Tattle Monster

I used a cute Kleenex box and glued on a few little details like teeth, eyes and a nose.

I added a velcro side flap to get notes out! :)

As an elementary teacher there are some days when you feel like you've really made a difference...There are also some days when you stay after work to make a "Tattle Monster" while thanking the Lord that tomorrow is Friday! :) 

Insect Museum is Ready!

This year my students really need to work on writing sentences and I thought I could incorporate sentences into the insect museum somehow. Also, I was able to get some wonderful new technology in my classroom and I wanted to include it into this insect project. I decided to use the app Text2Pic to take a picture of my student flap creations and then each student was able to type a sentence about what what he or she has learned. I put all the creations together into a keynote presentation with music and it will be playing during our museum today. A student's example is above. 

This is what each student has ready on his or her desk. A lab report, Entomologist book, from Stephanie Stewart (If you haven't checked out her Teachers Pay Teachers website you definitely should! She has wonderful resources), and the insect  studied. (I'm just now noticing a P.E. shoe made it in this picture! Ha! Sorry! Teachers have no time for retakes! :))

Finally, we took some pictures for our Keynote slideshow and we are ready to roll! I can't wait for my second graders to show off what they have learned! Proud teacher moments to come! :) 

Insect Flap Creations

Every year I teach about insects and life cycles. At the end of this unit, I help my second graders catch, research and present information about insects in an "insect museum." This year I feel that I have really improved with teaching this unit. I am so excited about the additions I have made to the project. With second graders it is really important to keep research simple and focused. I decided I wanted my students to find 3 facts about his or her insect to share at the museum. Then, I had an epiphany! Insects have three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen). I decided to have my students create construction paper insect creations with flaps for each facts to share. There are pictures of a few student creations below. I think this makes their presentation so much more meaningful and fun! My students can't wait to share all their hard work today.

Spelling Charades!

I'm sharing a NEW game that my kiddos are just LOVING!! I have to admit that this is one of those teacher creations I came up with spur of the moment when all of a sudden plans changed. My students were supposed to go swimming one afternoon for P.E., but the event was rained out. This meant I had some time to fill with educational goodies! :) I made up this game I call "Spelling Charades" and my kids are begging to play it over and over! Here's how it works: I use the spelling list we are on this week. My students grab white boards and a marker. I have one student be the "actor or actress." I show the student the word to act out. The student acts it out, but instead of verbally guessing the word, my other students write the answer on their whiteboard. Once I see the correct spelling word I say, "Showdown" and they show me their boards so we can discuss the spelling. (This is also a super quiet game that students can't wait to play!) This has quickly become a staple game in our classroom! :)
Here's a few pics of our Spelling Charades:

First Day 2016!!!!

I decided to create a chalkboard sign for my kiddos to stand by for first day pics!  (This was a leftover sign from my wedding and I was so happy to put it to good use!)

Yes, my handsome hubby sent me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers! I feel so lucky to have his unwavering support! 

Yes, that this a rolling cart projector! My smart board projector pooped out right before school started, so I am anxiously awaiting new bulbs!!!

From Miss to Mrs.!!!!

I was doing so well posting regularly...then this happened! I got engaged in February and it has been non-stop busy since. I will be teaching second grade at a new school this year, I moved, and got married!!!! It has been an amazing roller-coaster. I am so excited for these new life adventures! It was a little nerve racking sharing my news with my kiddos. They were not crazy about my leaving or my upcoming name change, but of course they had lots of advice for my new hubby! I will miss my kids and coworkers, but I can't wait to start this new life sharing about Mrs. Hedlund's second grade class. :)

Growth Mindsets!

We have been working recently on training our brains to think positive! Students brainstormed how to think and speak with a growth mindset. 

We discussed how the main character's mindset changes as the story moves along. The story fit perfectly with our data dots. (see below)

Throughout the year we view and discuss the progress dots together. We are working as a team to grow and move our learning forward. The kids were so excited to see how high the dots have already gone! (The red is the goal line that increases as the year continues.)

Class Dojo has an AWESOME series of short videos about growth mindsets and how the brain can grow. The videos are 2-3 minutes and captivate students the whole time! My kiddos can't get enough of Mojo's discoveries!!