We're back after a LONG break!

So much has happened in our classroom since our last posting! Today, our class brainstormed ideas to blog about and this is what we came up with:

• Halloween Party
• Mummy Wrapping Mr. Flanigan
• Veteran's Day activity
• Turkey persuasive writing
• Turkey disguise projects
• Guided Reading centers
• Chewing gum in class
• Attribute blocks
• Visualizing activities
• Homophones and homonyms
• November PBIS paw incentive
• 1st grade buddies
• Fire safety and the Hoffman Estates Firefighter Assembly
• Elgin Symphony Orchestra assembly
• Science and weather

We will be updating the topics in the next few days!

Staley Da Bear Visits Timber Trails!

Staley Da Bear came to Timber Trails for an anti-bullying assembly! We learned about the different types of bullies and ways to STOP them! Staley had lots of prizes to give away for Bears trivia as well as answering questions about the assembly! Check out our class photos! Thank you to our PTO for arranging this high energy assembly!

Kevin Henkes Mouse Celebration Day!!!

We are super excited for our celebration day! Remember, students get to dress up as their favorite mouse character from any of the Henkes books we read! A description of the main characters will be coming home tomorrow. Feel free to download it here. Also, try to visit the Kevin Henkes official website for more ideas and details about the mice characters!

On Friday, parent volunteers should report and sign in at the main office. After obtaining your visitor badge, please come to room 122! We will have many different activities to do. The activities will be based on the books! We will also have a class Jeopardy game!!! Also, if you volunteered to send in a snack, please send it in with your child. Notices for volunteers went home today! If your plans have changed, please let me know as soon as possible! 

Paw-ction and THE SUPER SECRET PROJECT REVEAL!!!!

Here's our daily schedule for today....

And here's our class after reading the schedule:

It's going to be a GREAT day!

THIS IS THE MOMENT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

Our video book reviews!

To conclude our Kevin Henkes author study, we partnered up and reviewed the 10 of the 12 books we read in class! The purpose of doing a video book review was to have a fun way to share our thoughts on the books we read as well as meeting 2 of the Speaking and Listening Common Core Standards! 

 I can tell about the key ideas and details after I listen or read. SL.2.2

 I can answer questions out loud in complete sentences. SL.2.6

Our class really enjoyed practicing and then performing for our video!

First, students had to summarize the story. Next they had to find a new vocabulary word, define it, and use it in a sentence! Finally, they had to explain how they made a text to self connection. We used the SMARTBoard and a document camera to highlight the books!

 Check out our videos below! 

 

 

And some hilarious outtakes...featuring everything from sneezing, upside down books, the noisy lawnmower, and a student who was very curious  about the document camera!

ENJOY!!!

Outtake 1 Outtake 2 Outtake 3

Outtake 4 Outtake 5 Outtake 6

Outtake 7 Outtake 8 Outtake 9

Outtake 10 Outtake 11 Outtake 12

Outtake 13 Outtake 14 Outtake 15

Outtake 16 Outtake 17 Outtake 18

Outtake 19 Outtake 20 Outtake 21

Outtake 22 Outtake 23

We are SUPER excited for...

SOMETHING!

We just can't tell you...yet!

Stay tuned and check back tomorrow!!!

 

Paper Airplane Contest

We had a great time with our class paper airplane competition! Congratulations to Andrew! His paper plane flew the farthest in our class! Andrew got to compete against the other 2nd grade winners and finally, as THE 2nd grade rep in out 1-6 grade contest! Andrew won a Hershey's bar for his winning design and technique! Look forward to next month's "Paw Law" incentive! Check out some of our class pictures during the competition!

A short video of the action!

Some student quotes about the event:

"This was really fun!"- Jeremiah

"It was really, really, really cool!"- Kataryna

"I learned to remember to be quiet and safe in the hallways!"-Arav

"It didn't matter if we won or not, it was all about having fun!"-Andrew

"I loved cheering for my class!"-Cecilia

"I think this was a really good idea to do the paper airplane contest! It was a great way to reteach our class about being safe, respectful, and responsible in the hallway."-Shaanu

"It was very cool to watch the paper airplane contest!"-Amila

"I am proud that we earned our class compliments!"- Meghan

"We are looking forward to next month's activity!"- Mandy

"Paw"-ction, Paper Planes, and Pennies

We have a lot of special activities happening next week!

Paw-ction Wars!

We will have our first ever paw-ction next week! Students have been earning paws for demonstrating excellent paw law behavior! We have lots of goodies to auction off! Remember, not every student will be able to "win" a treat at every auction. Students must decide whether they want to spend their paws on the item up for grabs! I usually start the bidding low (1 or 2 paws) but demand for the items can really draw the price up! :) I will try to upload a video after next week's pawc-tion!

Paper Airplane Contest

Our class earned enough class compliments to participate in the September PBIS celebration! Our focus this month was proper "paw law" behavior in the hallways: Being RESPECTFUL by being silent in the hall, being RESPONSIBLE by not disturbing other classes, and being SAFE by walking with hands to ourselves. Each time our class showed exemplary choices, we earned class compliments! Our goal was to earn 14 praises by September 30 and we arrived ahead of schedule yesterday!!! 

Airplane windows colored in for each class compliment

As a result of our excellent behavior, we get to participate in a paper airplane contest! Students will be able to make a paper airplane at home to use in our class competition next week. Each class' winner will then compete by grade level, and finally, the winner from each grade level will square off in front of our whole school to see whose airplane can travel the farthest! You can help your child by making a paper airplane this weekend and practicing flying techniques! For ideas and templates, click on the Fun Paper Airplanes website.

Please send your child's airplane to school by Monday September 30! Good luck!

Coin Challenge

Daily Coin Challenge

Please encourage your child to donate his/her "pocket change" to our class collection! Your child can bring in more than one penny, nickel, dime, quarter, or dollar each day! We will be able to purchase classroom library books with that money AND the class with the most money collected gets the special award of "mummy" wrapping an unnamed staff member with toilet paper! (Hint: the staff member's name rhymes with "Crincipal Janigan" *wink wink*) 

In other news...

Our class has been diligently working on finishing up our Kevin Henkes author study! We will finish up with a culminating "Kevin Henkes Mouse Day" Celebration! Please look for the parent note with more information about this (we need volunteers!)

We are also very excited to be starting a special book report project! Check out the kids working hard collaborating! They were so focused, they didn't even notice I was snapping pics!

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend! (No school for students Friday September 27 for a School Improvement Day)!