We are finishing up our unit on Fractions! Today we made our Cookie Fraction Booklets that consisted of one whole, one-half, one-fourth, and one-eighth. These two little cookies crack me right up! The little girls who made these booklets are the best of friends, but they are opposite in almost every way possible. Can you tell?! One wanted her cookie to be veiny and creepy while the other made hers with a pink bow. I just love them to pieces!
We have been trekking along with learning cursive. I realize that not every 2nd grade teacher is able to focus on cursive, but it is a district requirement for us. Honestly, I’ve never gotten through the entire alphabet in lower and uppercase. This year I was determined to tackle it completely! So far we are finished with lowercase and now into uppercase letters! My students love it, and it only takes between 5-10 minutes every morning. We start standing up, ready to learn the movement with our arm. I model, give little tips, and then we write in the air. Afterwards I walk around with a smelly marker and put hearts around a letter and a word that they wrote neatly. Works like a charm!
Last week my school celebrated a Literacy Day on Friday. I mentioned in *this* post that I’m just not a fan of dressing up. Well, I decided that I just HAD to be Fly Guy because my students are SOOOO into those books this year. I’ve bought several to add to our classroom library, and that is always my first bin to be emptied! Plus, when we weren’t doing our Fly Guy stuff I could take off the wings and hat because they just weren’t something I could wear all day… hello, headache!!!
I just used two pieces of poster-board to make my eyes/wings. The eyes are glued to a sentence strip, and then stapled to another sentence strip that was fitted around my head. I added wikki sticks for the eyelashes and popsicle sticks with pom-poms for the antennae. I hot-glued the wings to a pair of fairy wings that Joelle never plays with anymore 🙂
My team decided to do book rotations throughout the day. Each class traveled to each 2nd grade teacher to see their character/read a story. So, I read Hi, Fly Guy six times on Friday! After reading we did a directed drawing of Fly Guy… they loved it! I don’t have a link to share for this directed drawing because I just made it up on the spot. We just went step by step together 🙂
On a different note, last week I noticed that my kids were getting LAZY when they were writing our reflections throughout the day. Their sentences were pitiful… they weren’t communicating their thoughts clearly… and I could barely read their handwriting. I knew I had to do something! I can’t send them to 3rd grade writing worse than when they came to me!!!
So, I decided to make these little “Quick Writes/Exit Slips” for my kiddos. I noticed a difference immediately. They aren’t forced to write just a ton, but they are required to communicate thoughts and write neatly with correct sentence structure.
My students were able to define what a prefix was after just one lesson… AND, now they are able to tell me what it is everyday before we get started! It definitely helped the definition to stick a little better!
I also use these during math. Here my students explained what they knew about fractions.
We are reading a Horrible Harry book during our ELA block. For a reading response I had my students write about their favorite insects. I love this one so much!!! How neat that she even knows about the Beatles!
We glue most of these into our spirals. If students finish early then they illustrate underneath their writing. If not, no big deal!
I’ve put 100 of these quick writes together in one easy pack! There are several different types for your students to use throughout the year. These are not intended to be used during your formal writing block. They are great for reading responses, tickets-out-the-door, and lesson reflections!
That does it for me! Just about as random as can be!!! Goodnight, y’all!
Hi, I'm Amy
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
I love your exit slips. Your kids are doing a great job of explaining what they've learned. I LOVE the “old” band from the 90's!! Any time we talk about a long, long time ago, my kiddos say “Like in the 80's?”
Just pinned your Fly Guy, haha! I dress up as a zebra every year (How the Zebra Got His Stripes) and may have to try your idea next time. Thanks for sharing all these ideas 🙂 Jen
Cute costume! I'm hoping to get through more of cursive this year, too. I also like to use movement with my kids-sometimes I challenge them to make the letter with a different body part of their choice-like, with the top of their head they could make it really big, or just use their shoulder and see how small they can make it. It's a little something I learned in a dance improvisation class one time! -Stephanie Applelight Moments
P.S. These quick writes are FAB! I need them.
CUTE!!!! I love how you came up with the directed drawing “on the fly!” Hehehehe
Hi Amy! I just wanted to thank you for ALL of your products and ideas. I use a ton of your stuff and am always so inspired by you. I used your band-aid craft from your “We're All Poets” pack the other day. My middle school students wrote “Wishes and Fears” poems, which were SO touching, funny, and so human. I had them put the band-aid with their poems and they turned out great.
I just wanted to say thanks!
Ashley Lafleur teachinginthenet.blogspot.com
My class does exit slips on either post its or index cards everyday. Saves a lot of copying time and paper. Cute costume!
8 Responses
I love your exit slips. Your kids are doing a great job of explaining what they've learned. I LOVE the “old” band from the 90's!! Any time we talk about a long, long time ago, my kiddos say “Like in the 80's?”
Just pinned your Fly Guy, haha! I dress up as a zebra every year (How the Zebra Got His Stripes) and may have to try your idea next time. Thanks for sharing all these ideas 🙂 Jen
Cute costume! I'm hoping to get through more of cursive this year, too. I also like to use movement with my kids-sometimes I challenge them to make the letter with a different body part of their choice-like, with the top of their head they could make it really big, or just use their shoulder and see how small they can make it. It's a little something I learned in a dance improvisation class one time!
-Stephanie Applelight Moments
P.S. These quick writes are FAB! I need them.
CUTE!!!! I love how you came up with the directed drawing “on the fly!” Hehehehe
Teaching with a Twist
Those cookies are adorable and would go great with anyone reviewing or introducing basic fractions. Love your costume. 8)
Your kiddos did great telling what prefixes are. You obviously did a great job and have wonderful learners. 🙂
Fishing for Education Blog
Hi Amy!
I just wanted to thank you for ALL of your products and ideas. I use a ton of your stuff and am always so inspired by you.
I used your band-aid craft from your “We're All Poets” pack the other day. My middle school students wrote “Wishes and Fears” poems, which were SO touching, funny, and so human. I had them put the band-aid with their poems and they turned out great.
I just wanted to say thanks!
Ashley Lafleur
teachinginthenet.blogspot.com
My class does exit slips on either post its or index cards everyday. Saves a lot of copying time and paper. Cute costume!
Good site. Well done.