Our First Week in Review

   WOW! This first week back has flown by. Thank goodness because I think my classroom kiddos have passed some germs to my three month kid-free body zone. I woke up this morning with a slight fever and sore throat. BOO!
   At least we had a great start to the school year. After learning about math tools vs. toys we learned about the importance of cooperative groups. Almost everything my teammates and I do are in a cooperative group setting. It is important to us for our kiddos to learn how to share and properly communicate with one another. We practiced our cooperative group skills with Amy Lemons Silent Puzzles. Our kiddos worked in groups to try and put a puzzle together without talking. After a few stops and getting frustrated at their peers for talking, my kiddos got into the groove of working together without making sounds. I was so amazed how some of them even came up with hand signals instead of talking.

Silent Puzzles

look and listen to how silent they are

  

   My kiddos also learned about mathematicians this week. We made cute little boy and girl mathematicians and wrote what they do in a talking bubble (also from Amy Lemons). My teammates and I hung-up all of our second grade mathematicians as you walk down the elementary hall. They all turned out so cute!

 

   The first week was all about learning procedures and routines too. After learning about our classroom Peace Place my kiddos learned about the talking stick. We discussed how Native Americans used talking sticks in their tribes when communicating. My kiddos got to make their own talking sticks to take home. We role-played various scenarios of when we would need to use the talking stick. 

   My teammates and I were also excited to begin introducing the 7 Habits and Leader in Me. We taught our kiddos how to shake hands and say good morning when walking in the door. We also introduced our Leadership Data Notebooks. (you can read about them here) Before introducing habit one next week we exposed our kiddos to the meaning of habits, paradigms, and principles through plus/delta anchor charts, various read aloud, and hands on activities. I decided to create a leadership wall right outside of our classroom door to hang-up all of our activities and crafts we plan on making.

Our habits +/delta anchor chart

(each of the kids at the top have a letter on them to spell LEADERS)

 

   We ended the week with a special delivery. More to come tomorrow about what was in the box!







First Day Jitters...I Think Not!

   When I woke up this morning with the best nights sleep in weeks I was kind of nervous I was not nervous to start the new school year. My kiddos are AMAZING! It is just day one, but they are all so sweet and polite. It helps if you have some jitter juice to make all those nerves go away!

   The one thing I always realize the first day of school is how long procedures, routines, and expectations take. I swear my voice is so rasp from talking so much today. I have not talked so much in forever, although my husband would beg to differ. When we finally got to the real teaching today I was so excited to use Amy Lemons Let's Get Started {Beginning of the Year Activities} pack. Today my kiddos got to play and explore with different math tools we will use this year. They wrote on their recording sheets what they thought the tools would be used for.

 Links

 Base Ten Pieces

 Unfix Cubes

 Pattern Blocks



Clocks, dice, and coins

 

   Tomorrow we will review these math tools and then complete Amy's tools vs. toys sort. Well last nights great sleep better carry over tonight because this teachers tired!!!