It's Friday...It's Friday...It's Friday! Five for Friday (Feb. 21st)

This week has been soooooo looooooong!  I think we figured out why it felt that way for us...it has been a while since we had a full 5-days-with-kids week.  So all week long I was a day off.  I am so ready for the weekend!  Linking up with Doodle Bugs once again for...

Can we please get a trademark animal to represent Friday?  Sort of like this guy who took over Wednesdays: 

Hmmm!  What could it be?  Any ideas?

Alright fellow 2nd grade teachers...how many of you are departmentalized/team teaching?  I have taught 2nd for 7 years now and never had a team that wanted to pair up to teach.  Most of them are like me and feel pretty possessive protective of their precious friends.  Well this year, my team is even and at mid-year, we decided to team teach Science & Social Studies.  Woah baby!  Why have I not tried this before?  Oh-yeah -- I'm "protective."  Anywho...it really has taken a load off of my shoulders in the planning department.  It is SO much easier to be able to just focus on one subject while planning & I chose SCIENCE.  I really, really enjoy teaching this subject because of all of the exploration!  There are so many "a-ha" moments.  One of my favorites is teaching ---~the~~water~~cycle~--- (to the tune of my favorite Water Cycle song).  We have an online resource we use for Science in my district that is called StemScopes.  It has a really good Water Cycle song but the one I found last year is my favorite.  It is from the Have Fun Teaching guys.  If you haven't heard it, you have to take a listen by clicking the picture.  Your kiddos will love it and they probably all will sing along in no time.  Last year, my kids were singing it quietly as they took their assessment.  **WARNING: you will be singing the song for a few weeks after your unit is finished.  It is THAT catchy.**  I shared it with my family and all of the them were humming/singing it here and there for days afterward.  Ha!  

    

In Reading we began talking about figuring out the Theme of a story.  This is another favorite of mine because it really requires students to infer.  I have always taught this concept by having them think of the heart of a story or the lesson to carry inside our hearts.  As we began our week, a colleague of mine came to me because she felt we were teaching it wrong.  Our curriculum wanted us to also add in fables and morals and she couldn't figure out how to distinguish between both.  So now I'm questioning my approach.   How do you guys teach Theme?  Here is my anchor chart that I created by putting some other ones I found on Pinterest.  

Here is my anchor chart that I created by putting some other ones I found on Pinterest.  

Have ya'll seen those Pinterest Fail pictures where people have attempted a Pinterest idea and it didn't quite work?  I usually have done pretty well with my Pinterest attempts.  I also choose carefully and know my creative limits.  But here is a classroom idea I thought would be great and it started out well but now I have decided it is a big, fat, FAIL.

They obviously can't erase with them anymore.  The lids get misplace CONSTANTLY because they can't stick into the end.  And all of my dry erase boards and pockets are getting scratches from them trying to still use them.  UGH!

Lacey, my student teacher on the other hand, had a wonderful idea she brought into the classroom.  I have a Ticket Out The Door chart that I use for a quick assessment at the end of the day.  She however brought in this cutie and then she gives them small index cards cut in half.  She projects a ppt slide that has a question on it.  Sometimes the question is just a fun personal question like: What is your favorite part of school?  But other times she has had a question from the lesson.  I thought it was another great way to do a quick assessment.  I prefer my sticky notes because they put it on their number and therefore there is no need for names and I can glance at it quickly, but the kids seem to like the jar better.  I'm not sure why.

I have a VERY sweet mother of one of my boys who always has something for me.  Sometimes it is lunch from Panera/Chick-fi-a or sometimes it is something small.  I have received lotion, hand sanitizer, coffee mugs, etc.  Yesterday she came in as a Mystery Reader and brought along these beautiful tulips which is one of my favorite flowers.  They remind me of my grandmother who loved them.  She was my inspiration to be a teacher.  She always told me that the best grade to teach was 2nd and if I ever taught 2nd I would know why.  She was right.  What a great unexpected reminder of her and what a thoughtful family to be able to make me smile so often.