Christmas Around the World

Ready for some educational fun? Check out this Scavenger Hunt! Answer the questions and bring in the answers on the first day back for a prize!

SORRY

I know I said I'd post something sooner than now. I've had some trouble accessing the blog, but think I have it solved now. I will definitely add some sites for the vacation. Have a great time! Remember, show proof of reading, writing, doing math on Jan. 5th and you get a prize! :D

Rainy Day Fun

We are studying sound in our classroom. What can you use from around your house to make a musical instrument? Can you make an instrument that makes more than one sound? How do you make the sound (do you tap on it, pluck it, shake it)? Tell us about your instrument in the comment section. Bring it to school to share it with the class. We will take your picture and post it here. :0)

THANK YOU!

I write this hoping that my students from last year still visit occasionally. I just wanted to take a moment to thank the families from last year for their assistance with my quest to become a National Board Certified teacher. By allowing your students to be video taped, you helped me produce a product that the assessors found to be worthy of certification. I found out last Friday that I have achieved my goal and am now a National Board Certified Teacher! I could not have done it without you and your children. THANK YOU!!! :D

Mayflower

Here is a link to a site where you can see a timeline of the Pilgrims' voyage as well as take a tour of the ship. What do you think it would be like to travel aboard the Mayflower?

Write a Math Story

Can you write a story to go along with the following number sentence? 8 + 7 = 15

Here is mine....

8 feathery birds sat on an old wooden fence. 7 more gently landed beside them. Now there are 15 chirping birds on the splintery fence.


Post your own to the blog. Click on comments, write your story, sign it, and post as anonymous. Remember, even though you are writing for math, you must use good writing skills: capitals, punctuation, spelling, adjectives, and grammar. I can't wait to see what you write!

Build Your Own Caterpillar

Put your knowledge of caterpillars and their adaptations to the test. Design your own caterpillar by choosing the best color, spikes, and "extras" that will help it survive the environment described. Let us know how you do with the task.

Congruent Shapes

This week we have begun exploring congruent shapes. Do you know what makes shapes congruent? If you said that shapes that are the same size and same shape, you are correct! I found a site that lets you explore congruent shapes. Pay special attention to the communication aspects in the instructions. Being aware of your thinking helps you remember the concept. After exploring, leave a comment explaining how you knew the shapes were congruent. Can you find any other activities that help you practice with congruent shapes? If so, let us know. :D

Welcome Class of '08-'09

Welcome to the class blog! I will use this site throughout the year to give you information about our class. If you peruse the previous entries, you will see that I provide links to sites that relate to our areas of study as well as feature special events. I also use this to showcase student work. Students and parents have the opportunity to comment on the posts as well. If you do not want to join, you can sign your message within the comment box and publish your comment as "anonymous". I ask you to be respectful of each other's feelings; please only publish positive comments.

The first site I would like to feature is CoolMath4Kids. This is a great site that offers a wide variety of activities and games. If your child is savvy with addition and subtraction facts to 18, there are areas where they can begin to work on multiplication. Subtraction Blast is a fun game that actually prepares students for multiplying. Another great area on this site is the addition area. It accommodates students still needing practice with simple facts, progressing to more advanced addition concepts. There are games to reinforce these skills. There is also a subtraction area that is set up similarly. I hope you have fun visiting this site. Please leave a comment to letting us know what you like.

PS: Last year's second graders are still welcome! There is plenty for you to do, too. :0)

Memories of 2007-2008

This year was fantastic! I hope you like the poem. Keep up with your Summer Packet so you will impress your 3rd grade teachers! Be sure to check the blog occasionally because I will post throughout the summer. Savannah has already been on today!! Thanks so much for such a great year!

Miss Kristin’s Second Grade 2007-2008

180 days have gone by too fast

I can’t believe that it’s really the last

I knew from the very start

You’d etch a special place in my heart.

Now that the year’s over and you have nothing due

Here’s a little poem about how I’ll remember you:

Reminding Jacob to “pinch and rest”

James proud of taking another AR test

Kayleeann wanting the markers for the board

Ethan counting numbers with a high-noted chord

Soaking Caroline G. being lots of fun

Reminding Tyler to walk and not to run

Maddie offering to tuck tissues in Edward Tulane

Writing on the carpet will NOT leave a stain

Reading funny stories that Savannah wrote

“Don’t chew on that…you are not a goat!”

Caroline P. and her love of Junie B.

Icy proudly showing fancy artwork to me

Hannah explaining her answer with the stick

Shae writing about a skateboard trick

Kendal reading another Magic Tree House

Chris listening, quiet as a mouse

Krystle prepping for the morning graph

Cam always able to make me laugh

Carley smiling radiantly, reading to me

Nathaniel looking for Miss Ruth and PE

Jasmine blogging on the Miss Kristin site

Grinning about the cinquains Kameron would write

Damon’s knowledge of critters being cool

Who could forget My Weird School?

Robots, elections, landforms, and skits

Presentations, weather, sound, and math kits

Now it’s official, but don’t think you’re off the hook

School is over, but enjoy your Summer book!

Love, Miss Kristin

To Infinity and Beyond!

Check out the NASA Kid's Club daily to find out about Buzz Lightyear's mission to the International Space Station! There are other nifty things to check out while you visit. You can even sign up to have your name sent to the moon.

Early Dismissal

It's a good thing we got out when we did! Here's what it looks like on my street!

Science Festival 2008

The annual Cape Hatteras Elementary School Science Festival took place May 17th and 18th. The students excitedly engaged in a number of hands-on learning experiences based on the North Carolina Science Curriculum. Our newest students (More-at-Four) loved the squishy slime they made while 5th graders manipulated items like chop sticks to get a feel for animal adaptations. Several staff members served as speakers throughout the event demonstrating their versatility and interest in the field of science. Students learned about electricity from Anne Swain and Kerry Hooper from the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative. Brian VanDruten from U.S. Fish and Wildlife had the students "gobbling" up all sorts of information about wild turkeys. J.B. Rattles amazed the students with his wide variety of reptiles. Learning about red wolves with Diane Hendry, also from U.S Fish and Wildlife, was awesome. The event could not take place without the CHES parents who always dedicate their time and talents to the fest. They run the experiments as well as donate the delicious buffet items on which our volunteers feast. The support of the PTA is truly appreciated as they generously donate funds to purchase consumables. The Science Committee thanks all who participated and supported this event and looks forward to another fantastic event next year.

RAIN Acrostic Poems

Rainbow after the rain
A bigger puddle
I do not like the rain
Not so excited
~ Caroline P.

Round and fat
Annoying
I don't care about rain
Not good at aiming into a water bottle
~ Krystle

Radiant
Always boring
In the way of the day
Not bad for plants
~ Maddie

Rain is very cool to study
And rain tastes very good
It helps the flowers grow
Never get to go outside when it rains
~ Caroline G.

Really rainy
As awesome as a shark
Incredible
Not much fun
~ Cam

Rapid water
A very strong thing
It falls from the sky
Not big
~ Jacob

Really boring
And wet
It helps plants grow
Nothing can defeat rain
~ Kameron

Rushes to the ground
All of the raindrops go the same way
It is made by water vapor
Never hits very hard
~ Chris

Really wet
Awesome after rain
It ruins my day
Never go outside in a rain storm
~ Shae

Ruins the day
As bad as a shock of lightning
It does help plants though
Never colorful
~ Jasmine

Runs down a hill when it hits the ground
As smooth as a bed
It is cold
Not pretty
~ Nathaniel

Rough when falls
Always wet
It makes mud
Never dry when it falls from the sky
~ Icy

Rivers roar
All living things need it
It rains for flowers
New plants drink it
~ Ethan

Real wet
And cold
It is a good thing
No animal will live without water because it helps the animal
~ James

Racket in the house
All the time bugs are on your skin
It's always gloomy
Not cool because it's wet and you can't play
~ Kayleeann

Really cool
Awesome
I like to play in it
Not so cool
~ Carley

Rainbows come
April showers bring May flowers
I like to hear the sounds
Nice and refreshing
~ Tyler

Really wet and cold
A bad time to play outside
It makes puddles
Not a nice day
~ Hannah

Rain and sun make a rainbow
Always comes from clouds
It can sometimes be very loud
Not very fun because you can't go outside to play
~ Savannah

Ruins my day
A bad time of the week
It makes me real sad
No fun outside
~ Kendall

Rain is cold
Always makes rainbows
It will make ice
Needs water in the desert
~ Damon

I Know....

I know what 2 little girls are up to this afternoon! My mailbox is full of comments. Thanks for using the blog and posting messages to your classmates. I will post more this weekend. What do you think I should add? Our visit from Bailey? The new spinner address? RAIN poems? Earth Day? The landform diorama project? Science Fest? Let me know what you think should be next!

PS...If you write the article at home or during FREE WRITE, I just may let you post it yourself! :0)

Probability

We are working on probability experiments. Today we had a super time experimenting with a spinner online. Change the spinner and see what happens. Report your results in a comment. Tell what you expected and what surprised you and WHY. :0)

I'm Still Here in the Bathtub

On Thursday Caroline and Carley shared I'm Still Here in the Bathtub from the book I'm Still Here in the Bathtub: Brand New Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz. It is a sequel to Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs. They did a fantastic job of turning a one person poem into a two person poem! Way to go! This week we will be writing acrostic poems. I know you will love it! What is your favorite poem from this book? Let us know by adding a comment. :0)

Baby Owl

Miss Susan and Caroline found an article about a baby owl on the Island Free Press (where Hannah's mom works!). Hope you all enjoy it!

National Poetry Month

To celebrate National Poetry Month we are adding a daily poem share to our calendar time. This morning Cam and Jacob shared Water Striders by Paul Fleischman from his book Joyful Noise Poems for Two Voices. Yesterday Kayleeann shared Oh Have You Heard (click on the poem for the link & then scroll down) by Shel Silverstein in honor of April Fool's Day.

Througout the month we will be reading and composing our own poems! Keep checking for poetry updates. :0)

Map Sites

I found this map game at FunBrain. I hope you like it!

This site will tell you how you and a family member can make a map puzzle using clay!

iKnowthat.com offers puzzle games for many areas of the world. You do not have to register. You can select the 'maybe later' option and still play the games.

After you play the games, add a comment to let your classmates (and me) know what you think. If you click on comments, you can add one anonymously (just sign your first name at the end of your comment - you can check out the one about the field trip to see how Caroline G. & her mom signed theirs).

Miss Kristin