Welcome to our Blog. We are a class of 19 second grade students living in Quebec, Canada. Most of us started our Kindergarten year speaking only in French. Now we can speak English, too. We loop at our school -so this is our second year together. We hope you enjoy sharing in our learning. Please leave us a comment.
Grade 2 has a parent and her daughter in Australia who are frequent and loyal visitors and commenters to our blog. Have you noticed signatures of AA and BB on our comments? AA is the Mom of BB (Bianca). We have been following Bianca and her blog for the past 2 years. When we first became friends with AA, her daughter was in grade 2 in Mrs. Morris’ class in Australia. Since then both mother and daughter have been our loyal fans. Blogging has also brought friendships with Mrs. Hembree in Seattle, Washington. Mrs. Hembree wrote to me and included our class in a surprise birthday celebration for AA. She is turning 50 today (Saturday).
Through blogging we also know lots of other teachers and classrooms around the globe. Check out the link below to see our video and the other classrooms who surprised AA on her birthday.
Grade 2 learned about Chinese New Year today. We learned that 2012 is the year of the dragon.
According to legend, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with a fight against a mythical beast called the NIAN. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would b\put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again.
This holiday is celebrated each year. It is a celebration of renewal. Friends and family are invited to the house to eat special meals. There are 12 different animals that are attached to the year of your birth. Most of my students were born in the year of the monkey. I was born in the year of the dragon.
What is your birth year animal sign?
Grade 2 made dragons for Chinese New Year. Watch our video to see them. I am sorry that I didn’t get a photo everyone’s dragon in my class.
Grade 2 has been reading lots of Folk Tales. We are learning about what makes a Folk Tale. We recently recorded ourselves reading Henny Penny on our digital portfolio (ePearl). We have also been busy making puppets for a Henny Penny Puppet show. Look below for an animoto slidesow of our preparations. Two partners have also performed their puppet show. These two videos are also below. Just scroll down. Check back later for more puppet shows.
Elements of a Folk Tale
They were told and retold by word of mouth (oral tradition) They usually begin with “Once upon a time”. Many folk tales have animals who take on human characteristics. They have repetition in them. There is a problem and a resolution.
Room 102 would like to wish all our parents, friends, and blogging friends a very Happy Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.
In our ERC – Ethics and Religious Culture class we have been learning about celebrations in different religions. We learned about Diwali – The Festival of Lights in the Hindu religion. This takes place in October. Recently, we learned about Hanukkah (also a Festival of Lights) in the Jewish faith. We played a dreidel game in class. Below is a photo of the Nativity Scene that we had in our classroom. Christmas is a Christian celebration. We celebrate the birth of Jesus. We spend time with our family and friends and have nice meals together. In my family we have a big turkey dinner. We also listen to Christmas Carols and exchange gifts. Some people go to church. We went to 10:00 Mass last night and came back to the house for “Reveillon”. This is late meal on Christmas Eve that takes place in French Canadian homes and homes in France, as well.
How do you celebrate Christmas at your house?
We had our Christmas Concert on Wednesday night – the 21st of December. I can’t show you the video because I don’t have permission to show images of all the children in the other Grade 2 classes. But everyone looked beautiful. Our 3 classes of Grade 2 performed, as well as Kindergarten and Grade 1. The school Chorus also performed songs. Thursday night was for grades 3, 4, 5 and 6. I tried to attach the audio files below so you can hear all the grade 2s sing. I’m not sure if I did it correctly. However, try to click on the each of the three titles below. A separate page will open. It takes a minute to upload.
Watch another puppet show below. This boy went home after watching the first puppet show and made this all on his own (the stage and the stick puppets, etc.). He brought it to school the next day and he asked his friend to help him present it to the class. They retold the ABRA version of the story from memory. Well done students.
What do you think?
Are you impressed that these students can speak English so well? Their mother tongue is French.
We’ve been doing stations this year using the Daily Five as well as our EPearl and Abra software. I took a short video the other day to show you how engaged the students are in what they are working on. Generally, we do Read to Self, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, an Epearl station (digital portfolio) and ABRA , (which could be a Work on Words station). The first part of the video is just using the Daily Five and the last part of the video shows us using an ABRA and an ePearl station.
You are invited into our classroom to watch us work. It’s interesting though because just like you like your home to look nice and tidy when you have invited guests I feel a bit embarrassed as I’m not sure our classroom looks as tidy as it should. Between you and me that is an ongoing goal of mine – to have a neat and organized classroom.
I have been worried that doing stations like this would be too hectic and noisy but instead it is becoming the best part of the day. As well, I think it is a favorite of my students, too. I introduced each part of the Daily Five slowly making a t chart like the the two sisters suggested. We practiced correct and incorrect behaviours. We go over our t charts before we start stations. My hope is that soon I will be able to work with individuals or small groups while the rest of the class is independent and working quietly on their stations.
I used these two books to help me get started by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser “the sisters”.
If any of my blogging friends have been trained to use the Daily Five and have any advice or suggestions for me please leave a comment.
I wonder if kids enjoy and look forward to doing stations and the Daily Five?
Grade 2 has started a Folk Tale Theme. Our first story has been The Three Billy Goats Gruff which is also one of our ABRA stories. We have been practicing reading this story and recently recorded ourselves reading it in our digital portfolio (EPearl). Everyone did a fantastic job. I loved listening to everyone’s expressive voices. Other Folktales we plan to read will be Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Henny Penny, The Three Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare, and possibly Little Red Riding Hood (though I think that one might be a fairy tale. Last year we did The Gingerbread Man and Little Red Hen.
What is a Folk Tale or a Fairy Tale?
Well a Folk Tale is a short story that comes from an oral tradition. Folk tales often come from everyday life and frequently the characters are animals with human characteristics. Fairy Tales are a sub genre of folk tales that have an element of magic to them and good triumphing over evil.
A Puppet Show
One student in my class made a puppet show with her Mom at home. It wasn’t an assignment but something she just wanted to do. Well after making the puppet props and stage and practicing a lot with her Mom she brought it to school today. She asked one of her friends in our class to help her present. They worked out in the hallway for about 15 minutes and this is what they presented. I am so proud of her and her friend. ( For privacy issues I don’t want to say their names). I think they did amazing jobs. What do you think?
I am very excited about this theme. There are so many things we can do. For sure you can look forward to seeing a Reader’s Theater or two. Possibly, we will act out one or two of them. Maybe someone will be inspired by this puppet show to do one of their own.
What did you think of the Puppet Show?
Do you know of an activity we could do with folk tales?
The Daily Five and our Concordia Project with ABRA and EPearl are going very well. The students are enjoying being able to choose the order of activities that they participate in. As you can see by these pictures everyone is reading and writing and enjoying it. I am so proud of everyone.
Last week we launched a 4th part to the Daily Five – Listening to Reading. We decided our purpose for Listening to Reading was to learn more words, to get better at fluency and because it is fun.
We need to continue to:
*do our best
*concentrate
*use quiet voices (especially when deciding which book to listen to)
*stay in one spot
*get started right away
We also need to:
*know how to work the cd player
*get materials and equipment ready (cd player, books, cds, earphones)
*put everything away when we are finished
*listen the whole time
What stories are we listening to?
I have lots of old stories and tapes that I am no longer using. It is easier today to use cds. What I have been doing is recording myself reading stories on my mac using garage band. Once I do this I can click on share and send the story to my itunes. From there I create a new playlist with this story and burn the playlist. I also use audible.com and download stories read aloud. I like the freedom of doing my own recordings and using audible.com. This way I can choose my favorite stories. Today I recorded Strega Nona by Tomie de Poala and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. I have also recorded myself reading Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber and Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McClosky. These are just a few of the titles in our growing “Listening Library”.
I didn’t write a post but we have also launched Work on Writing and Read to Someone. Watch the video below to see us putting it all together. We have an ABRA station (working on words), an ePearl station where we work on our digital portfolio, Read to Self, Read to a Friend and Listen to Reading. What is great about the laptops is that they are moveable. They don’t have to be at a station table always plugged in. We can move them to other locations.
Putting It All Together
Do you have a listening center set up in your classroom?
Are there favorite stories your students like to listen to?
