacher

It was so incredible to meet ALL of my students and their families tonight! So many big smiles and so many hugs! I can already tell that we are going to have an incredible year together! Princess Peach is very excited that FINALLY someone will be around to read to her! Peach misses the classroom as much as I do each summer. Sleep tight everyone! I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

QR Codes

According to Wikipedia, QR codes stand for "Quick Response" codes. QR codes are a matrix barcode first developed for the automotive industry for fast readability and the large amount of data that can be contained within them. You probably feel more familiar with the UPC barcodes on groceries but I am sure you've seen at least a few QR codes in magazines, museums and at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. To use QR codes you need to have a QR code reader app installed on your smart phone or iPad. I have i-nigma installed on my phone but there are many available and most are free. You might want to install one if you don't have one already since we'll be using QR codes this year for many things. Some of the ideas I have already are: scavenger hunts, animal facts, a classroom tour, writing, and math facts. I have no doubt that the students will come up with some clever ideas on their own after we use them a few times as one of my goals this year is to integrate technology into the curriculum in ways that students can easily replicate and improvise. QR codes are fun and a bit like "spy stuff" for kids. That's always a great learning hook! ;) To get you started, here's the QR code that is outside our classroom door. Click on the QR code to find out more about me!

Room 205

Here it is folks... This is where the magic happens... but it doesn't happen looking like this...

I'd better get to work...

Kid President's Pep Talk to Teachers and Students!

Hey y'all... Are YOU ready to be AWESOME?!??!!?!?!?!?




Yes, I SEE my students and all they can be... and I can't wait to meet you!!!

Dang! When will school start?

Hill Country Science Mill

I'm so excited!! Today, two of my team members and I drove out to Johnson City where they have built a new science museum. It's called the Hill Country Science Mill.
It was amazing!!! We had so much fun! Here's a few pictures for you!

These are the two teammates that went with me. Mrs. Woodall is on the left and Mrs. Gilbert is on the right.

This was the coolest thing ever! It is a self-supporting eco-system that uses water from the Science Mill's cistern to drip into the environment thus cleaning the water and supporting the moss and the plants that live in the water. It all works together! I love things like this.

This is Mrs. Gilbert and Mrs. Woodall developing codes to move the longhorn's head, the rattlesnake's tail and the armadillo. We had so much fun! You should go and try it!

This display was in one of the old grain silos. It's designed to look like an aquifer and you watch rain "fall from the sky" along the streets into rivers and seeping into the ground. We spent a lot of time there because we hadn't seen rain in soooo long! It was quiet and peaceful.

There was so much to do at the Science Mill! We'd really like to take a field trip out there but we're afraid it might be just a tad too far. We're thinking about perhaps meeting families out there on a designated Saturday... We'll see after school starts. In the meantime, I wonder if my avatar still works!

Introduction: What is Remind?

Time to Think About B2S15!

I can't get into my classroom yet, but I'm already thinking about school so today I did something I CAN do... Even far away from my classroom! I signed up for REMIND.
Remind uses a short code, 81010, to send alerts from teachers to parents. It will help me connect easily with you on your mobiles. I decided to use REMIND because YOU are your child's first teacher, which is why we, parents and teachers, need to work together to help your child succeed. Many teachers are using Remind to help keep you up-to-date with what is happening in the classroom. When my boys went to the middle school, most teachers used REMIND to send me quick, one-way announcements. The short messages I will send out are sent directly to your phone, and can help you keep up with things like:

-homework assignments 
-field trip updates 
-schedule changes
-library days 

There is no need to be concerned about your phone number being made public. Safety is a top priority at REMIND. PHONE NUMBERS ARE KEPT PRIVATE! You never know anyone else's phone number. This blurb is from their website: "There is no exchange of personal information between other parents. ALL MESSAGES ON REMIND ARE SAVED TO YOUR ACCOUNT. Everyone will have quick access to their Announcement History for future reference." Since you will only see messages I send after you sign up, it’s important to "join" our class. You can easily subscribe to Ms. Klein's 2nd Grade in one of three ways:

1 / SUBSCRIBE THROUGH TEXT MESSAGE

Text the class @code to the number 81010. After you answer the questions sent by Remind via text message, you will be subscribed to our class! Our class code is @mskleins2

2 / DOWNLOAD REMIND ON IOS OR ANDROID DEVICES

You can download the Remind app by visiting: rmd.me, and subscribe to our class by searching for our unique class @code.* The code for each class is along the right-hand side of your web account. Look for the @ symbol. Our class @code is @mskleins2

3 / SUBSCRIBE USING THE JOIN PAGE

Finally, you can visit remind.com/join and enter our class @code, your phone number and/or e-mail address. Again, our class code is @mskleins2

In the past I have sent newsletters home that didn't get read very often... Remind messages have to be less than 300 characters and are sent directly to your mobile device. I find it's much easier to read a short text sometimes and I'm sure you'll like this too. Give it a try! To be partners in your child’s education, we need open lines of communication. To be proactive, we need to consistently share information between home and school. To succeed in educating your child we need home and school working together. I can't wait to meet you and begin our SECOND GRADE ADVENTURE!!!

Where has the time gone?

gaaaack!!! What happened here? I better post before the new year starts... hmmm what to write about...