Life in Seussey Second

Soaring to greatness by thinking great thinks!

Play Matters

December15

Today Seussville citizens had the opportunity to travel to the Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum.  Due to my involvement with their teacher team and helping them implement field trips, our class won a free trip!  We had the opportunity to participate in their Explore, Challenge, Become program.

First we were in 5 groups of 5, and we went over the rules of the museum.
1.) We need to respect others, yourself, and the museum
2.) We need to help the grownups remember what it is like to have fun
3.) We need to have fun ourselves

We then were able to explore each section of the museum.  We spent 50 minutes on the top floor exploring the following areas:

Sand Table (plants, soil, manipulatives)
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Construction (trucks, tools, bridge)
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Farm (barn, cow, coop, garden, house, harvester)
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Then 50 minutes to explore the bottom floor:
Peoria Then & Now (town, train, theatre, science lab)
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Motion Commotion (balls and motion)
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Water Table (barges, locks, animals)
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After all that exploring it was back to the classroom where we shared our favorite exhibits so far.  We then were presented with masks and tubs of water and ask to choose which one we liked the best.

If you chose the masks, you were able to make finger puppets and then create a skit to perform complete with characters, problem, and solution.
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If you chose the tub of water, you experimented with different types of objects to see if they would sink or float.  Then you created your own boat to make float AND travel downstream.  If your creation didn’t work, you were allowed to make adjustments.
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What an amazing day of exploration, wonders, play and fun.  A big thanks to our volunteers that joined us and the Peoria Playhouse.  We would love to hear what was your child’s favorite part was and why in the comment section.

Music to Our Ears!

November19

This showed up on Facebook, Twitter, and welcomed us into Science class today:

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Second grade was buzzing with questions, ideas, and wonders.  Then we were splashed with words:

Sound (Day 1)_1

Hmmmm, now the loudness of the room was amplified with more questions, ideas, and wonders. Introducing *drum roll please* our new science unit on SOUND!  In order to proceed as scientists, we had to study crucial vocabulary words complete with motions to commit them to memory! Can you child show you the motion that goes with each word?

Sound (Day 1)_2

Next up, we needed to observe this new found vocabulary in order to understand the digital media and accept the  challenge at the end:

Finally after much anticipation, we discovered that size, shape, consistency, and the amount of water in a glass can bring music to  our ears!  We experimented with the sound and pitch as well as try to use our new science vocabulary to explain what occurred.
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What objects do you have at home that make sound?  How do you think they create this sound?  Can you use our science vocabulary to share your observations in the comment section?!

P.S. Can you explain an echo?  Use the digital media below to help:

 

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

October22

Second Graders you all deserve a bow,
We thus declare a holiday-
It starts exactly now,
Because you’ve done so splendidly
In ever sort of way,
This day forever shall be known,
As Diffendoofer Day!

What a wonderful day in second grade land today.  Mrs. Pitzer and Mrs. Zarko were inspired by the book Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by: Dr. Seuss, Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith, so much that they recreated the day.  The book is all about a school (Diffendoofer School) that is different-er then the rest.  They study things such as smelling, laughing and yelling.  One day they have to take a special test and they are worried they won’t pass because they are different.  If they don’t pass they will have to go to dreary Flobbertown.  You do not want to go to Flobbertown because everyone there does everything the same.  However, once the test is passed out they see that they were taught how to think and they pass with flying colors. They have a celebration with pizza, milk and cake.  They then decide to have a special holiday to celebrate their success!

Our Diffendoofer Day began at morning meeting where Mrs. Ellis, er Mrs. Lowe, introduced the school to some crazy second grade teachers. Then it was off to study the same subjects they study at Diffendoofer School:

1.)      Yelling: Mrs. Pitzer’s mom came in and students learned about sound.  They learned how to make noise that was loud and quiet.  They also learned how to change the loudness and pitch of a sound.  Finally they were able to use instruments and their voices to be noise making machines.

2.)       Laughing: Students read and laughed at so many Laffy Taffy jokes.  Then they picked their favorite one to illustrate and write about.

3.)      Listening: Students had to listen carefully to Halloween noises and try to write down as many sounds as they heard as well as draw a picture of the images they created in their minds.

4.)      Tying Knots: In this subject, there were bins filled with; twine, string, shoelaces, fabric, craft loops, yarn and curling ribbon.  The goal was to try to make something entirely made out of knots.  Students discovered which objects tied the best, which objects tied the worst, and that there is more than one way to tie a knot.  We could even wear our creation all day!

5.)      Noodle Poodles: Spaghetti noodles, spirals, shells, fettuccine, elbow macaroni and more were available for us to make a poodle out of noodles.  We then got to name our poodle and write something fun about it that we wanted other people to know.

6.)      Smelling: *sniff* *sniff* we tested our smelling skills by sniffing 8 different smells.  We had to try to figure out what the smell was and describe the smell using juicy adjectives.  We then picked the best and worst smells.  Some of the smells included: grape Kool-Aid, onion, vinegar, pumpkin, popcorn, chocolate and cinnamon.

Next it was time for science class by making robotic rats out of soup cans and foam balls.  We got to decorate our rat however we wanted adding pipe cleaners, washers, bolts, buttons, googley eyes and sticky foam pieces. It was so fun to create our robotic masterpiece.

After science, we drew pictures upside just like the art teacher Mr. Breeze who drew pictures hanging by his knees.  We sat under the tables and drew the life cycle of our robotic rats!

Time for lunch! Thanks to Double A’s Restaurant, the entire second grade got to eat pizza! YUMMY!

Finally our day ended with some mathematics fun.  We traveled through the following math centers:

1.)      Math Bingo: We played bingo for prizes but we had to find a problem that matched the number given.  We had to really think and practice important skills such as fact families and fact fluency.

2.)      Math Games: There were so many games to choose from: Tanagrams, Optical Art, and tricky puzzles.  It was neat to see that math can be in board games too!

3.)      Candy Corn Math: First our estimation skills were put to the test by trying to figure out how many candy corns fit in the jar. (571 pieces!) Then we used candy corns to measure objects and determine which objects were longer and which were shorter.

We also could not have had a day like this without parent volunteers and donations of all kinds. Thank you to all who contributed to making this a day to remember!

Here’s to a wonderful day filled with so many activities that allowed us to think AND have fun! Please feel free to share your favorite part of the day in the comment section.

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The Life Cycle: Seussville Style!

September18

We recently wrapped up our science unit on the life cycle of the Painted Lady Butterfly.  In order to celebrate, I created this video to highlight our fascinating exploration!  Can your child tell you each stage and how this insect transforms in each one?  What was their favorite part of this science unit and why?  Please leave your comment in the comment section.

Our First Butterfly Emerged!

September11

Meet our first butterfly, Cutie Jr.!

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This is the first butterfly that we had emerge out of its chrysalis and go through all 4 stages of its life cycle.  We quickly realized just how fascinating butterflies can be.  Right before it came out, its chrysalis turned black and almost see through.  We all wanted to hold it and feel it tickle our hands.  We observed how they move and use their proboscis to look for food.  It was neat to observe nature up close and personal.  We now can’t wait for there to be more!  What has your child observed about their chrysalis this week?  When do they think it will become a butterfly?

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The Pitzer Post!

September4

2P Class Logo~*The Pitzer Post*~

September 7-11, 2015

In this weekly post, you will find information about the academic content and special events happening in the upcoming week. 

Literacy (Reading & Writing)

Click the link to view our upcoming theme skills!
Theme 2 (week one)
Phonics Words:  broke, choke, cute, flake, spine, from, much, fruit, soak
Sight Words: road, three, father, much, hold
Vocab Words: rely, role, member
Grammar: Predicates (the telling part of a sentence)

Your child should have brought home their Theme One Vocabulary Journal. We work on these over the course of 2 weeks.  To help you understand what is expected from your child, I wanted to provide you with a student sample (student from last year who scored 18/18) as well as a guide with expectations for each section of their journal.  Please feel free to use this as a resource with your child so they can continue to improve their score!

Vocabulary Journal Parent Guide
Vocabulary Journal Example

Math

We will finish Chapter 1: Numbers to 1,000 this week. Our chapter test will be on Friday.  The tests in Math in Focus are set up to give problems they have never seen before in the hopes that they apply their skills.  Please practice counting by 1’s, 10’s and 100’s from any given number as well as standard form, word form and expanded form of a number.
Example: 236
Standard form: 236
Word Form: two hundred thirty six
Expanded form: 200 + 30 + 6
Try this for practice at home Today’s Number is…(you can print it out, pick a number under 1,000 and have your child fill it out!)

Second Step

Our focus skill this past week was Focusing Our Attention! We learned we should have our…

  • Eyes Watching
  • Ears Listening
  • Voices Quiet
  • Body Still

How is your child doing with their Focused Attention?  This week our class earned 9 Second Step Stickers which is above our goal of 7! Next week we will learn how to use self talk.  This means talking to yourself to help you stay focused and manage distractions.

Science

This week we have practicing the first step in the scientific method which is to observe.  We love each having our very own painted lady caterpillar to look at and write about in our observation log.  We can’t believe how fast they are growing.  We also learned a caterpillar has three main body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen.  Can your child show you the motions too?  Then are brains were filled with 6 fascinating facts about caterpillars and their chrysalis.  Check them out here:

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What was your child’s favorite fact?  Have they observed any of these facts in their cup yet?

Upcoming Events

Monday, September 7, 2016

  • No School! Labor Day!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

  • Lunch: Taco Tuesday
  • Fire Drill in AM
  • We are welcoming a new Seussville citizen! We can’t wait to meet her!
  • “rely” note card comes home, due Wednesday

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

  • Lunch: Chicken Sticks
  • “role”  and “ member” note card comes home, due Thursday
  • Hello! I’m Paty comes home.  Please read out loud, sign slip and return book and slip (there are some Spanish words so please just have them try those words as best as they can)
  • Practice strategies with story: make connections and create images
  • PLCs Early Dismissal at 2:15pm

Thursday, September 10, 2015

  • Lunch: Meatball Sub
  • Phonics Words Practice Paper comes home, due Friday

Friday, September 11, 2015

  • Lunch: Cheese Pizza
  • National Banana Day!
  • Chapter 1 Math Test!
  • Progress Reports comes home! Please sign and return on Monday, September 14, 2015!
  • DHS Home Football game vs Pekin

 Celebrating Our Greatness!

  • 3 students have had 10 improvements and became Wockets!
  • Writing our first book review and publishing it on Goodreads
  • Hearing excitement about our read aloud: Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.  What has been your child’s favorite cure? Can they tell you mine?
  • 2 students cashed in on sit at the teacher’s work space
  • We had the Bumper Seat Pass purchased for the first time and it is $800!
  • Follow Mrs. Ellis’s caterpillars on Twitter: #pancake #flapjack
  • We have a Spotlight on Grammar song sung to the tune of The Adams Family complete with snapping
  • First reading camp out was a success!
  • We took our first theme test today!
  • Reading Stamina: we are up to 20 minutes!
  • Wonderopolis: http://wonderopolis.org/ COOLEST WEBSITE EVER! It is a great way for your child to explore wonders.  There are wonders of the day that include a video and an explanation of how something works or what something is.

 Second Grade in Pictures!

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We are all a Flutter for Science!

August27

Today we had science class where we knew the contents of the perishable box would be revealed.  However, before our teachers showed us, Mrs. Pitzer gave us one more clue with this word splash!

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These words gave us so many clues!  We discovered this mystery perishable box would contain……..our very own caterpillars to observe!

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We could hardly contain our excitement as you can tell! 🙂 First, we had to practice observing with our eyes, ears, and our brains by watching these two videos about the life cycle of a butterfly:

Then we went over 4 very important rules for having our very own caterpillar:
1.) When we aren’t in Science we can still observe them but it must be during our free time without disrupting others.
2.) We must never take off the lid.  It is tight enough to keep our caterpillar inside but not so tight that it can’t breathe.  We don’t want critters all over our room or the oils in our skin to hurt our new friend.
3.) We need to observe carefully which means not shaking the cup.  Even if it looks like they aren’t moving we still must be careful because they could be sleeping or resting.

Once we agreed to the rules, we finally received our own caterpillar and an observation log.  We will be keeping track of what our caterpillar is doing and what is changing while we learn about the life cycle of a painted lady butterfly. We even got to name out caterpillar!

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Please be sure to ask your child what their caterpillar’s name is and observations they made today! We can’t wait to see them go through all 4 stages!

posted under Wonder | 1 Comment »

Hmmm….We Wonder…..

August26

Look what arrived in Seussville and the Second Street Cafe after you left:

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Whatever do you think it will be? Use picture clues to help you make some predictions and share them with us in the comment section of our blog.

Also how will we apply the scientific method to learning about what is inside?  Don’t know what the scientific method is?  No worries watch this video to learn all about it!

30 Days of Poetry – Poem #30!

April30

National Poetry Month Poem #30: April 30, 2015

Poem in your Pocket Day!
Listen to the Mustn’ts by Shel Silverstein

Poems for Blog_April 30

Celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with family and friends.

Remember, your challenge is to comment on at least 5 or more poems this month! Here’s a reminder of some things you could think about…

  1. What you liked or disliked about the poem and why?
  2. Can you explain what the poem means and how you know?
  3. Does this poem remind you of another poem you have read? Which one and why?
  4. Why do you think the poet wrote this poem and what from the poem makes you think that? (Think author’s purpose)
  5. Write your own poem on the same topic and post it in a comment.
  6. What words did you like hearing the best and why?
  7. Make a list of some of the rhyming words and or feeling words from the poem and then add other ones the poet could have also used?
  8. Type your own poem in to http://www.wordle.net/ , create your own word cloud, and then share the link in the comment.
  9. If you acted this poem out, what props, costumes, and scenery would you need and why?
  10. Reply to a friend’s post with a reflection or poem of your own!

For extra fun memorize and perform one of the poems above or illustrate your favorite one!

30 Days of Poetry – Poem #29!

April29

National Poetry Month Poem #29: April 29, 2015

HooPoe Voodoo by: Deborah Ruddell

Poems for Blog_April 29

Remember, your challenge is to comment on at least 5 or more poems this month! Here’s a reminder of some things you could think about…

  1. What you liked or disliked about the poem and why?
  2. Can you explain what the poem means and how you know?
  3. Does this poem remind you of another poem you have read? Which one and why?
  4. Why do you think the poet wrote this poem and what from the poem makes you think that? (Think author’s purpose)
  5. Write your own poem on the same topic and post it in a comment.
  6. What words did you like hearing the best and why?
  7. Make a list of some of the rhyming words and or feeling words from the poem and then add other ones the poet could have also used?
  8. Type your own poem in to http://www.wordle.net/ , create your own word cloud, and then share the link in the comment.
  9. If you acted this poem out, what props, costumes, and scenery would you need and why?
  10. Reply to a friend’s post with a reflection or poem of your own!

For extra fun memorize and perform one of the poems above or illustrate your favorite one!

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