Happy Halloween!!!!

(Above the kids did a little Halloween BOO-ling-hence they came home with a roll of toilet paper!)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

There was no class blogger today because we had such a jam packed end of the day today with our Halloween party!  This post will be all pictures, so enjoy!

The kids know me so well.  I already got some licorice for Halloween (Twizzlers are my favorite!)  

Up the Waterspout math activity with graphing and comparing numbers.

Mario, Ash, Vampire Girl, and Puppy

Mario #2, Fairy, Replacement Ref, and Angel.

Ninja, Pink Daisy, Grim Reaper, and Mermaid

Rapunzel, Cowboy, Hawkeye Player, Dolphin Trainer

Mario #3, Cleopatra, Zebra

It was a very FUN filled day and I have to say I really enjoyed my first school Halloween party!  Thank you to those who provided water, treats, plates, and napkins.  Also, thank you to the parents who came for the parade! :)
Back to regular business tomorrow!Mrs. Clough

Hallow's Eve!!!

From Landen:
I liked going to gym.

From Mrs. Clough:
Another festive filled day here in 2C.

We had many activities that centered around Halloween including a read aloud called Too Many Pumpkins, an activity with ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc) and a costume parade, and we continued with our pumpkin carving writing focusing on editing and transitions.  We will continue to work on our informative/explanatory writing with the pumpkin carving tomorrow.

We also did a number sequencing activity called "Going Batty", where the kids had to put a set of four random numbers in order.  They all did a really nice job!

We had an all day visitor today, Morgan, who is a senior in high school in Springville.  She is interested in pursuing a career in elementary education and came to observe and also help out in our classroom!  It was fun to have a guest all day!

Tomorrow is the big day!  Halloween!  The kids are very excited, as am I!  We will have lots of fun and academic activities going on.  We will have our party begin with changing into costumes around 2:15 with the parade and party to follow.  You are welcome to join in the parade by sitting in the hallway.  :)

Very important reminder:
Conference time preference notes went home tonight.  Please fill it out and return by this FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2nd.  I will then begin setting up a schedule according to your preferences.

Short post tonight, but look forward to a long one tomorrow!
Mrs. Clough

Pumpkins Galore!

From Cole:
We wrote the steps to carve a pumpkin and Mrs. Clough actually carved it!

From Mrs. Clough:
We have entered Halloween week and had a very busy, but I hope, fun-filled day!  Many of our activities were centered around Halloween including math, reading, and writing so I will share some of the highlights.

For read aloud today, we read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything (seriously has to be about the longest title ever for kids to remember!) :)  It is one of my favorite Halloween books and the kids really enjoyed it too and turns out they had read it in music class last week!  We also read Spookely the Square Pumpkin which taught us not to judge a book, or a pumpkin, by its cover!  Tomorrow we will watch the Spookely movie, which I know the kids are really excited about.

For writing today, we began a major writing project to produce an informative or explanatory piece of writing where I brought in a pumpkin and we discussed 8 different steps for covering the pumpkin.  As we made each step, I carried out the task with our pumpkin.  We just took rough draft notes to remember the steps for today, and tomorrow we will begin drafting our final publishable piece of writing.

Working on writing the steps in our 8 orange boxes.

Mrs. Clough digging the pumpkin guts out.  GROSS! That has always been my least favorite part of pumpkin carving. THe kids found it amusing though! :)

Final project.  We will work on our final pieces of writing tomorrow!

A reminder note went home tonight from Mrs. Asa about the costume party coming up on Wednesday. I will be sending our own 2nd grade party note tomorrow, so be sure to look for that.  :)

Check back tomorrow to see more of our Halloween learning activities!

BOO! :)

Mrs. Clough

It's Friday!

From Avery:
We visited Google Earth today and Google Earth is fun, really fun!

From Mrs. Clough:
Happy Friday!  I said this morning to the kids, "TGIF" and many of them had "HUH?" looks on their faces! :)  None the less, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Today in math we continued with reviewing story problems, although our focus was on subtraction story problems.  The kids really are getting the hang of using the different strategies and today we discussed what strategies are more efficient-easier, quicker, etc.  We will continue to work on this!  :)

Today we worked on a connections T-chart after re-reading Amos and Boris.  I think everyone was able to make some excellent text to text and text to self connections.  We also reviewed our vocabulary story for this week An Extraordinary Egg, which the kids find hilarious.  You will have to ask them about the frogs who thought they knew a "chicken" (actually it's an alligator).

In social studies, as Avery mentioned, we visited some more places around the world on Google Earth. They really are enjoying visiting different places around the world and learning more about the Globe.  Today we visited the Taj Mahal, The Lincoln Memorial, the Great Wall of China, Kids Inc. in Marion, and more.  We also reviewed city/state/country/continent/planet as well as the 7 continents song and 4 oceans.  Today I also introduced them to the 50 Nifty United States song.  Check it out on youtube!  Next week, we will really delve more into map skills (compass rose, grid, birdseye view, etc).  So stay tuned for that!

Those were some of our highlights today. Here are a few reminders:
-October 31st is our Fall Costume Party at 2:45.  There will be a more extensive reminder note going home Monday
-November 9 is a NO SCHOOl day, as it is the end of 1st trimester already!
-Please send your child to school with a warm jacket or winter coat next week.  Many kids (not just in our class) came to school with thin zip up sweatshirts today and were freezing!  Hats and mittens would be a great idea too!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Clough

Rainy Thursday!

From Jakob:
Today we had PE and Music, and inside recess.  It was fun.

From Mrs. Clough:
It was a very rainy Thursday, and as Jakob said we had indoor recess for both recesses today.  I think the kids sometimes enjoy that more than going outside!  Not so sure about the teachers. :)

We had our monthly PBIS assembly today.  This month's focus was on Responsibility.  Congratulations to Emily D., Cole, Holly, and Kyle for being leaders in demonstrating responsibility this past month!  Every month there will be an assembly with new students being recognized, so stay tuned.

In math we re-visited addition story problems.  We reviewed the steps to solving a story problem: 1) Read the problem and visualize it, 2) Pick a strategy to solve it, 3) Solve the problem and SHOW YOUR WORK, and 4) Write an equation for the problem.  We reviewed the strategies as well and even added to our strategy list!  Tomorrow we will review subtraction story problems.

In social studies, we reviewed our City/State/Country/Continent/Planet chant, the 7 Continents song, the 4 oceans, and facts about the globe.  Today on Google Earth we visited my hometown, The White House, Universal Studios in California, and Frankfurt Germany.  Next week we will begin more of our actual pirate adventure and we will learn more about the compass rose, birdseye view, and more.

Today during Daily 5 time, we had a visitor who will be joining us until the end of the high school semester.  Baylie is a freshman who will be helping out in our room and we are happy to have her!  She also happens to be the older sister of Livy, here in 2C. :)

Tomorrow I have a fun pumpkin writing AND carving activity planned (I will be doing the carving)...so check back to see pictures of the fun!

Don't forget to have your child wear Red and Gold tomorrow for School Colors Day for Red Ribbon Week.

Mrs. Clough

From Gracin:
We did Google Earth and we went to Hawaii and New York, which are both states in the USA.

From Mrs. Clough:
Wow!  What a beautiful day, feels more like early summer, than late fall!  Enjoy it while it lasts, that's for sure!  We had another very busy day in 2C, but one filled with fun.

In math we continued our work with number strings and also played "Beat the Calculator", which we introduced last week during math.  The kids are truly getting the hang of adding more than three numbers together-I was quite impressed! :)

In social studies, we reviewed the seven continents and our song.  I have put in a video of the kids singing it (with my loud voice leading-please disregard that!  I swear, I used to be a better singer!)

Also, in social studies, we learned about the 4 oceans and explored the globe a little bit more.  As Gracin mentioned, we did some more Google Earth time-and we were able to do it on the BIG SCREEN so everyone could see our journeys!  The kids really enjoyed it.  We visited the Empire State Building, the New Freedom Tower in New York City; Maui, Hawaii; Tokyo, Japan; and more.  Lots of fun!

Short post tonight...but more tomorrow!
A few reminders:
-Tomorrow is Wear Bright Colors Day for Red Ribbon Week
-Tomorrow, send some canned goods for Red Ribbon Week
-Next Wednesday is our Fall Costume Party at 2:45 note coming later!
-Send your child to school in a jacket tomorrow! Cold weather is coming!

Have a good night!
Mrs. Clough

Recap of Parent Night and our day today!

From Libby:
Mrs. Clough finished the Magic Tree House number one last Friday.

From Mrs. Clough:
First of all, thank you to everyone who came to the 2nd Grade Parent Night last night.  I think it was a success and I hope that those of you who attended found it informative, but also loose and fun! :)  For those that were unable to attend, I sent home the materials with your child this afternoon!  During out time together last night, I went through a typical day in our classroom and what we have been working on, also I gave a little more background about myself. :)

Today we continued with some number string math problems (3 or more numbers added together) and strategies to help us solve those.  We also began focusing on the doubles plus one strategy with some flashcards and I think the kids really latched on to that concept and are doing well, though we will continue to practice!

In social studies, we learned about the GLOBE and how that is a kind of map.

We wrote down different things we observed and knew as facts about the globe.  We will continue with questions we have about the globe tomorrow.

I have to say I was SO happy with the kids today and their responsiveness to my directions ALL day and their ability to stay at the appropriate voice level at different times. I told them whatever they had for breakfast this morning, they should have EVERY day! :)

A few reminders:

-Review those spelling words at home!  It DOES help! :)

-Please try to do a little reading with your child at home, it also truly helps!

-October 31st (next Wednesday) is our Fall Costume Party beginning at 2:45.  More info to come.

-November 9th is a No School day for teachers to prepare report cards (YES, it really is coming up that soon!)

Enjoy the warmer weather, though personally I liked the cool fall temperatures!

Until tomorrow, 

Mrs. Clough

Happy Friday!

From Kyle:
Today we finished the first Magic TreeHouse book and I think we will start the next book on Tuesday.

From Mrs. Clough:
TGIF!  Welcome back everybody!  Thanks for stopping by...it was another busy day here in 2nd grade and I will share with you a few highlights.

We had a big day in social studies where we began by reading There's a Map In My Lap which gave us LOTS of good information about all kinds of maps, in a rhyming fun way.  We then searched for places through Google Earth, which the kids LOVE.  We visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Tower Bridge in London, the White House in Washington DC, Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, and Disneyworld in Florida.  If you haven't used Google Earth, you should give it a try! Satellites up in space zero in on any location that you type into the google search bar and it provides a real image across the globe.  Perfect for our globe/map activities!

Using the iPad with Google Earth, visiting Tower Bridge in London, England.  We sat in a circle and passed the iPad around to see each location.

After visiting far away places, we then learned about the 7 continents on planet Earth with the help of a song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".  It goes like this:

Seven Continents on the globe,

Count them now with me.

North America, South America, Africa makes 3.

Europe, Asia, Australia are 3 more I know.

Don’t forget Antarctica! 

That’s 7-Way to Go!

The kids then worked on a continent and oceans word search.  So social studies was JAM PACKED! 

In math today we played a game called "Close to 20" which focused more on adding three or more number that would get you as close to 20 as possible, though it could be a little more or a little less.  The kids really did a good job and we will play it again sometime!

We worked on a writing activity, which also involved writing clues, wearing a mask, and taking pictures.  Stay tuned for more details on that-and you may even see something with those things hanging in the hall when you come to Starry for 2nd Grade Parent Night on MONDAY!

A few reminders:

-Newsletter #7 went home today-Check it out!

-NO SCHOOL Monday October 22nd.  

-2nd Grade Parent Night is Monday 6:30-7:30.  Come for some information as well as some fun!

Have a great weekend!!!  

Mrs. Clough

America Reads Day!!!

From Hailey:
Today we had inside recess because it was rainy.  Today we also had America Reads Day.

From Mrs. Clough:
WOW!  What a crazy, fun, busy, day!  We had a birthday party (Happy Birthday Kyle) and America Reads Day all tied into our normal, but full schedule.  I think I will mostly share pictures for today's post, but look for some reminders at the end of the post.

Yesterday we worked on a craft activity to learn and imprint the concept of town, state, country, continent, world.  Above you see a child working on theirs and below, the finished project!  They were so much fun to make and I think almost everyone can tell me what town, state, country, continent, and planet we live in. :)  Next week in social studies, we will really delve into the maps unit and put our pirate hats on! Stay tuned...

In math today, we explored the calculator and the kids played  game called "Beat the Calculator", where they were with partners and one partner had to solve a number string problem (three addends or more in the problem) using paper and pencil, using strategies, and the other partner used the calculator.  They then compared answers.  If they both had the same answers, then they switched jobs and went to the next addition problem.  The kids really enjoyed the calculators, but I explained that the calculator is something we use to make things easier, but in order to use it, we must understand what it is the calculator is doing (the mathematical process).

As Hailey mentioned we were indoors for recess due to the yucky rainy conditions.  It was also America Reads Day!

I know the letters are backwards.  :(  I took this picture with the camera built in the computer and its like looking into a mirror. BUT-the shirt says READ and that is what today was all about across all the elementary schools in Marion!

We had three guest readers today in our classroom who brought wonderful stories to read to our class.  The kids all enjoyed them very much.  A BIG thank you to our librarian, Mrs. Groene who organized today's readers!  :)  AND a big thank you to our parents who came and read today!

A few reminders:

-Monday is a NO SCHOOL DAY....HOWEVER, please come to school that evening for the Starry 2nd Grade Parent Night!  A reminder note went home earlier in the week, but I will put another reminder in the newsletter that goes home tomorrow.

-October 31st is the Halloween Fall Party.  As a reminder-no costume make up, hair spray, or inappropriate props (swords, toy guns, etc) are to be worn or brought to school, but costumes are encouraged! :)

Have a great night!  

Mrs. Clough

From Connor:
We had indoor recess and we had a really good day, and we were good at Daily 5.

From Mrs. Clough:
Hello everybody! Back at it and we're half way through the week.  I was gone yesterday at a meeting with all of the other 2nd grade teachers, so again it was nice to be back with the kids!

Today one of our highlights was during social studies.  We reviewed city, state, country, continent, planet and then the kids created their own little craft and visual to practice and review the concepts.  I still hear the occasional, "Our town is Iowa!" "Our country is Marion". :)  But, I think we are getting there!

In math we are learning different strategies to add 3 or more numbers (under 10).  We will continue to practice with this on Thursday and there may be a game involving a calculator as well, so stay tuned for that!

Thursday is America Reads day, so we have some guests coming to read to our class which should be a lot of fun, I will get pictures to post!

Sorry for the short post!  Lots going on but I will get more put up on Thursday!

Mrs. Clough

Happy Monday!

From Landen:
We are learning about our world around us.

From Mrs. Clough:
Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to second grade.  I hope everyone had a nice weekend, although the weather was not very cooperative!

We were back at it today in all areas!  We had a couple of math assessments about rectangles and geoblocks this morning and then the kids really enjoyed building their own rectangular prism (3-D rectangle) with the pieces I provided them.  I did not tell them how to put it together, so they got to do a little exploring on their own and we ended up with 12 great looking boxes! :)

Figuring out how to tape these things together!!!???

There they got it!

In social studies we read Me On The Map on Friday and again today.  I have found that kids this age really do not have a good grasp on where they are in this world (city, state, country, etc) so we have been doing a lot of talking and reviewing on this matter! :) Later this week we will work on an activity to help them visually remember! So stay tuned for that, but for today we just reviewed the different places and how they fit together.

We are in the town of Marion.  Marion is in the state of Iowa.  Iowa is in the country the United States of America.  The United States of America is on the continent North America.  North America is on Planet Earth!

As usual on Mondays, we had spelling groups.  Please make sure your child has his/her GOLD spelling list tonight to keep at home to study all week!  Sometimes I think they forget! ;)

In shared reading today, I read a story called Carry Go Bring Come.  I know what you're thinking, that title makes NO sense!  BUT-ask your child about it and they should be able to explain!  We continue to make text to text and text to self connections to build our schema.

A few reminders:

-I will be gone tomorrow at a meeting (as will all of the 2nd grade teachers)

-America Reads Day is this Thursday, October 18th (looking forward to having those guest readers!)

-School pictures went home tonight!  Check them out!  They look great!

-Monday, October 22nd, is a NO SCHOOL DAY....HOWEVER, we have our Starry 2nd Grade Family Night happening so please come to Starry that night for some information and fun!

Have a great night and enjoy the fall weather!

Mrs. Clough

Fall Festival Night!!!

From Cole:
We did responsibility trees.

From Mrs. Clough:
Happy Fall Fest Day!  In case you haven't heard, tonight is the Starry Fall Festival.  Parents are setting up right now as I type, so I hope to see you all here in a little bit!

Today was a busy, busy day!  My first FULL day back all week! :)  I'm going to mostly share pictures tonight, so enjoy!

Today we learned more about describing rectangles in math, and in particular we talked about rectangles having 4 sides and 4 corners that make RIGHT ANGLES.

The kids then went on a "Right Angle Scavenger Hunt" using square tiles to line up with objects in our classroom to test for right angles making an L shape!

On the hunt!  The kids had to record their findings on paper and then we had a contest to see who could find the most right angles. :)

In writing today, we did some more free response writing where I read a book (today it was Arthur's Halloween) and the kids had to stop and do some writing in four different times throughout the book.  We talked about how there was no right answer, just write to tell me what your'e thinking.  It could be a connection to the text or yourself, or if could be something specifically about the book and how you felt.  This was the second time we've done this and the kids seem to really enjoy it, which I am happy about! :)  At the end, we all came together and shared our responses.

Our shared responses. 

I think I will end here tonight...Cole mentioned we made responsibility trees today and I will share more about that tomorrow when I get some pictures taken! :)

See everyone tonight at Fall Fest!

Mrs. Clough 

Back, Up, and Running!

From Avery:
Mrs. Clough used her iPad.

From Mrs. Clough:
Hello everyone!  It seems like it has been forever since I have been on here, but as I'm sure the kids told you, I was gone yesterday and Monday.  I was at a workshop learning about a writing program along with Ms. Sheehan (another 2nd grade teacher from Starry).  I definitely got some great ideas, but I assure you, I was SO glad to be back today with the kids! :)

As Avery mentioned, I did use the iPad a bit today during supplemental group.  I've been searching for and downloading different apps for us to use in our room, so continue to stay tuned to hear more about that! :)  While I was in college, we used the iPad a lot in our education courses, so hopefully I can put those experiences to good use here at Starry!

In math today, we continued to investigate rectangles and how to describe them.  We also solved rectangle riddles with our square tiles.  I did not get a picture of our math activity today, so sorry!  Tomorrow we are going to go on a "Right Angle Scavenger Hunt" in our classroom so that should be fun!

We officially, officially said goodbye to our butterfly/caterpillar unit today as we filled in our "L" on the KWL chart we started back in August.  The kids were amazed to realize that at the beginning of the year, there were about 7 things they thought they knew about butterflies and caterpillars.  We came up with about 30 things we learned over the course of the last 2 months and we could have kept going, but ran out of time!  It was very exciting for me, as their teacher, to really grasp how much they remembered and learned throughout the unit!

SO-moving away from science for a while, we are going to be delving into social studies and today we did a KWL about MAPS.  It was quite humorous because the kids said a lot of things about treasure and pirates using maps...we may have a ways to go and a lot of information to tackle! :)

It was a short day today, so no news to report on Daily 5 or Shared Reading!

A few reminders:
-Starry Fall Festival is TOMORROW NIGHT! :)  See you there!
-America Reads Day is next Thursday, October 18th
-I sent home a note tonight asking for volunteers to bring certain items for school celebration parties we have during the year!  Thank you in advance for your help!
-October 22 is a NO SCHOOL day

Have a great night!  Bundle up-it's a tad chilly!
Mrs. Clough :)

Happy Friday AND Homecoming!

From Libby:
Mrs. Clough read a book called Because of Winn Dixie and in the story, Opal read Gone with the Wind to Gloria Dump.

From Mrs. Clough:
Happy Friday and Happy Homecoming!  It will sure be a chilly fall night for a football game, but none the less, GO INDIANS! :)  To celebrate homecoming and to get some exercise, we met up with the high school kids across the street and went on a 30 minute walk.  It was chilly, but I think the kids really did have a good time meeting the older students and interacting with them!

Some of the high school students had funny outfits on to celebrate homecoming which the 2nd graders found hilarious.

Chilly fall day, walking with the big kids!

In math today we continued reviewing our doubles addition facts and we also did some work with pattern blocks and shapes.  We will continue with some geometry activities next week!

Today I shared a book with the kids written by a teacher from my hometown in Fort Dodge.  It was published this summer and the woman who wrote the book teaches 3rd grade in the same building as my mom.  The kids thought it was pretty cool that I actually knew a REAL author! :)  The book is called The Three Techno Pigs and the Not So Bad Wolf.  They all really enjoyed it and then we spent time writing letters to the author and I promised them I would mail them to her, and hopefully, we will hear back! :)  

Newsletters and lots of school work went home today so be sure to check your child's take home folder!  I will be at a workshop Monday and Tuesday so the kids will have a guest teacher and there will be no blog posts, so I'll see you again Wednesday! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Mrs. Clough

A Cool Day!

From Emily D. :
We did some math and went out to recess.  We did DAILY 5 with reading, writing, and word work.

From Mrs. Clough:
Emily did a pretty nice job summarizing some parts of our day!  Everyone noticed how crazy the weather was today...we started partly sunny, it rained, was cloudy, and now is sunny again but none the less, it is much cooler!  I think fall may be here to stay by the sounds of it!  Please send your child to school in a jacket or at least sweatshirt as we begin to remain in cooler temperatures!

In math we began our work in GEOMETRY!  Many of the kids were very unsure as to what that word even meant and we discussed that it is the study of shapes.  I showed them several different geoblocks (3D wood blocks) and we talked about 'faces' on the geoblocks.  I had to chuckle a bit today because one student was amazed at the concept of 3D and said, "Mrs. Clough, I think we should give thanks for living in a 3D world, otherwise everything would be flat and that would be boring".  :)  We will continue with geometry on and off for the next couple weeks, so stay tuned!

Today we had our big butterfly life cycle test.  We had a review game early in the day and the students took their test this afternoon to test all of their knowledge they have acquired since the beginning of the year when we began the science unit!

Daily 5 went much better again today with kids transitioning to centers at proper voice levels and working responsibly!  YEAH!

This afternoon we also read a story called Best Wishes Ed and made text to text connections to our vocabulary story this week, Amos and Boris.

A few reminders:
-The Marion Homecoming Parade is tonight at 6pm!  Dress warm!
-Marion Homecoming Football game is tomorrow night!
-Next Wednesday, October 10th is an Early Release at 1:40pm
-Next Thursday is Starry Fall Fest...come join in on the fun!  Parent Group is still looking for volunteers by the way!
-Over the next week or two, I will begin contacting those parents who said they would be willing to volunteer in the classroom to set up times and let you know what I had in mind. :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Mrs. Clough

Half Way Through the Week

From Xander:
My favorite subject was art.  We made leaves in art.

From Mrs. Clough:
It sounds like a lot of the kids enjoyed art today where they got to do some type of project with leaves, which is definitely appropriate as the ground outside is littered with fall colors! :)  I can't believe how much the colors have changed even in the last week.

In math today we drilled ourselves with subtraction facts flash cards and also worked on different strategies for subtraction.  Based on our discussions today, I feel that we are stronger as a class in addition, so we will continue to revisit our subtraction flash cards.  Tomorrow we begin an exciting new math unit on GEOMETRY! :)  So stay tuned for that...

Instead of science today, we had grammar and we learned all about the question mark.  We came up with a list of question words:
Who, When, Where, Why, How, Can, Does, Will, etc....
We had a little fun with a 10-15 Questions Game where I chose an animal without telling them what it was, and they had to use our question words to get clues as to what my mystery animal was.  We played a couple of rounds, but they did not last long because the kids were asking such good questions! :)  They then had to practice writing question sentences on their own.

I had two students eat lunch with me today, which is always fun.  They had built their rainbows and chose the coupon where they get to eat lunch with me.  Following lunch we have spelling where we are continuing to practice sorting and spelling aloud our words.  Please review these with your child at night to prepare for the test on Friday!

This afternoon we made it through the Daily 5, although we needed several reminders to stay on task and be at the right voice level.  I have confidence that we will get through it much smoother tomorrow!

Overall, another busy day here in 2nd grade!  As I mentioned before, tomorrow we will begin our geometry unit AND we will also be taking our FINAL butterfly life cycle assessment.  Big day!

Reminders:
-Tomorrow is the Marion Homecoming Parade
-Friday is the Marion Homecoming Football Game
-Next Wednesday, October 10th is an Early Release at 1:40
-Next Thursday, October 11th is Fall Fest here at Starry! :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Mrs. Clough

Better Late Than Never!

From Emily M.:
I earned a coin for being kind.

From Mrs. Clough:
Hello Everyone!  So sorry for the delay and not getting to you all yesterday.  There was no student blogger yesterday because we had a birthday party at the end of the day!  Happy Birthday to Hannah! :)  We have been super busy here in 2C, although there is never a "not busy" day!

I need to begin with a short explanation of the seasonal tree I have in my classroom.  When I was in elementary school, my 4th grade teacher had this tree and each month she would decorate it with some kind of seasonal ornaments.  When she retired in 2001, she passed it on to a fellow teacher, who happens to be one of my mom's friends.  My mom's friend who teaches in Fort Dodge (remember, I come from a teaching family!), decided that since I got my first teaching job, she wanted to pass it on to me.  This tree is very special to me and every time I look of it, I think of my own elementary school years!  Just today, I took down the apples (for beginning the school year) and now have the halloween decorations put up! :)

Halloween!

Beginning of the Year-Apples

Yesterday in math we learned and played some new games for learning and remembering our doubles facts including "Double It" and "Doubles Array".  The kids have done a great job with it and are doing great with their doubles addition facts.  Today we had three assessment story problem questions and once again, they worked quite well independently using the different strategies we have been practicing the last two weeks.

We read the book Amos and Boris for our text talk vocabulary time and today discussed the meaning of three words: necessities, miserable, and opportunity (words all found in the book).  We discussed them at great length and tomorrow we will focus on three other words from the story about ultimate friendship and helping one another!  :)

We officially started our guided reading groups yesterday and so far they have been going great!  It is so fun to work with your children in a small group setting and in particular, to work on necessary decoding, reading, and comprehension skills.  Daily 5 centers are going well, with students working independently and a voice level one.  Hopefully we will be able to keep it up! :)

Over the weekend I was home in Fort Dodge and my father in-law asked me if I wanted a sunflower head (from their garden) to take to school...this worked out perfect because last week we learned all about the life cycle of the sunflower.  I must say however, this was no ordinary sunflower head-it is MASSIVE!  The kids were excited to see the big sunflower head today during science and we took a close look at the seeds that would fall to the ground in the fall and then begin growing down in the dirt in the spring.  I told the kids I would pick out 1 or 2 seeds for each of them to take home and plant on their own, so I better get my hands going on that, next! :)  Thank you to my father-in-law back home!

Sunflower Head!

A few reminders:
-This Friday, October 5th is Marion Homecoming!
-Next Wednesday is an Early Release at 1:40PM
-Next Thursday night is the Starry Fall Festival...this is a chance for you to come to school with your child and play fun games, have some great food, and have a great time!  The Starry Parent Group is still looking for volunteers to work at the Fall Fest, so if you are interested contact jandhmommy930@q.com to get signed up for a time!

Have a great night and stop back tomorrow!
Mrs. Clough