procrastinator...

That is what I am.... Got a stack of papers next to me... Don't want to check them.... hmmm.....

I love this time of year but am feeling a little jipped on the activities! I mean there are a TON of activities out there (just look on TPT!). I just haven't had time to do many of them! We had a 2 week fall break at the beginning of this month...which I am NOT complaining about... but now I am in catch up mode!

So, we have been able to get ONE solid Halloween activity in! I saw this on pinterest and just happen to be in Home Depot the other day...

Here was my example acrostic. We had just studied them before Fall break so this was our review! I made these 2 cuties with the help of my son, but everyone else made their own and they turned out a.dor.a.ble!

You must read this poem... It is hilarious!

 

Aren't these the cutest little paint chips?! They turned out so adorable.. thinking they will be up well past Halloween! The kids LOVED making them too!

While I was on that long break, I attended a training on Project Based Learning. Have you heard of it? Chances are you already teach in this manner!

The training I went to was 3 days long and when we left we basically had the ideas for our PBL project in place. So, that is another reason I haven't been Halloweenie... I have been doing my project! My project is on types of government and so far, so good!

Second graders have basically NO background knowledge on this subject so for once I am doing something that they didn't do in first grade! (Does that happen at your school?!) I made a HUGE project that is about 4 weeks and we are working on the 2nd week this week! Like I said, so far, so good... Maybe I should take some photos!? I will try :)

I posted my project on TPT:

Anyway, I suppose I will go grade these papers :/ I leave you with 2 things:

1.

2. 

I might be one of the luckiest moms out there... Every afternoon I get to watch this guy in the back seat just reading away! Such a smarty pants! 

autumn review

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a 2 week fall break!

You read that right.. 2 weeks! I am so relieved that I will get this break, but this past week was ROUGH! Everyday I had to drag myself out of bed and I wished for Friday. I hate feeling like that... not only am I dragging but I don't feel like I am all there for my kids.

These 2 weeks to recharge should help a lot!

So, to keep us busy learning before fall break, we learned all about Autumn. We read informational texts about fall, animals in fall, and how plants change. We kept a circle map going all week, where we continually added post its to our map and schema. On Friday we took all the things we learned and discussed and created AUTUMN acrostic poems.

This one is my favorite! 

We also made origami leaves to hang with our poems in the hall. **Note: We probably should have done some other origami before this to get them use to the folding. It was a definite process, but the leaves turned out pretty good!

Click here to download the Autumn Acrostic!

You might be wondering what those long strips of paper that are hanging... 

We have been studying measurement with inches, feet, and yards. I think the best way to learn about this concept is by working with measurement tools, so that is what we have been doing all week. 

First, we measured each other with yarn and then used rulers to measure the yard we cut:

They had to measure in feet and inches. I think they really enjoyed this!

Closer to the end of the week we did something called Measurement by the Yard. Basically you cut yard-length pieces of register tape and students follow directions to measure and draw pictures at specific heights. 

I adapted my Measurement by the Yard to be Fall by the Yard:

Here is one more picture to leave you with:

As I was taking my pictures, my son insisted I take a picture of his work too! He is such a smart boy! 

Well.... I'm sure you will hear from me later this week :)