Philanthropy

Our class had a visit from Imagine Children's Museum, our amazing local Children's Museum.

The wonderful volunteer read the story, One Hen about an African boy that recieved a small loan to buy a chicken.  What he did was incredible (BTW...it's a true story!)

To see the book click {HERE}.

The Museum gave us a copy of the book and $10.00 to find a way to help others.

As a class, we decided to collect food for our local food bank. 

Wow...and this isn't even all of it.

The kids had a chance to learn about kindness and giving during the Holidays.

A Moment of Silence for Sandy Hook

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone touched by this tragedy...

Fruit Loop Multiplication

We have been learning about how arrays help us learn our multiplication facts.

Better yet...they help us to understand that it is just repeated addition.

You should have seen the relief on their precious little faces...like, wow, I already know how to add.

Anyway...it was fun and they learned a lot!

We started off the morning by cleaning our tables and sanitizing our hands, because we have had a nasty bug going around that will knock you out for a week (or more!)

They all got a bunch of fruit loops and were told they needed to eat the broken ones and the doubles (you know the ones that stick together when you buy the knock off fruit loops?)

Yummy...

Then I called out different mulitiplication facts...

6 X 4 OR 4 X 6

They needed to use different colors to show their groups.

2 X 6

3 X 3

As we worked we filled out a sheet.

They had to:

• Write the equation
• Label the equation
• draw their array
• write the equation again

Sorry the pictures are blurry...it's a lot of info and not a great camera!

But you get the idea...

If you click on the picture you will be able to scroll through them and see them better.

Then they got to eat all of their fruit loops.

Every kiddo was engaged and FINISHED their paper! 

Liebster Award...X 3

I was nominated for the Liebster Award.

Not once, or twice, but three times.

The Liebster Award is for new blogs with less than 200 followers. 

I’m so excited...Thank you.

Thank you so much to the blogs that nominated me:

Lauren

Simply Second Grade

Stacey

Teacher's Take Out
Kelly
Getting to the Core in Third

Here are the Liebster Blog Rules:1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.
5. You cannot “tag back” the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see your nominations.


11 Random Things About Me:

1.  I was a horrible student all the way through high school.

2.  I would do anything in the world for my family, friends (and most strangers)

3.  I love going to work every day.

4.  I also love summer.

5.  I love comfort food.

6.  I am a total dog person.

7.  I think chocolate and wine make a nice meal.

8.  Traveling is my favorite thing to do.  I plan to travel everywhere when I retire.

9.  I am a bit addicted to office supplies.  Sharpies are my favorite.

10.  I love watching Project Runway and usually predict the winner from the first show…but really have no fashion sense.

11.  My husband and I have a cool RV that we fixed up.  Our kids named it, The Rolling Turd.  We have taken our kids on many trips, near and far.  Our friends like to have parties in it.

Here are my answers to Lauren’s questions:

1.      How long have you been teaching? 10 years

2.      If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Italy

3.      What is your favorite unit to teach?  Ancient Egypt

4.      What is your favorite meal? My hubby’s prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar salad (and ice cream!)  He’s a firefighter and CAN cook.

5.      How long have you been blogging? Last August…and loving it.

6.      What is your favorite children’s book?  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

7.      What is your favorite movie?  Tough one…I’m a movie junkie.  Old School: Feris Bueller’s Day Off, newer ones, Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 Trilogies.

8.      Do you have any pets?  I have two adorable rescue dogs.  A husky/sheppard mix, Sophie and a hound/lab mix, Gunner.  My 7 year old son has a sweet dwarf hamster named Sammy.

9.      Do you have any children?  Yes, 3 boys! 15, 12 and 7.  I am WAY out numbered in my house.

10. What is your favorite season? Summer.  I love warm weather…it’s wet the rest of the year here (Seattle Area).

11. What is your favorite band/music artist?  Dave Matthews Band.

Here are my answers to Stacey’s questions:

1. Where were you born? Everett, Washington (30 minutes north of Seattle).
2. Where are you living now? Stanwood, WA (60 minutes north of Seattle, but I still teach in Everett.)
3. What is your favorite dessert?  I love to eat ice cream.  I love to bake anything.
4. When did you start blogging? Last August…loving it.
5. What is your favorite subject to teach? Math
6. What grade(s) have you taught? K (2 years), 1^st (2 years) 2/3 (1 year) 3^rd  (on my 6^th year).  3rd is my favorite.
7. What is your favorite movie?  Tough one…I’m a movie junkie...Old school:  Feris Bueller’s Day Off, newer ones, Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 Trilogies.
8. What is your favorite story to read to students? The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
9. What is your TPT link? http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Seiber-8281

10. What is your favorite color? Teal/light blue
11. Do you have any pets? I have two adorable rescue dogs.  A husky/sheppard mix, Sophie and a hound/lab mix, Gunner.  My 7 year old son has a sweet dwarf hamster named Sammy.

Here are my answers to Kelly's questions:
1. Do you use blogging in your classroom?  My parents and students read it but I haven't really used it in my class.  We just started a wiki though.
2. How long have you been teaching? 10 years
3. What was your first job? Babysitting at age 11...I stayed so busy my 16 year old brother would borrow money from me. 
4. How would you like people to remember you?  That I was selfless person
5. Who was your favorite teacher and what qualities did he or she possess?  Mr. Taylor, 6th grade (elementary school).  He was fun, had high expectations, and was hilarious.
6. Share a favorite quote. "The more that you read, the more that you know, the more that you learn, the more places you'll go."  Dr. Seuss
7. How do you manage stress? Baths AND wine.  Sometimes together, sometimes seperate.
8. What is your favorite game? Apples to Apples
9. Mistletoe or Menorah? Mistletoe
10. Share one tip with new teachers. Don't plan to far ahead, be flexible.
11. Why did you choose teaching for your career? I love to make kid's days better.

Here are the questions for the Blogs I've nominated:

1.  What is your classroom pet peeve?  You know you’ve got one.

2.  Do you have pets?

3.  Do you have kids (if yes, how old and how many)?

4.  What is the last “grown up” book you read?

5.  How long have you been blogging?

6.  Where do you live?

7.  Where were you on 9/11/01?

8.  What was the best trip you ever took?

9.  Do you have a tattoo?

10.  If you had to choose another career, what would it be?

11.  What is your ideal Saturday?

Blog I am nominating:
1.  Classroom Snapshots
2.  Mrs. King's 2K
3.  2nd Grade Learning Safari
4.  A Whole Brain Teacher
5.  Adventures in Second Grade
6.  Being Teacherish
7.  Teaching With a Touch of Twang
8.  The Polka Dot Owl
9.  2nd Grade Rocks!
10.  A Love 4 Teaching
11.  A Teacher's Toolbox for Common Core Standards

Don't forget to leave me a link to your blog when you've answered. I look forward to finding new blogs and meeting new friends.



Classroom Elf on the Shelf

Have you heard of Elf on the Shelf?

If you have a kid, you probably have!

He's everywhere, especially on Pinterest!

 

 

Well on Thursday when I got to work, the cutest little elf was perched upon our SMART Board!

 

 

He watches us and reports to Santa at night.

In the morning we find him in a new spot with a note about important things to remember.

Well, my kiddos were so excited about our Elf (we named him Joseph, after a very democratic voting session...thankfully we just did a unit on elections) they WANTED to write about him...you've gotta love that right?

 

I got an ELF on the Shelf Journal {FREEBIE} from Lauren.  Thanks Lauren!

It is an adorable Elf Journal...we are going to write a little about where he moved each day.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1... 

 

After we wrote about where Joseph was hiding, we spent some time learning about the meaning of Christmas!

I got this Elf Writing pack off Teachers Pay Teachers.  It's great!  Each day the Elf leaves a note and you focus on that important meaning of Christmas (helping others, love, friendship, 17 days of messages in all!)

It's from Kerri B. and its called Magic Elf Activity and Writing Pack.

 

Aren't their pictures adorable?

 



 

We are currently doing a holiday food drive in our class...more to come about that later.

But this is why the kids were focused on the food drive while we were talking about helping others.

 

And of course one of my little friends couldn't get enough...and wrote in her Reading Response Journal too!  Just click on the pic to make it big!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



More Math Journals!

Making our own graphs!  Nice job, Lesley!

Types of Graphs, foldable

Inside foldable, great work, Andriy!

Concept Map

Here is my concept map of our Virtual Field Trip.

This gives students an idea of what we are going to learn.

 

 

I think this is a great technology tool.
I made this concept map at: SpiderScribe

Virtual Field Trip Video

This video shows the Pilgrim Village

Virtual Field Trip

Today we took a virtual field trip back to the "First Thanksgiving".  The kids were able to explore what it was like to live during the times of the "First Thanksgiving". 

 

Their Essential Question was to think about what it would have been like to have lived during those times, and if they would want to.  Before our field trip most of the kids thought that they would love to live back then.  After exploring the Mayflower, daily life, the feast, school during that time, and much more, most of them changed their minds!  They discovered no paint on houses and no TV!

 

Check out the field trip {HERE}

 

 

Election Day!

Students were very excited about the election!

They learned:

The difference between a democrat and a republican

About the different presidential candidates

About the candidates running for Washington State governor

They discussed what they would do if they were the president

And last but not least...we voted.

I got some ideas for FREE from TpT {HERE}.
Thanks Michelle!

 Flip books

 Student-Made Folders & Voter Registration Cards

 Ballots

 They each received a sticker after they voted!

How cute are these? 
If you click on a picture you can scroll through them and read them.

Missing Parts?

How many times per day do you have a student hand you a random item that they found?

A little eraser, a math cube, pattern block, (even a staple off the floor...)?

I love my new "Missing Parts" bucket. 

The kiddos just put what ever they find in there and we empty it when we have time!

$1.00 at Target!



We Have a Fire Safety Poster Winner!

Isabella was one of two fire safety poster winners in our school!  Her poster was chosen from about 150 posters for creativity and content.

Nice Job Isabella!

Isabella and Firefighter Seiber

She received an award signed by the City of Everett Fire Chief and the Mayor of Everett.  She also received an Everett Fire T-Shirt and stuffed Leopards (we are the Leopards!)  She will also receive a ride to school in a fire truck!  The award was presented by 5 firefighters.  Our principal Mrs. Foster and Superintendent Dr. Cohn were also present for the award.

Finding Out She Won

Posing with the Firefighters and Fire Captain

Our Whole Class Celebrating

Cupcakes

Ok...this post has nothing to do with teaching but I made these cute little owl cupcakes the other day and my students know I love owls so I thought I'd post a pic.

They were super easy to make, any cupcake and frosting, two double stuff Oreos per cupcake (take one chocolate cookie off each one).  Put a little frosting on the Oreo and put on an M&M then put on an M&M for the beak.  I piped on some frosting around the eyes with a hair/grass tip to add some texture, but it wasn't necessary.  They were super easy.

Too bad we can't give the kiddos homemade treats...they would have loved these!

Math Journals

I am so excited about this idea I saw on Sunny Days in Second Grade!

We have been working on writing often in our math journals. 
I hate to say it...I was running out of ideas until I stumbled upon this awesome posting! 
Check out these journal entries!  My kiddos didn't want to stop writing!