The Great Postcard Exchange

This year we have joined a 2nd Grade Great Postcard Exchange. We purchases Wisconsin postcards to send out to each state that has signed up. On our postcards, we put a caption about our school, community, and our state. We identified a few interesting state facts and what we are famous for! We have already recieved around 8 postcards from other states. Students' extended family members have also been sending us postcards from all over the United States. When we get a postcard, we read it, find where the state is in our Social Studies book (using the map in the book), and then put the postcard on a huge wall map that our janitor placed on the wall for us. What a learning experience in geography, communities, culture, and respecting differences. Furthermore, the whole school is able to take part of our exchange because we put the map in the hallway.

Technology

We have definitely embraced technology and have infused it throughout they day. In the Technology Lab we have created Wordles, began a typing program-Dancemat Typing, and learned many strategy and logic games on Coolmath. We have also used the Smartboard. Today we created a word search and found our names, (I had a hard time finding mine), did our penmanship, and then played Tic Tac Toe. We concluded by looking at pictures of Kapok Trees for our Reader's Theatre presentation.
We have also become photographers. Second graders have used the camera to take pictures of Respect for our Respect Presentation! They are so handy with electronics.
They have definitely fallen in love with the overhead...they love when the color bleeds when water is sprayed on the ink :)
MORE TO COME!!! (Ereaders, powerpoint presentations, etc.)

Loving 2nd Grade!

First Week-2 days

2 days and the first week of school is over! WOW, one can never prepare enough for how busy and overwhelmed one feels during the first week, even if it is only 2 days! Filling out and collecting paperwork, going over instructions/procedures, constant modeling, forming rules, and setting expectations collectively make the first 2 days exhausting but at the same time rewarding. What is accomplished and set as a firm foundation the first two days paves the rest of the year-176 days! We are off and chartering a course for learning, growing, teaching, and becoming independent 2nd graders!