Happy Hundreds Day!

Today was our one hundredth day of school, so we did tons of fun activities to celebrate!  We did one hundred addition and subtraction problems, skip counted to one hundred, did one hundred jumping jacks, count one hundred steps, and snap together one hundred unifix cubes.

If I had $100 journal response:

Fun sentences to finish:

Self portrait at the age of 100 on a $100 bill:

What Makes an Insect an Insect?

We are studying insects in science.  Our classroom is currently home to about 20 darkling beetles, 5 painted lady butterflies, and 200 silk worms.  Observing their life cycles has been an exciting experience for the students, and today we talked about the classifying features of insects.  

I started the lesson with a concept attainment flipchart, where students sorted insects and not insects, then discussed the commonalities between the identified insects.  Once we decided on what makes an insect an insect, I taught the students a song to help them remember.

To the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen,

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen,

Antennae, six legs, and an exoskeleton,

Head, shoulders, abdomen, abdomen

After singing and dancing a few times, I gave the students the task of creating a new insect species, using a variety of head, thorax, and abdomen templates to choose from.  They were to properly piece together three body segments, add antennae, and six legs.  Some choose to add wings, since most insects have wings.  Once they were finished with creating their new species, they gave it a name, since we talked a bit about the name classification system.

Families

 I had the kids make families to live in the houses.  Pairs of students worked on this project for three lessons.  The first was devoted to planning the family members, giving them names and ages.  In the second lesson, the students made the people out of templates.  In the conclusion portion, the kids wrote a biography for each family member.  These adorable pictures are evidence of the kids' hard work.  I am so proud!

Our Neighborhood Frieze

I recently started a Storypath for social studies about families and neighborhoods.  I paired the students up and they were responsible for making a house out of cardboard boxes and construction paper.  Some got really creative, adding smoking chimneys and flower beds.  We voted on road names, and the kids came up with their own family names.  

I'm Back!

To be honest, I forgot I was doing this.  Here is a brief look back at the past year!  After Spring 2011, I spent a week in Ellensburg taking a PE and Health class.  It was a grueling week, mostly because I was in class from 7am-7pm, and I was staying in a hotel room without the comfort of home.  Looking back, it was worth it because I now do not need to take those classes next quarter.  Summer 2011 was packed full of 8 classes, which began immediately after I returned from Ellensburg.  Aside from the stress, I really enjoyed my classes this quarter, as they included a Pre-K class, literacy class where I had to tutor a struggling reader, and a social studies class.  The week after Summer quarter ended, my first field experience, Pre-Autumn, began.  I was placed in a Seattle alternative school in a 4/5/6 grade classroom.  This was only a 4 week experience, and I learned a lot about the beginning of the school year from a teacher's perspective.  The week after Pre-Autumn ended, my ECE practicum began.  I was placed in a second grade classroom in Federal Way with a cooperating teacher I adore.  My supervisor was supportive and the kids were welcoming.  The three month internship was so positive, when I was asked to stay for student teaching, I could not turn the opportunity down.

So now we are caught up!  I am still in my student teaching phase, and even though it can be a bit overwhelming at times, I am loving it!  Second grade is a blast, and having built a relationship with the students during my practicum, it was an easy transition to full-time teaching.  We are working on all sorts of fun projects, which I will post from time to time.

Happy trails!