Thoughtful Logs

I began to use Thoughtful Logs last year in first grade as a part of our new reading curriculum, Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy: The Arkansas Model.  Last week, we launched this tool in our classroom.  It is a tabbed composition notebook that allows students to record their thoughts about literacy work and independent reading in the classroom.  This is what it looks like in our room this year:

Each Thoughtful Log is set up the same - with four tabs as pictured above: My Thoughts, Genre Learning, Powerful Words and Phrases, and Word Work.  We have started work in two of these tabs so far - My Thoughts and Genre Learning.  The other tabs will be launched soon.

Our first Thoughtful Log entry occured during our shared read aloud time with Mrs. G.  The lesson was devoted to the reading comprehension strategy of making connections.  Students took their Thoughtful Log to the library with the prompt (picture to the right) already pasted in and a pencil in hand.  Then, instead of just listening to the story and discussing their connections, they were able to connect their reading with some writing about The Relatives Came and what it meant to them.  We will continue to do this activity during read aloud time to keep the kids engaged and use the time meaningfully.

In other instances we will use the Thoughtful Log similarly during classroom time.  Throughout the course of the year, students will learn how to record their reactions to texts in large groups, small groups, and independently.

Another way that we have used the Thoughtful Log this year is by recording our genre learning.  During the first quarter we are focusing our study on fiction - particularly realistic and fantasy fiction.  So far, we have created anchor charts for both sub-genres, have read various texts in each genre, and have independently explored them.  The Thoughtful Log allows us to document this learning.  Below you will see our first two pages in the Genre Learning tab.  They have printed photos of the genre anchor charts from our classroom.  This enables the student to have a resource readily available to them about a certain genre at all times - even when the anchor charts come down off the walls to make way for new ones.

This final photo displays a typical writing prompt that we will use in our Thoughtful Logs during the year.  I can't wait to continue exploring this classroom resources with the kiddos.  I am very excited to see their responses to the fantastic literature that we will be studying, as well as to have a log that records their writing growth over the year!

What's GROWING on?

Mrs. Tuten and the kiddos have been HARD AT WORK!  If you had a chance to stop by during open house you got a sneak peak at what's been "growing" on in our room during science time!

Trying to get some roots growing on our trimmings!

Growing rye grass and alfalfa.

The wheat is growing in a straw WITHOUT soil!

Our new science curriculum, FOSS, has been SO much fun!  Stay tuned to see how everything turns out!

Fly Away Home

Well kind of...

We had an exciting day on Tuesday.  It all started before the first day of school.  My aunt, who has a fantastic "compound" in the country outside of Dodgeville (huge gardens, beautiful house, sheds, trails for four-wheeling, organic fields, etc, etc), had a cage of monarch caterpillars the last time I visited her.  As soon as I commented on them, she said, "Let me get you some for your classroom!"  In no time she had scooped up two fat caterpillars, a handful of milkweed and sticks, and poked some air holes in a plastic container.  I was all set to hatch some butterflies for my first time in a classroom - my first kind of classroom pet EVER actually!

I brought them to school and kept an eye on them all day, every day.  They chomped away and grew even plumper.  Then as I arrived for school on the first day - TADA - one had turned into a chrysalis over night!  As the kids came in and took notice for the first time, I told them that we should expect it to hatch in about two weeks, around the 14th of September.  The next day when I showed up, the OTHER guy had turned into a chrysalis, too.  Now, we wait...

On Monday when I walked into the room and turned on the light, the FIRST thing I noticed was a butterfly!!  I don't know when it happened, but chrysalis #1 had hatched and the butterfly was slowly drying out.  I didn't know exactly what to do next, so I emailed Mrs. Okray - our Barrie resident butterfly expert.  She sent down an orange for it to eat and recommended releasing it within one or two days.  

The next day, Tuesday, the other monarch had hatched!  Both were beautiful and looked ready to get out of their little jar and into some fresh air and sunlight!  I decided that instead of risking coming in to dead butterflies the next morning, that it would be best to release the butterflies at noon that day, while the kids were still outside for lunch recess.

I walked out with the jar and had a swarm of second graders around me.  I slowly popped the top off the jar, and butterfly #1 buzzed right out!  I think he/she was grateful for the fresh air (despite the smoke from the Minnesota wild fires).  Butterfly #2 required a little more coaxing.  I picked up the stick it was resting on and began to move it.  I didn't take long to take flight, too.  

And then the kids were chasing them across the soccer field...until they flew out of sight through the smokey air on the path headed straight to Mexico.  It was SUCH a fun experience.  But of course I forgot my camera...boo.  That's the thing I have to get better at if I'm going to keep up with blogging!  However, I think that lots of the kids will remember this - they certainly have talked about it a lot and have documented it with plenty of drawings!

Hopefully we will get a chance to see Mrs. Okray release her 8 monarchs tomorrow!

Weekly Update

Hi There!  Our second week of school was definitely a success!  We are getting used to the routines and procedures of our day to day business, but there is still much to do.  Here are some updates in our various subject areas:

Writing:  We are currently working on and "All About Me" book that will debut on Open House night (9/15).  This beginning-of-the-year project helps me get a feel for the ability levels of the kiddos.  After this project is completed we will start reviewing what makes a sentence.

Reading:  After completing a lot of procedural items (how the classroom library works, etc), I spent a lot of time last week getting to know the students as readers.  They took an interest inventory, went pretend shopping in a book order, and were tested on sight words.  All of this baseline information is so important when we begin to launch guided reading groups in a few weeks.  We also began to work on the Daily 5 this week and will continue to do so next week.  We will also kick off our genre, reading strategy, and comprehension strategies next week.

Math:  Mrs. Tuten has been hard at work with the kids in reviewing addition and subtraction strategies.  No new learning has taken place yet - just a review of first grade learning.  Next week, the students will begin reviewing numbers to 100.

Science:  This has been such an exciting subject!  Mrs. Tuten is kicking off the year by piloting our new science FOSS curriculum.  This new hands-on approach is very exciting and powerful.  The kiddos are learning about plants and animals and have been busy planting different kinds of seeds this week.  In the coming weeks, they will continue to learn and observe these plants!  Be sure to check back soon for a post with pictures about science!

Spelling:  This week we took our baseline spelling assessment, a test that gives the kids some more challenging words to see what kinds of patterns they have mastered and which ones need more attention.  We will begin our regular spelling routine next week!  More information will come on this soon.

Handwriting:  Mrs. Tuten started out our handwriting activities, too.  The students have a workbook that emphasizes the four S's: size, shape, slant, and spacing.  Last week, the students took a pretest to show off there skills.  In the coming weeks they will continue to practice letters that have the same kinds of shapes.

Please continue to check in for updates on our activities.  Also, please remember that Open House night is Thursday, September 15.  Mrs. Tuten and I look forward to seeing you then!

Introducing...

As you are already aware of, I am taking some time off during the month of September.  I am so lucky and excited to get to spend some more time at home with Addie while also continuing to work in the classroom during our morning literacy block!  I would like to take some time to introduce you all to Mrs. Karen Tuten, my long-term substitute who is teaching during the afternoons.  Mrs. Tuten has prepared the following introduction:

I earned my teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and began my teaching career in 5^th grade at Holy Trinity School in Oconto, WI.  After that first year, I taught 2^nd grade for two years in the Oconto Public School System.  Then Fort Atkinson became our home, and  I was hired to teach Grade 2 right here at Barrie School.   I then stayed home to raise two wonderful boys, David and Tommy.  In 1999 I was hired as a 4^th grade teacher at Barrie and “retired” as a 4^th grade teacher in 2009.

Presently, I am an Instructional Aide at Purdy School in the mornings, and am really enjoying being Mrs. Mayne’s long-term substitute for the month of September.  I look so very forward to meeting all of you.

Mrs. Tuten is responsible for the teaching and learning in the afternoons, including science, math, handwriting, and guidance.  I am so excited to have her in our room since she is a veteran second grade teacher.  We take much time during the week to touch base and check in about things going on in the classroom.  I already know that our partnership will be wildly successful!

I will resume teaching full-time on Monday, October 3.  If you have any questions for either Mrs. Tuten or me, please let us know!  And welcome Mrs. Tuten!

Leap Into Learning!

We made this bulletin board on the first day of school!  The students wrote about and illustrated what they are excited to LEAP back into at school!

As the bulletin board outside our classroom says, it's that time of year again to leap back into learning!  Our first two days of school provided lots of opportunities to get back into the swing of school things.  We unpacked backpacks, packed desks, played some get-to-know-you games, toured the room, reviewed some math, began a writing project, and much more!  So far, I think we are off to a fantastic start!


On a different note, I'd like to thank you for checking into our classroom blog.  I am brand new to the blogging world, but have done a lot of blog surfing over the summer.  The accessibility of a blog allows me to share MORE of our room MORE often, and I love that!  I will post as frequently as I can (between work, baby, and grad school! :))  - I am aiming for two to three new posts each week.  Lastly, please bear with me as I learn about this new tool, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns about our blog.  Now, go surf!