We Love Jellies!

They don't have eyes. They don't have digestive systems. They don't have skeletons. They don't even have brains. What are they? They are jellyfish.

We recently read a nonfiction selection about jellyfish and had an opportunity to learn a lot of facts about them. We also watched a couple of videos that showed how jellyfish look and move, and even how some sting when something bumps up against them. Did you know the venom of a box jellyfish is more powerful than that of a cobra? For a culminating activity we created crayon resist pictures of jellyfish. We used crayons to draw jellyfish and then painted over them using water color paints. We had a lot of fun creating our pictures!

Math Meets Art!

Mikal making sure his pattern block design is symmetrical.

P Jay and Mason showing off their designs.

Suzie is focused on her work.

Joelle putting some finishing touches on her turkey.

Last Wednesday we took a break from story problems to reintroduce and review symmetry. First we used pattern blocks to create designs that demonstrated line symmetry. Then we created turkeys using pattern block shapes cut from construction paper. It proved to be a productive and fun way to spend the morning!

Math...and Other Matters

This Friday we will be taking our first unit math test of the year, and I wanted to make you aware of the routine I will follow. Each test will be preceded by a unit review. The review will be one of the three test versions provided by our math program. While the test questions will be different, the concepts covered on the review will be the same as those on the unit test. Please go over the review with your child and sign it like any other homework assignment. If your child demonstrates proficiency on the review, they will likely be successful on the test.

On the day of each unit test, we will go over each question on the review. I will also project the unit test on the Activboard before my students take the test, and read through and review the questions so the kids understand what they need to do. I will also be available to read and clarify questions during the test.

We have also begun WIN (What I Need) Time for math each Wednesday afternoon. Your child stays with me for remediation and enrichment in mathematics. I will be using this time to review important math vocabulary and teach the kids new math games. One of the activities we will do each Wednesday is to take a timed addition or subtraction test. Each test will be 100 problems and the students will have eight minutes to successfully complete as many problems as they are able. The goal is to reach 60 percent proficiency by the end of the first trimester. I told my students is I simply want to see improvement with each test. We took our first timed test this afternoon, and I was very pleased with their effort.

As a former fourth grade teacher I can say with confidence that being proficient with basic math facts is essential to being successful in later grades.

I also wanted to share a couple of other items.

We have P.E. with Mr. Weston on Day 1 and Day 4. Please make sure that your child comes to school either wearing tennis shoes or with tennis shoes in their backpack.

We also have book checkout every Day 2. Second graders may check out up to three library books. Library books will be coming home each day in the Kiwi Packs, as per our discussion at Parent Information Night. I am also sending my kids to the Media Center as needed to get new library books.

If you have any questions about the information in this blog entry, please don't hesitate to contact me. I would also welcome any suggestions you might have for future blog entries!

   

Welcome to my blog!

"Where is your blog, Mr. Blaisdell?" That was the question posed to me by Mrs. Paasch late last week, and I didn't have an answer for her. Not a good answer at any rate.

The first fifteen days of the school year have absolutely flown by. I am really enjoying my experience in second grade and am so happy that I was given the opportunity to change grade levels. I love the excitement and the energy my students bring to school every day, not to mention the smiles and hugs. I can say in all honesty and sincerity that I have left school with a "happy heart" each and every day. (My niece Megan, a kindergartner, is my role model for having a happy heart!)

We spent the first two weeks of school introducing routines and getting to know each other. I modeled and we practiced Read to Self and discussed how good readers select good-fit books. I also introduced a skip counting game called "Boo-Ya" which has been a hit with the kids. Last week I began fully implementing both language arts and math. We also took the MAPS Reading and MAPS Math tests which will provide valuable data about each student and will allow us to set goals and monitor their progress in reading and math.

I have really appreciated your willingness to communicate thus far. I hope to make more "good news" calls this week, as I am finally beginning to feel more on top of things. I am really impressed with how well my second graders follow directions, even those with multiple steps, and how respectfully they behave. I have a really nice class!

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.