Day 178: Talent Show!

I told you all a little while back that the second grade was going to put on a talent show as a tie-in to our last language arts theme of the year, which was named, "Talent Show."  We scheduled it during the last week of school for a few reasons: the grade level would be finished with the theme, the students would have sufficient time to practice, and we wouldn't get in trouble for taking away from "instructional time." (Our principal frowns on anything that takes away from classroom instruction; if we schedule a speaker or something, it must have a direct connection to the curriculum.  Not that we would just waste time, but it's better to be on the safe side.)  Moving on...

Permission slips were sent home during the second week of May; those who wished to participate had to send their forms back two weeks before the show date to give me time to double-check song lyrics (ALWAYS do this!), arrange performances, reserve the space, and make arrangements with the custodian for mikes, lights, etc.  Even with the deadlines, there were some changes as late as the day before (lost slips so notes were sent in, people dropping out or changing what they were doing, etc.  It was a little crazy for a minute there, but we got it all together.).

Talent show morning began as a scorcher.  The show was scheduled to begin at 9:30 and last until 10:45-11:00.  It was a humid 84 degrees at 8:45 when the children came in.  Let's just say that once all six classes, teachers, and various family members were in the cafeteria/multipurpose room at showtime, the place was toasty, even with the doors open!

Any students who were performing came up the to cafeteria first so we could arrange them in the order they were going to be on stage.  (Their classes came up later.)  Then we could have one act on stage while another was getting ready and the third was "on deck."  This way we could keep the flow going with a minimum of interruption.  Once the children were finished, they came back and sat in their seat; we returned them back to their classes afterward.

We broke the show into three sections to allow for changes. (Some acts had mats or needed to have the area cleared, props put up, etc.)  This also allowed our hosts (students from the classes) to have a break.  In all we had about 30 performances, so the hosts introduced about 10, as well as our "laugh breaks."  Laugh breaks are segments where two or three students tell jokes to the audience; our version of a commercial break.

Once we got started, things went along pretty smoothly.  We had one student forget her dance routine in the middle of the song, but she came back later and started over.  She rocked it!  We also had quite a few singers (with music and a capella, solo and in small groups), some dancers, a few gymnasts, a pogo stick act, hula hoops, piano recitals, baton twirling, a comedy skit, a guitar act, sports demonstrations, cup stacking, and several students who created artwork for display (portraits and sculptures). 

Overall, the show lasted just over an hour and a half, and we were able to get out of the cafeteria in time for kindergarten to get in and sing their farewell song for their parents.  (It was a little hairy there for a minute; I wasn't sure we were going to make it!)

The children enjoyed the show and were able to show off all of their talents.  I would say that if you plan to do this with your class or grade level, allow plenty of time for organizing and a few extra minutes in the show schedule to allow for little mishaps (because they will happen!).

In years past, we also provided refreshments after the show, but we didn't this year because it would have been cruel to keep the parents in that heat much longer!  But if the idea floats your boat and the weather (or air conditioning) works for you, then go for it!

Finally Here: Day 176: Haiku Hike

Monday, June 6, was Day 176.  To keep my students involved, we spent a portion of the day on a "haiku hike."  We read the story Haiku Hike, which is a student-published book from Scholastic.  I love the book because the students explain what a haiku is, use haikus to lead us through their hike in the woods, and give extra little facts about the things they write about. 

After reading the story and giving a few more examples of haikus, I took the children on a hike on the school grounds.  I told them to write any ideas they could think of while observing their surroundings.  I told them to focus on movement (i.e.,swaying), color, shape, feel, etc.  I was amazed at the number of things they were able to find: lilacs, blackberry bushes, spiders, robins, butterflies, forget-me-nots, poison ivy (on the other side of the playground fence near the fields), ants, cherry trees, daisies, and so many other things.

When the hike was over we came back to the room and I gave the children a few minutes to look over their notes and add to them.  Then I went over the expectations of the haiku, stressing the syllables in each line (some children like to count the words instead).  After that, the students began drafting their poems.  Through several drafts, syllable checks, format checks, and spelling checks, all of the students were able to publish a haiku with an illustration.  Below you will find a few examples:

If you can't read it, it says:
Daisy
Soft as a blanket.
White, yellow, green. Colorful. 
Swaying in the breeze.

This one says:
Hostas
Soft green and white leaves.
The back of the leaf is rough.
They are small and wide.

The children really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of what they had done.  I was proud of their effort and creativity.  Try this one with your kiddos!

Day 172: ABC Book Pictures

I posted last week about the ABC Book project I'm doing with my class.  Here are some pictures of the final project from last year. 



Cover




First page

 I plan to make the text larger this year and add more pictures for the items the students come up with this time.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Day 163: Talent Show!

Day 163 began the talent show season in my grade level.  In our reading anthology, the final theme is called "Talent Show."  Basically, the theme shows how people can have many different kinds of talents; not everyone who has a talent is a singer, dancer, or musician. 

As a wrap-up to our reading anthology theme, my grade level puts on a talent show.  The students are allowed to do traditional talent-show performances, but we also allow things like art displays, joke telling, dramatic/comedic readings and monologues, sports demonstrations, and acrobatics.  In past years we have had everything from cheer leading, hula hooping, dancing, and singing to musical performances, jokes, photography displays, and magic tricks.

The students perform for our grade level only, and performance is optional.  Parents and grandparents are invited to watch the show, and refreshments are served afterwards.  The children really like the chance to show off talents they may not have been able to show otherwise.

Our show is not until June 8, during the last week of school.  I'll let you know how it turns out!  

Day 158: Mother's Day

Today we worked on Mother's Day projects.  I know some teachers do theirs a few days ahead, but I find that sometimes little ones have a hard time keeping a secret, so I do mine a day or two before the weekend.

I've done various projects through the years, but this year we made cluster pins for Mom.  The students worked with me in stations to hot glue crystal beads onto pin backings.  Why pins?  I had the idea of "My mom's a jewel," and it was the easiest project to do with my kiddos.  (And, I had a hard time finding the proper cording for the necklaces I had originally planned to do!)

Result?  The students loved it!  I provided a range of colored beads, ranging from clear to gold to champagne.  Some of the beads also had an iridescent sheen on them.  The students planned out the beads they wanted to use (one even painstakingly picked out only her mom's favorite colors), and I helped them glue their designs (and reglue escaped beads!).

While the beads were setting, we created our cards.  Then we wrapped our pins in felt and tissue paper (a little cushion for the trip home!)

Here are some pictures of a final product:

Top view.  Isn't it purty?

Ooh.  Sparkly.

Day 157: Cinco de Mayo!

Day 157 was Cinco de Mayo.  We did a few things to learn about the day.  First, we viewed a short video on Brainpop Jr..  (For those of you not familiar, Brainpop Jr. is a website that provides short videos, quizzes, and activities on all topics for students in grades K-3.  Brainpop (without the junior) is for upper grades.  Check it out!)

Then we read a bit about Cinco de Mayo and made tissue paper flags. The flags are supposed to mimic the ones used in parades or fiesta celebrations.  Seeing as I work with second graders, more intricate designs could be a bit hard for most of them.  Anyhow, the students enjoy cutting the patterns (and it's a good review of symmetry as well!).

To make the flags, you take a sheet of tissue paper and fold it into quarters, lengthwise.  Then you fold that length in half so the free edges touch.  Then you cut the paper similar to the way you cut designs for a snowflake, being careful not to cut too close to the fold lines.  Otherwise the flag will fall apart once it's opened.  Open the flags and hang for decoration.

Day 151: Project Update!

My students finished their projects on The Wartville Wizard.  Here are some of their finished drawings:



I love the look on his face.




Stylish, even when covered in trash.




Trash as hair accessory and earrings.  Priceless.




So much trash that it floats above him.

 The students really enjoyed this project!  I think they were surprised to find out how much trash they make, even as little children.  They also learned how they can cut down on the amount of trash they generate and how to properly recycle/reuse/dispose of everything.

A good lesson for anyone.

Day 149: Earth Day Projects

I usually dedicate a whole week to Earth Day stuff, but since this week was a short week due to the Easter holiday, I had to cut back a bit.

Monday, we read about our human footprints in National Geographic's Human Footprint.  The students couldn't believe the amount of stuff ONE person uses in a lifetime.  On Wednesday we read The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden. (Tuesday was when we did our egg project because that's when my class was scheduled for computer lab.) Thursday, I had the children pretend they were a resident of Wartville and draw what they would look like with trash all over with them.  (This after we brainstormed what type of trash they would produce as children: straws, candy wrappers, gogurt containers, etc.) I'll post those pictures in a few days.

We also watched School House Rock Earth.  The children loved the video and some of them were still singing the songs as they were dismissed.  If you get the classroom edition, you will get bonus content to use with the students as well as a teacher's guide. 

Another thing I like to do to supplement my Earth Day lessons is show pictures/share articles from National Geographic. I think pictures really make the issues real to the children.

Happy Earth Day!

Day 148: Egg Update

Here are some of the students' egg projects I referenced in Day 147.

Nature-themed

Another nature theme

Day 147: Easter/Spring Project

With the Easter holiday upon us, I know many teachers like to read the story Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco.  In the story, the eggs are decorated in the Ukranian style called pysanky.*  (She also shows the style in the story Chicken Sunday.) 

*For those of you who aren't aware, Patricia Polacco's grandmother was of Russian descent and showed Patricia how to decorate the eggs Ukranian style. 

As an activity, I read Chicken Sunday to my students as part of our study on Patricia Polacco.  Once we read about the part of the characters decorating the eggs, I stop and explain the process to the students before finishing the story.  Once the story is finished, I take the students to the computer lab to view a site about pysanky and see a clip online. (We don't have Smartboards or laptop projectors for every room, so the easiest way for me to do it is to take the children to the lab and use the projector there.  You do whatever works for you.) 

Anyhow, we visit Eve's Eggs, a site of egg artist Eve Butterly.  Her site covers the history of pysanky, the different styles/techniques used for decorating, and features a gallery of eggs that she has done for occasions from weddings to baptisms. There is also a link on her homepage that will take you to a videoclip of her creating one of the eggs featured in her gallery.  She does a very good job of demonstrating and explaining the process as she goes along.

(FYI: If you can find a video clip from Reading Rainbow Program Episode #84 (the one that features Rechenka's Eggs), Patricia Polacco herself will demonstrate the process.  That's actually the first place I saw it years ago, but I can't seem to find the whole clip online. If you find it, please send me the link in the comment box and I'll share it!)

Anyhow, after we visit the sites and watch the videos, I allow the students to create their own version of the pysanky egg.  I provide each student with a sheet of white drawing paper and a tracer of an egg large enough to fill the space.  I also give them guidelines as to what types of shapes and colors should be used on the eggs.  Past that, I allow them to create their own.  We began the project today; I will post some of the final designs tomorrow.  They are coming along great!

Stay tuned!

Day 146: Service Projects Update!

Today we got our updates for our service projects.  Our project to raise money for Japan raised nearly $2,000 to send overseas.  Our project for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Pennies for Patients) raised over $5,400 for the organization.  Yay!

Day 145: Thundercake!

Today saw my class finishing up the story Thundercake in our anthology.  I love this story, written by Patricia Polacco.  If you are not familiar, the story is about a little girl (Patricia) who learns not to be afraid of thunder while helping her grandmother gather ingredients for a "thundercake."

My students love this story and are especially excited to learn that the recipe for thundercake (which belonged to Patricia's grandmother) is in the back of the book (and on the website linked above).  Every year I have students who are surprised to learn that you can use tomatoes in a cake, but they get over it.  Mostly because I bake a thundercake (or rather, thunder cupcakes) for my classes every year and share it as a surprise snack.  (Truth be told, you don't even taste the tomatoes through all the chocolate and strawberries!) 

If you've never made a thundercake for yourself (or anyone else), I encourage you to do so.  You will not be disappointed.  (And it doesn't even have to be a thunderstorm for you to enjoy it!)

Day 142: Pennies for Patients Update

We started our campaign for Pennies for Patients over a week. Our school goal is $3,000.  As of Tuesday, April 12, we raised over $2,600.  Can't wait to find out the final total!

Day 139: Animal Report Update!

Animal reports are finally finished and displayed!  My students did a lot of interesting animals this year, from white peacocks, panthers, and cobras to hermit crabs, coconut octopus, and elephants.  Here are two examples of what the projects look like once they are finished:

This is a student's report on the snowshoe hare.

Another student's report on the white peacock.

Once all of the organizers were done, the students drafted the information they had.  After drafting, students conferenced with me and wrote their final drafts.  Regarding the pictures, two sessions in the computer lab allowed me time to let the students find the pictures they liked.  Many of the pictures could be found through the clip art feature on Windows, but some had to be found on the Internet through Bing images.  After the pictures were printed, I coordinated the paper to match the pictures for the final display.  The students are very proud of what they've done and couldn't wait to see the final products, which range in length from one to four pages.  They can't believe they actually did "all that work"!

I, of course, knew they could.  It's just nice to know that they realize it for themselves!

Day 138: Ahh, Italia!

Wednesday, April 6 began our school's International Days.  Every year, we study a country as a school-wide effort for three to four days.  We have speakers, singers/dancers, food tastings, cultural trivia, and the school is turned into a mini version of the country of focus.  Over the past few years, we have studied China, Switzerland, Ireland, and Mexico. 

This year, we journeyed to Italy.  We learned about the country, listened to the Italian national anthem in the morning, made venetian masks, listened to (and sang along with) a group of Italian singers, enjoyed a presentation on the culture of Italy, and had a tasting at lunch, complete with an accordion player and tablecloths in the cafeteria.  The students tasted fresh mozzarella, Italian bread with olive oil, garlic bread with bruschetta, and pizzelles.

Some of the masks my students made for the occasion.

The PTA does a wonderful job of setting things up.  All of the halls are decorated according to theme, and the artwork displayed is done by the students of that particular hallway.  The students make giant (read: adult-sized) pictures of things that represent the country we are studying.  This year, the kindergarten hall way displayed pasta bowls, the first and second grade hall was gelato cones and pizza, the third grade hall was an olive tree orchard, the fourth grade hall was churches/cathedrals, and the fifth grade hallway was full of gondolas. All of the hallways had words related to the theme suspended from the ceiling. 

One of the signs on the first/second-grade hallway.  Other signs said "Delicious" and "Sweet."

In the specials hallway, there was a scene from Italy, complete with mosaics created by the children.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (outside our school library)!

The Coliseum.

A bridge into another part of Italy.



Some of the mosaics done by the students.  The entire specials hallway is decorated with them. All kinds of materials were used: noodles, beans, paper, buttons, foam shapes, tile, sequins, pasta, cereal, rocks, and string.

Ciao, Italia!

Day 136: Pennies for Patients and Voting

Last week we were helping Japan.  This week and next week we are helping children with cancer through Pennies for Patients. If you are not familiar, Pennies for Patients is a fundraising effort to help raise money to help with blood cancer research.  Last year we raised over $3,000 as a school.  Several years ago, one of our students benefited from treatment options researched through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  This year another student is also undergoing treatment options made available through the society. I can't wait to see how much we raise for this worthy organization.  I'll keep you posted!

On a side note, the votes are in.  Our district has voted (80-plus percent) in favor of the pay freeze.  That means at this point, jobs and programs are saved.  I'm just praying that nothing else major comes along!

Day 135: Helping Japan

A few days ago, I posted about my school's project to help Japan. Well the deadline came and went.  My class raised $85 to help the victims of the earthquakes and tsunamis by doing chores/jobs around the house to "earn" five dollars. 

I'm not sure what the final building total is yet, but I will let you know when I find out!

Day 131: Calling All Cooks!

Today we began the next story in our anthology.  We are reading Jalapeno Bagels by Natasha Wing. If you aren't familiar with the story, it is about a little boy of diverse cultures who is trying to decide what treats to take into his class for International Days to represent his heritage. His mother is Mexican-American and his father is Jewish.  His parents own a bakery that make tasty treats from both cultures. The recipe for the bagels is a representation of both cultures coming together.

As a class project, I ask my students' parents to submit one or two simple recipes that represent their family heritage or culture.*  I ask for two because I know that some of my students come from diverse backgrounds, just like the boy in the story.  Over the years I have gotten recipes from all over the world:  France, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland, China, India, Vietnam, Iran, Lebanon, and Mexico, to name a few.  I can't wait to see what recipes are submitted this year!

Once all of the recipes have been submitted, I type them up and organize them into cookbook sections.  I then submit to book to be copied so that each child has a copy to take home as a keepsake.
 
Do you have any neat heritage/culture projects you do?  Feel free to share in the comment box!

*This project can also be used for a cultural/heritage unit in social studies.

Day 130: Help for Japan

Day 130 saw the arrival of a school-wide project to help Japan.  One of the first-grade teachers on my staff created a fundraiser that all students can participate in and benefit the victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami.

The project is fairly simple: Each student does five jobs/chores around the house to "earn" $5.00.  Once the jobs are done and the student has "earned" his or her reward, that money is place into an envelope and turned in to me.  I then forward the envelopes on to the teacher in charge. She has contacts at the Red Cross who will send along our donations and letters of encouragement.  It is projected that if each child in our school participates, we can raise over $3,000 to help provide supplies and meet the needs of the Japanese people.  For students who can't afford the $5.00 donation (or choose not to participate), the teachers have signed up to be sponsors for those students and donate in their place.

I explained the idea to my students and they are very excited to begin this project.  I will keep you updated as to our progress. I can't wait to see what we do!

Day 127: Testing, Testing...and Writing?

Day 127 (Tuesday, March 22) saw the dawning of the final days of state standardized testing.  Our color theme days were coming to an end.  And we were still taking advantage of every free minute!

We were working away on our animal reports.  I still hope to be finished with them by April 1.  Most of the children have a lot of good information to begin with, so going from there should be smooth sailing (relatively speaking, anyway!).

A union meeting was called to discuss possible pay freezes for our district.  My state is another in an unfriendly climate for education.  More on that later.

For now, send good thoughts our way.