Earth Day

I am a big proponent of helping my students treat others with respect. That's not limited to just people, though. We talk throughout the year about different ways we can recycle or reuse items.

In the beginning of the year, we bring in cereal boxes to create our Active Thinking Strategies journals.
















When hot lunch includes ice cream cups (once every 2 or 3 months), we wash and reuse the cups for counting (groups of ten) or the rare occasion we take to use watercolors or tempera paints.

 Last week, we began brainstorming some ideas that are important when it comes to celebrating our Earth. Here's a chart where I recorded some of the students' ideas (pardon my mistake and borderline sloppiness).

We then talked a little bit about what we could do to make our Earth a more beautiful place. We split this up in two ways: a) what we will do and b) what we will not do. I found (Pinterest, of course) a cute little Earth Day Pledge sheet, that I modified a weencie bit and used with my students.

Here's my sample followed by a student who I am so proud of for showing meeting IEP goals on this writing piece!

Annotated. Great phoenetic spelling & ending punctuation!

 

Today, day after Earth Day, we began our day with listening to Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5TwT69i1lU I just love that song.

I looped it for about 8 minutes while the students wrote a few ideas about why they think our world is wonderful. The paper I gave the students was blank, but on the projection screen were a few parts to copy: 1) the quote, 2) the artist, and 3) the writing prompt.
Throughout the day, there've been a couple opportunities to get the writing back out. I love when the students WANT to return to a writing piece (rather than me feeling like I have to bribe them)!

Finally, we painted a globby globe last week (few drops of green and a few drops of blue inside a circle, then twisted colors into each other using a doubled-over paper towel-- some students used the dabbing technique-- some dabbed with paper towel and some with a brush). It was fast… we had like 10 minutes to do it including distributing materials and getting globs on circles. We added to that today, though, some pictures of things that we love about the Earth. I told my students they could use pictures of places or words or even write their own ideas onto the globe. As an extension, some students completed a t-chart of things they already do to help the Earth and what they will start doing to help the Earth. They're super cute and headed out to the hallway tonight! Steal this idea and do it with your kiddos. You'll love it and so will they!

So… it's not just about Earth Day… we could go on and on and on! I hope there's something you can find and use with your kiddos!


I look forward to hearing your feedback and to follow each other for more rich experiences for our students.
Have a fantastic day!


desiree.r.schmidt@gmail.com

xtramath.org

Our classroom time is so precious that it is seldom that students can get on the computer in extra time, but I try to sneak in a few extra opportunities here and there. Each day, I have two "Special Helpers" in my classroom. There are little jobs and special things those two students get to do. I'll need to write a blog posting about my Special Helpers… this post is actually about xtramath.org (LOL I just made a typo-- corrected, but I have to LOL reveal that I typed xtrameth.org… omgosh… seriously… I need some sleep).

Just in case you're not familiar with this site yet, friends, I wanted to write a little blip for you! I have been using xtramath.org as a basic facts resource for the last two years. Basically, you type in your student roster (first names are ideal… if you've got second language students, nevermind using accent marks unless your students know how to input them themselves).  Students log in from the classroom (or there are special parent flyers you can print off to for kids share with parents and use at home).

The program has a "teacher" that explains what to do and gives encouragement at the end of each section. Kids are encouraged to work on speed and accuracy. The program is adjustable by the teacher and even provides the  teacher with emails (if desired) of struggling students. You can even check their progress.

I allow my special helpers a little computer time if they have a few minutes of extra time after tasks. I have headphones on two (relic) student computers so those kids are able to work without (audibly) disrupting their classmates. The kids love it, so they're very excited for their day to be special helper, which is typically twice a month. 

Check this site out and give it a shot. I have even added my own children to my roster; neither of them are 2nd graders, but I was able to customize their specific program to their grade level and skills they need to work on. I think you'll be glad you gave it a try!