On to the next adventure...

To all of our room 202 and Project kindergarten followers, thank you. While it is bittersweet, I am thrilled to journey on my next adventure, teaching 3rd grade. I have had so many people tell me 'I'm brave' or ask if I am scared, and my response is I love teaching, no matter the age or the curriculum! Follow my new blog and journey with my Sweet Carolina 3rd Graders- http://sweetcarolina3rdgraders.blogspot.com 

Mrs. Roper,

So grateful for the many memories we have made together with our sweet students along the way. I don't know how I am going to do it without you! 

Have a fabulous summer! 

Blogging:A Window to our Classroom Link

 

Blogging: A Window to Our Classroom

 Click on the link below to download today's presentation.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw1EZENe9jb2R3VXQjNoNHhIUUU/edit?usp=sharing

Wonderopolis Visited Our Classroom!!!

Something very exciting happened this morning! Representatives from Wonderopolis.org visited our classroom! We use this website every week for our Wonder of the Week and we refer to it often throughout our integrated units.

They 'got word' of how much we utilize their site that they wanted to see it used in action! They came all the way from Kentucky to visit our school! THANK YOU SO MUCH, WONDEROPOLIS for all the WONDERful resources you offer to busy classroom teachers and curious young hearts!

Mrs. Garner and I created a video (similar to what Wonderopolis provides) responding to the question, "How do ducks know how to swim?".

Students listened and watched to recall facts learned from the video.

We shared facts as a group.

While the students recorded their facts in their journals, I shared how we utilize Wonderopolis.org in  our classroom and how we have found it to be one of our core resources in our units.

Representatives from our District Office joined us.

What a great way to end Teacher Appreciation Week! Our students did a fabulous job on their MAP tests, and although these tests are important to show their growth, it is opportunities like these that make me so proud to be their teacher. It is not possible to be a successful teacher without curious, sweet, ambitious students and supportive parents. So, THANK YOU!

Mentor Author - Eric Carle

We have read several books related to insects by he famous author, Eric Carle. He has a magical way of teaching us information throughout his fantasy texts. We know this genre as literary nonfiction. He children were inspired by him to create their own literary nonfiction texts. Here is our journey so far...

Here are a two examples do our rewriting process. The students are writing their first draft in their "little books" and next week we will publish our final copy in our big books.

We Went on a Bug Hunt!

 

Yesterday, we went searching for BUGS! After finding several different kinds, we went back to the room to research what we found. We had to find out if the bugs we found were insects or not.

We know from research that insects have 6 legs and 3 body parts.

 

 

During our hunt, we found this interesting creature. Several students illustrated the bug and we used their detailed picture to research what kind of bug it is.

 

We found out that the bug is a Colorado Potato Beetle. They are very harmful to plants. They must get their name from their favorite plant to snack on, because we found that they really like to eat potato plants.

 

This week our students will learn about Honeybees, Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Crickets. We will use informational texts for research and Eric Carle as our mentor author. Check back with us for more updates on our Eric Carle Insect Unit!

WOW!

First, I want to thank YOU for visiting our blog. We have had over 8,700 visits to our site! My goal is to reach 10,000 by the end of the school year. Please help us reach our goal by visiting our site daily for updates!

Next week our students will take their Spring Reading MAP tests. I will post this afternoon with helpful tips to help your child prepare for the test. Their number one job is to try their best.

Be sure to check out our Click Clack Quack blog for updates on our sweet ducklings. You can easily visit the blog by clicking on the "Click Clack Quack" label on the right side of your screen.

Thank YOU for YOUR support this year!

Eggs are Quiet at the Daniel Home

I was out watering my plants this evening, when I found this sweet surprise.

The mother bird quickly flew away, so I did not get a chance to see her. I've noticed a bunch of Sticks and leaves were piling up in my planter, but I have not seen the eggs until today. 

Our duck unit has sparked a special fascination with the cycle of life of oviparous animals! 

Be sure to check out our click clack clack blog to see our candling experience!