Bucket List

A bucket list is a number of experiences or achievements a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime. Here's mine: 

1. Fall in love.

2. Successful marriage.

3. Healthy and happy kids. 

4. Punaluu County (Black Sand) Beach in Hawaii.

5. Fireworks at Mount Rushmore.

6. Write a children's book. 

7. Take voice lessons. 

8. Flip a house to sell. 

9. Go swimming with Dolphins.

10. Take up dancing: Salsa, Line dance, Tap dance, Tango, Ballroom dancing, etc.

11. Join a Social Etiquette Class.

12. Be kissed in the rain. 

13. Fireworks in Duluth.

14. Fly in a Hot- air Balloon.

15. Start my own business (Childcare). 

16. Go Scuba Diving/Snorkeling and experience marine life up close. 

17. See a Broadway Musical. 

18. Participate in the Color Run. 

19. Ride an Elephant. 

20. Stay at an underwater hotel in Fiji.

21. Visit the Walk of Fame.

22. Go Zorbing.

23. Watch the ball drop in Times Square. 

24. Jump in a pool fully clothed.

25. Visit a Chocolate Factory (Hershey, Pennsylvania). 

26. Kiss under fireworks. 

27. Play messy Twister.

28. Smash a pie in someone's face.

29. Sing Karaoke.

30. Swim in Lake Superior.

31. Live in a house with a turret.

32. Teach 1st grade at a public school. 

33. Homeschool my kids.

34. Be a Mommy Blogger!

35. Drive a mini-van.

36. Fill a truck bed full of pillows and blankets and drive to the middle of nowhere to go stargazing.

37. Graduate college.

38. Attach a lock to a love bridge.

39. Visit Pixar Studios. 

40. Stay in Cinderella's Castle.

41. Go down the Shark Tank water slide at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

42. Swim with the Manatees in Florida.

43. Visit the largest swimming pool in the World (Algarrobo, Chile). It covers 20 acres which means I'll be swimming with no worries about sea creatures!

44. Visit Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

45. Go Mini- golfing.

46.  Move to Duluth.

47. Learn how to snowboard. 

48. Learn how to sew.

49. Visit all the mega churches in the United States. 

50. Put a piece of gum on the gum wall in Seattle.

Wear a Dress Wednesday

I bought this fancy Maxi Dress from Anthropology in April and I think I look pretty fancy! ;-)

Non- Standard Measurement

Everything is prepped and ready for Marshall!

We are going to begin our math lesson by reading a story called Measuring Penny. Based on the title and picture on the cover, what do you think we will learn about today? That's right, measurement. Today, you are going to learn about standard and non- standard measurement. (Demonstrate) One way to measure is to use a standard unit of measure like inches on a ruler. The book is 11 inches tall.  If I don't have a ruler, I can measure it with a nonstandard unit. (Measure book with pencils) The book is about one and a half pencils tall. We will talk more about measurement in a few minutes, but first, let's read the story! (Read story)

1. Looking at the cover, who can tell me the name of the girl?
2. What is the name of her dog?
3. The story we read is called, Measuring Penny after reading, I want to know, why do you think that is?

(T- Chart on Standard and Non- Standard measurement) This is a T- Chart on Standard and Non- Standard measurement. I want us to create a list. Raise your hand, and tell me, what units did Lisa (the main character in the book) use to measure?

We are going to do some measuring using Non- Standard units of measurement just like Lisa. Each of you is going to get a mini- book that looks like this (show book). You will be asked to find the width, length, and height of objects. (Read chart) Wide= width, long= length, and tall= height. 

To find your measurement, you will use a Penny Ruler. This is your Non- Standard unity of measurement for this activity. Before I send you off to work through this booklet on your own, let's do a few examples together!

Does anyone have questions?

** Check out Simply Skilled in Second and her Measuring Penny activity here on Teachers Pay Teachers.

*** I was observed during this lesson and my professor provided me with some fabulous feedback. She wrote, "Good job at giving quick expecations: "Spread out a little not to the back of the room." I like the idea of getting the wiggles out. Good classroom management skills. :-) LOVE when lessons begin with a book. :-) Your students are good listeners. You read the book well with fun introduction, enthusiasm, etc. You did a nice job of explaining how the dogs ears were measured. Thank you for complimenting the student by saying, "That's a really good observation." :-) Nice work of explaining the difference between "standard and non standard measurement. Thank you for asking students to raise hands! Thank you for telling the girl who said pennies as a measurement why her answer was good yet incorrect. Questioning skills are good to have and you are doing a nice job of questioning your students and your students are excited about measuring. :-) Their hands shot up in excitement! Thank you for thanking others. :-) Great quick informal assessment to see if students understand and are ready to move on. You are a natural, Liz!! A school will be lucky to get you and so will your students. :-) Good luck to you!"

Sequencing

Today, we are going to learn about the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Let's take a minute to think of the beginning, middle, and end of our school day. (Write beginning, middle, and end on chart) Raise your hand if you can tell me one thing our class does in the morning. Great job! In the middle of the day, we eat lunch. What else happens in the middle of our school day? What happens at the end of the day?

As you can see, there may be more than one event that can be classified as the beginning, middle or end. That is okay, as long as the events are put in order. You wouldn't want to say you line up for the bus and then get ready to go home. That does not make sense. First, you need to get ready to go home, then you line up so you can be dismissed to catch your bus.

(Chart) Certain words and phrases in a story give clues about whether the event is at the beginning, middle or end of the story. 

Many stories have a sequence to them. Sequencing refers to putting events or actions in order. Let's take a minute to retell the story of the "3 Little Pigs" from memory. What happens first? In the middle? At the end? This is our sequence of events. First this happened, next this happened, and then this happened.

This morning, we are going to read my favorite story. It is about a boy named Alexander who has had a very bad day. What do you think I mean when I say, bad day? Raise your hand if you have ever had a bad day. (Call on a boy and one girl to explain why their day was so bad and how it made them feel.)

Over here, you'll see that I have some events from the story. I want you to really be listening to the order of these events because after we read, we are going to try and put them in the correct order. (Read events)

Read story and ask, "Why do you think Alexander's mom said, 'Some days are like that. Even in Australia.'" Can you avoid bad days by moving? 

Raise your hand if you can tell me what the word, "Sequence" means. That's right! Sequence refers to putting events or actions in order. As a class, we are going to recall the sequence of events in our story and work together to put them in order. (Recall 7 or 8 events)

I have a short sequencing worksheet for you to complete. I want you to write a sentence and draw a picture to show the correct order of events from the story. There were more than four events from the story but I only want you to write and draw four of them. It can be any four events that you remember, just make sure to put them in the right sequence. (Show my example)

Below are several of my students examples:

We also had enough time to play an Alexander board game which my 2nd graders loved. You can get your copy here.

Water Cycle

Take a good long look at the water on the table. Now, can you guess how old it is? The water in this glass may have fallen from the sky as rain just last week, but the water itself has been around pretty much as long as the Earth has!

Today, we are going to learn about the Water Cycle! (Turn on PP)

The Earth has a limited amount of water. That water keeps going around and around and around and around in what we call the "Water Cycle."'

The Water Cycle is made up of four stages:
1. Evaporation
2. Condensation
3. Precipitation
4. Collection
(Have students repeat stages one by one focusing on pronunciation)

Evaporation is when the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes into the air. 

Water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid, forming clouds. This is called condensation.

Precipitation occurs when so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore. The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow. 

When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on land. When the water ends up on land, it will either soak into the Earth and become part of the "ground water" that plants and animals use to drink or it may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers. We call this collection, and it is where the water cycle starts all over again. 

Next, we are going to watch a one- minute video clip that is going to walk us through the four stages of the Water Cycle. 

Now, I want us to label a poster of the Water Cycle. 

The four stages of the water cycle are evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection so this is our word bank or the words we get to choose from. 

When the sun heats up water in rivers, lakes or oceans, some of the water turns into vapor or steam and goes into the air. What is this stage called? Is it evaporation, condensation, precipitation or collection? It is evaporation. 

When water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid, forming clouds it is called? Is is condensation, precipitation or collection?

When so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore, the clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow. This stage of the water cycle is called? It starts with a p.

And the final stage of the Water Cycle, when water falls back in the oceans, lakes, rivers, or may end up on land is called? That's right, collection. Great job! Labeling the Water Cycle was not an easy task, but you did it!

Alright 2nd graders, I want to teach you a song! This song is going to help you remember the stages of the Water Cycle. This is going to be so much fun and I am super excited to be able to sing about the Water Cycle with you this afternoon. Let's all stand up and form a circle. Make sure you have room and are not in your friend's personal space.

"The Water Cycle Song"
(Sung to the tune of She'll be Coming Around the Mountain)

Water travels in a cycle, yes it does
(Use pointer finger to make a big circle in the air)
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does
(Repeat finger circle)
It goes up as evaporation
(Move hands up to the sky)
Forms clouds as condensation
(Make a cloud overhead with arms)
Then comes down as precipitation, yes it does!
(Sprinkle with fingers while bringing arms down in front of you) 

**I was observed during the second half of this lesson. My professor wrote: 
"Water Cycle- 
Students were watching a short video clip to reinfroce their learning from earlier. Great discussion post video... Very engaging and respectful. Good check for understanding. Fun review- song with actions- students loved it! Thorough, well- developed lesson plan! Nice job!!"

Angry Verbs

We are going to play a game called, Simon Says. Has anyone ever played a game of Simon Says before? Here are the rules:

1.     When Simon Says to do an action you do it but if Simon does not say to do an action do not do it.

2.     If you do something when Simon did not say to do it then you must sit back down in your chair. Are you ready?

Okay, Simon says rub your belly. Simon says raise your hand. Jump up and down. Oh, Simon did not say to jump up and down. If you did it then you need to sit down in your chair. For those of you who are still standing up let’s try that again. Simon says nod your head up and down. Simon says to yawn. Clap your hands. Oh, Simon did not say to clap your hands. If you did then you need to sit down in your chair. Okay, one more time. Simon says shake your hair back and forth. Run in place. Oh no, Simon did not say to run in place. If you did then you need to sit down in your chair. 1^st graders, you did a great job! Give a classmate a high five on your way down to the floor.  

Did you know you just acted out a bunch of verbs? Jumping, rubbing, raising, nodding, yawning, shaking, and running are all verbs. A verb is an action word. Repeat after me, a verb is an action word. A verb is anything you do such as kicking, jumping, and walking. Raise your hand if you can think of another example of verbs?

We are going to read a book about verbs. It is a silly book and it is okay to giggle but you must be able to control your body. If you get too silly or cannot stop giggling, I am going to ask you to take a break. We are going to read, “To Root, to Toot, to Parachute- What is a Verb?” As I am reading pay special attention to the words in color because those are verbs. 

So, what is a verb? Yes, verbs are action words. I would like us to create a list of verbs. A verb is anything you do such as kick, jump and walk. Raise your hand if you can think of another example of verbs? This is a great list! I have something else I want us to do, but first, I need everyone to slide over to the smart board.

I want to see if we can find the verb within a sentence. A verb is what again? On the board you see ten sentences. I want you to take turns coming up and circling the verb or action word in each sentence below. We found all ten verbs! Give yourselves a pat on the back. 

We are going to do a super fun activity. Instead of making Angry Birds, we are going to make Angry Verbs. (Thank you Step Into Second Grade for the great idea!) Each of you is going to get a piece of paper that reads, “My angry bird _______.” There are five prompts like this on your piece of paper are you are going to fill in the blanks with a verb. Brady, give me a verb. So my sentence would read, “My angry bird run.” The sentence does not make sense unless so I need to add an –s to it. Now the sentence reads, “My angry bird runs.” You will need to add an –s to the end of the verb you write. Let’s try another one. P, “My angry bird ___. Can you give me a verb that will complete my sentence?” Good! Does anyone have any questions about the writing part?

Once you are done completing all five sentence prompts I want you to raise your hand. Mrs. R or myself will come and double check. Once one of us has looked at your paper you can come up to the front and get what you need to create your angry bird.

I have red, blue, and yellow birds. Each bird has feathers or hair, eyes, and a beak. I will have a spot for the blue bird and his facial parts, a spot for the yellow bird and his facial parts and another spot for the red bird and his facial parts. I will also have completed examples on the floor too so you can see what your bird might look like when it is done. Does anyone have questions about our angry birds? Okay, so- five sentences, check with a teacher, create your bird. E, what are the three steps? Good. 

This right here is why I get 3 hours of sleep a night. I know, I need to let go of my control issues. :-)

We hung our Angry Verbs in the hallway and received numerous compliments from students, teachers, and parents.

First one, "My angry bird surfs!" Love it!!

Not all verbs but we'll work on it!

 

This has been my favorite lesson so far and I cannot wait to teach it again in the next year or two.

Teacher Appreciation Week

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Growing up I always respected my teachers and was thankful for all that they did but ever since I entered the education program I have a new respect for teachers. I have never worked so hard at something in my life. I want to make a difference. I want to inspire students. I want to help students find a love of learning for a subject they never thought they would like. I want to show students love and model respect. I strive to do my best and I always feel like there is more to do or things I could have done better. I am never caught up and always have a long to do list but yet the day goes on. I am stressed, tired, and completely overwhelmed but then the bell rings and I see hundreds of smiling faces which makes me smile. I am so lucky to a teacher and although I miss getting more than 3 hours of sleep a night I would not trade any of it for the world. 

Last week was an incredibly interesting week. Below I'll share a few highlights:
- At morning meeting, it was J’s turn to share with the class his favorite part of the school day. He said his favorite part of the school day is Daily 5/ Writer’s Workshop. When another student asked why, he said, “Because the teacher’s are proud of me.” Both Mrs. R and myself spoke up and shared about his improvements and how proud of him we are. He was beaming. 
- Saw a mouse in the hallway. About 30 minutes later, Mrs. R goes to look for the mouse and all of the sudden I hear 30+ kids screaming and running down the hallway. I mumbled to myself, “Looks like they found the mouse!” Some of my kids ran into the hallway but I lured them back in, closed the door, quieted everyone down and started reading from our book, “Wayside School.” As Mrs. R, two other teachers, and the principal tried shooing the mouse outside our classroom was quiet. Mrs. R came back and commended me for how I handled the situation. 
- Teacher Appreciation Week comes with perks. There are not many perks to the job ie. money, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Parent Association's efforts to make us feel special. There was breakfast (I ate Yogurt for the first time), Biaggi's was catered for lunch, and there was Dessert Thursday. It also put a smile on my face to see all the chalk drawings in front of the school. 
- And last but not least, on Thursday, my mentor teacher was out which gave our class the opportunity to do something special for Mrs. R and I think it turned out great!