Chinese Calligraphy

How to Write a Story (for Children)

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/

Valentine Box Contest

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=valentine%20box

Valentine box ideas!

Super Achiever

Our super achiever has really come out of his shell!  This week Tony tried out to sing at the music program and is showing off his dancing skills!

Dragons!

After reading several Chinese folk tales this week we made dragon lanterns.  We learned that the ancient Chinese believed that there were several kinds of dragons: water, fire, earth, metal.  Each kind looked very different and had unique personalities.  Students chose their favorite and decorated their lantern with that dragon.

Unplugged

To my generation, Unplugged is a fantastic acoustic show on MTV.  To the students I am teaching now, it takes on a whole new meaning and brings fear to some of their eyes.  Two weeks ago I spoke to the 2nd grade.  I let them know that their teachers would be asking them to "unplug" themselves from all electronic gaming devices and limit their televisions time. "No! No! No!" was heard throughout the crowd.  

I figured that I'd better follow through at home, so Benjamin has been without any kind of gaming device for a week and a half.  I am happy to report he's still breathing.  The Legos are getting a healthy workout and he has actually read and picked up crayons to be creative!  I am liking what I am seeing.  We'll see where things go when testing is over.  

Well, today the day came.  The poster went up for the kids to pledge their intention to "unplug." I'll post another picture Friday so you can see (hopefully) that the list has gained a few names.

I have a few links that you can learn more about unplugging as adults or kids & why it is a great thing.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/features/timestopics/series/your_brain_on_computers/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-galinsky/the-brain-unplugged-from_b_685068.html

http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/pages/media-and-children.aspx

MLK Jr.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Story Smash-Up

Kinney & Pilkey Webcast on Scholastic

Students grabbed their trays as quickly as possible today & they giggled all the way back to the classroom.  We had lunch with Dav Pilkey & Jeff Kinney!  They are authors of our 2 favorite book series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid  & Captain Underpants.  The authors were interviewed about their strategy for writing a great story, then they jumped right in and started to draw and write!  It was highly motivating to see 2 people that the students respect so much do what they do best.  Following the webcast, students had copies of their story starters. Our job was to finish the story that the 2 authors started.  You could have heard a pin drop!  Below are my hard working kids showing off their creative writing and drawing.

New Year-New Ideas!

A new year, a new way to approach independent reading.  Kids have selected leveled text and are focused on reading a chapter book cover to cover.  This is a big job for a 7-8 year old!

We wrote class resolutions.
How can we become a better team together?

Students all wrote resolutions for themselves.  Then they were posted on their desks as a constant reminder of their new goals.  These students are such deep thinkers and all are striving to be the best they can be!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  We are going to start the year 2014 by writing class and personal resolutions. China & Japan are our new units of study in Social Studies. I have rearranged our classroom so kids are coming back to a fresh new look.  Fun things happening in the new year!