Wacky Words & a Summer Freebie

This week we have been stopping to review parts of speech with our main focus on nouns, verbs, and adjectives.  I started with a chart on the wall divided into thirds and labeled nouns, verbs, and adjectives (forgot to take a picture again).  Then I pulled out some of my favorites for teaching parts of speech:

A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What is a Noun?

To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What is a Verb?

Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective?

all written by Brian P. Cleary

 

The kids were quick to point out the rhyming text and how the author used color to identify the parts of speech inside each book.  At the end of each book, the author writes something like, Do you know what is a noun?  After each book, we brainstormed examples and I recorded them on our chart. 

 

 

So, what do you do after you've reviewed parts of speech?  Have fun with it, of course!  In the past I have used Mad Libs, but this year I found an awesome resource.  Do you know Martha from Primary Paradise?  If not, you will definitely need to check out her blog.  She shares some fabulous resources each week. 

 

 

Anyhow, she has a series of files called Wacky Words: Parts of Speech.  She creates some original stories that can be completed just like Mad Libs.  Some use multiple parts of speech while others allow students to narrow their focus on just one at a time.  I purchased the spring set and my kids were laughing up a storm when we read their creations out loud and were moaning and groaning when it was time to transition to the next subject.  You can bet I'll be pulling this resource out again for some comic relief (and important skill review).  You can learn more about this file by clicking the picture.

 

 

 

 

A few days ago I added this freebie to my TpT store.  It's a word search that contains 16 summer-themed words.  Just click on the pictures below to grab your own copy.  I've also added this to my freebies page. 

 

  

Giveaway at Bright Concepts 4 Teachers

 

Jaime from Bright Concepts 4 Teachers is celebrating her One Year Blogiversary.  She has some great prizes lined up.  The winner can even pick one item from my store.  Head on over and check out all that there is to offer.  The giveaway will run until the 19th.  Good luck!

Shopping Cart Show Off

In case you haven't heard, TpT found a way to show appreciation for teachers by throwing a sale.  I'm linking up to show off what made its way into my cart.  

 

All of my shopping was thinking ahead to what I will need for the next school year.  I was so happy to move these items from my wishlist to my cart:

Second Grade Sight Word Packets

Lori Rosenberg

 

American Heroes: Common Core Informational Reading and More

Teacher to the Core

 

James and the Giant Peach Book Companion Pack

Tracy Tegeler

 Numbers Every Day

The Teacher's Cauldron (Jen Ross)

 

 

 

 

Head on over to see what other great finds people found during the sale:

TpT Appreciation Sale!

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, TpT is having a Teacher Appreciation Sale.  On May 7th and 8th you can buy products for up to 28% off! (just make sure you enter the code TAD13).  Many teachers will be participating in this sale.  If you want to get a sneak peek of some of the stores that will be having a sale, click here.  

 

 

 

 

Currently, May

Loving

One thing I am looking forward to this month is a little getaway we are taking to celebrate my husband's birthday.  

 

Thinking

I have been scouring Pinterest and the internet to find new project ideas for Mother's Day.  What are you all making this year? 

 

Wanting/Needing

In a dream world, I would get a full day (without students) to get completely caught up on some projects that have been put to the bottom of the priority list.  Then, I would take another full day to get my crafty fix with scrapbooking.

 

Summer Bucket List

Family Adventures - Now that my daughter is 2, I want to take her on some little adventures and mini field trips (zoo, aquarium, etc.). 

 

Common Core - Next year we go into full implementation even though our curriculum does not align very well.  I want to become more aware of each standard and what it really looks like at second grade.  Not to mention my grade level team is putting together some resource binders for next year, too.  Thank goodness for a team with a common goal!!

 

Book Study - I loved doing the online book study for Guided Math last summer.  I'm interested in doing another one, but not really sure which path I want to travel down as far as topic.  Anyone planning or thinking about an online book study, too?

 

 

 

My happy thought for the day...30.5 school days to go and  yes, I am counting down!!

 

 

 

Thank you so much to Patty for helping me proof this one.  This is a 40+ page file on rounding.  Rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 is in the 3rd grade common core, but my second graders still have to successfully complete ballpark estimates as part of our math curriculum.  If you are looking for some extra rounding practice, click on the picture below.  This will be on sale for the next few days, too!  Hop on over and check it out :)

 

 

 

 

Head over to Farley's blog to see what other bloggers are up to!

Ribbit, Ribbit, Round It!

Our second grade team has worked really hard all year on ballpark estimates (aka rounding).  Unfortunately, I have one student who just doesn't get it.  Sometimes she is able to get it right, but other times 84 rounds to 60 and sometimes 32 rounds to 50.  I'm not sure why, but she just doesn't seem to have the number sense to help her with this task. While I only have a few months left with her, I was thinking ahead to next year and how I can improve my teaching.  I looked in the second grade common core standards, but I didn't find rounding.  I did, however, find it in the 3rd grade standards:

 

NBT 3.1 - Students will use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

 

Our district is not in a financial position to update our curriculum to align to the new standards.  So, I will still be teaching rounding in the form of ballpark estimates.  I started thinking about adding additional resources to my classroom and decided to make something.  I'm calling it Ribbit, Ribbit, Round It.  Thanks to Graphics From the Pond for the great frog clipart!

 

Right now the file is just under 50 pages and includes activities, games, and worksheets.  I would love another set of eyes on this new product.  Are you game?  Just leave a comment or send me an e-mail if you're interested.  As a thank you for helping me out you'll get the product for free :)  Thanks in advance!

 

Writing Opinions in 2nd Grade

Next year we will be fully implementing Common Core.  I decided that I would get my feet wet with opinion writing this spring.  I should mention that for almost a week, my kids were calling it "option" writing because they could not help but read opinion as option. 

 

Common Core Standard for 2nd Grade

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

 

I went to blogging sites, TpT, and Pinterest.  I found several resources.  We started with Let's Write an Opinion: A Common Core-aligned writing unit for grades K-2.  This was created by Susan Moran from T.G.I.F.

 

  

Let's Write an Opinion! by Susan Moran (T.G.I.F.)

 

One of the things I loved about this unit was that it started with learning about fact and opinion.  She added anchor charts and sorting activities, too.  My kids can access the sorting activity in the pocket chart during their Daily 5 choices.

 

 This week I added an anchor chart for opinion sentence starters to our wall.  The students were encouraged to make attempts at using these when writing their supporting reasons.  I told them that as we continue to write, adding these will become more natural and not seem as forced.  You can just imagine that my anchor chart was as bright and colorful as this one I found on Pinterest.  (My students decided that we could add I like or I love to the list).

(source: Live, Love, Laugh, and Learn in 1st Grade)

 

 

As many of you do, I started with modeled writing.  Then we moved into doing a writing piece together.  This week we all wrote about one recess activity.  Since the writing prompt asked them to imagine telling a new student about the best recess activity, I had the students write it in a letter format to a new student.  Here was an example (sorry, no picture this time - the camera battery died):

4-26-13

Dear New Student,
     Welcome to (name of school here)!  In my opinion, playing on the monkey bars is the best recess activity.  I think playing on the monkey bars is great because you can get stronger arm muscles.  I believe that when you climb on the monkey bars you can get faster and faster.  I know you can have fun playing on the monkey bars because you can play with friends from other classes.  Everyone should play on the monkey bars during recess.

                                                    From,

(student name)

 

 

Are you working on opinion writing?  Here are some of the other things I have found: 

 

 

Any other great resources out there I should know about?