Voting Day is Here

Today was election day in B-Hall (this is the all of 1st-3rd grades)  Each party has nominated a candidate for President.  We completed and turned in our voter registration papers, and tomorrow is the big day!  We have made campaign posters and gone (classroom) door to door, spreading the word about who we think everyone should vote for.

The halls have campaign ads everywhere.

 

Our ballots for B-Hall President

This morning we started voting.  We went to the voting booth (although in Oregon we really mail in or drop off completed ballots).  We filled out our ballot and put it in the box. 

Waiting our turn to vote.

Build-a-Bear box turned ballot collect

Voting polls closed at 1:30.  I had a parent count up all the votes and our Secretary announced the winner over the intercom.  In case you all wanted to know, Bad Kitty is now president of B-Hall.

Happy Friday!

Does Your School Have a Cuss Club?

Yep, that is right a Cuss Club...not Chess....Cuss!

This is not the post I had planned for today...but well how can you not blog about a cuss club?  It started Wednesday with a group of girls at recess.  No one is quite sure what goes on at the cuss club, but it was immediately disbanded.  After some investigation the group ringleader tried to convince us silly teachers that it was a "custom" club.  Although they did not know what custom meant or how it could be a club.  After this whole ordeal some of us teachers thought about joining said, Cuss Club. 

The next day effects of the Cuss Club spread and two more students were caught using some words would allow them membership into the club (if it had not already been disbanded.) 
Scenario 1:  On our way in from recess.
Whole Class:  "Sierra said the "f" word at recess!"
Sierra:  "I did not!" (said in a defiant and pouty voice)
Charlie:  "What is the "f" word?  Fail?"  (so cute....not going to educate him on correct "f" word)
Sierra:  "I was saying fox.  We were playing a game."
Miss Foote:  "Let me go ask Andrea (who was also playing the game) what the name of the game is."
Sierra:  "No, I wasn't really saying fox.
Miss Foote:  "Oh good, because the only game I know with fox in the title is, "What Time is it Mr. Fox.  I have never heard of Fox Freeze."
(Student cries and I get to give her minor alert.)

Scenario 2: 
Found a minor alert on my desk about a student saying the "a" word at recess.
Student takes minor alert home.
Minor alert is returned to school with parent annotation.  See below picture:

Apparently, if your initials are similar to the "a" word, then of course you would go around saying that throughout recess.  Definitely not something inappropriate.

Oh good grief!  I don't even think I knew what cuss words were in 2nd or 3rd grade.  I did go to daycare and kids would say things like, "hold your tongue and say truck or apple" However, I never figured out the point of that until 6th or 7th grade.

And then another challenging Chickadee wraps his arms around me and says, "You the best teacher ever, Miss Foote."  So I forget the Cuss Club and get to work on tomorrow's fresh start.  Because kids give themselves, and us teachers mulligans.  Today might have been crazy but tomorrow we can try again and make it better.

source

Happy Thursday,

Voter Registration

To celebrate and learn about the national elections, we are voting for a book character to become "B-Hall President."  Each classroom has chosen a character to promote during our election week.  Our candidate happens to be Big Nate.  Another class chose Poppy and I think BFG is running as well.

Today, we got our voter registration applications.  In order to vote on Friday, you must become a registered voter.

some of the bubbles are missing...not sure what happened.

The party part was a bit difficult to fully understand and some of my kids are not really excited about Big Nate.  But I think by the end of the week, they may have a better picture of how the "parties" work and that you don't have to vote for the candidate your party chose.

We talked about voting booths so we can vote on Friday.  This was very confusing for my class.  In Oregon, you don't go somewhere to vote.  We mail or drop off our ballots at drop boxes.   So I got to tell them about how when I was little, my school had voting booths where filled adults would come  and vote.  I was always fascinated by them, but never got to experience it myself.

After we had finished talking about the registration, one of my students raised her hand and asked what koalas were for.  I was stumped and could not figure out how the circled to that topic...and then realized she heard "koalas" when I said qualifications. :-)

Happy Monday,

Currently November

Oh' Boy November, ready go!

Listening:  Many Portlanders complain about the never ending rain, but I love it...the sound...the smell...liquid sunshine!

Loving:  The Syfy channel has gathered the cast of Fireflyfor a 10th Anniversary...sneak peek
Thinking:  For about a year, I have been feeling bothered by the clip chart system.  I had a light bulb moment about how I never wanted to be a teacher who wrote names and checks on the chalkboard and on some levels the clip chart does the same thing in a different way.  So the past two weeks, I have been working on only moving student clips up.  Six students still need some behavior support and I am still working through what I want that to look like.  But I have not been moving clips down.  Any thoughts or comments you all have are super appreciated.
Wanting:  What is this Minecraft business?  It is the main subject of conversations and student writing!
Needing:  Last Tuesday, I got a new student.  The Friday before that a student moved and Monday another student is coming...so I need to update the classroom and add/delete their names from the room.  Do you have ways to make getting ready for new students easier?  I keep everything I need in a big zip-loc bag.

Music:  This one is my favorite part.  I love music!  I play the flute and my kids know that, so we often listen to James Galway.  I have another student who plays cello and a few who play piano, so I like to incorporate those instruments as well.  My favorite cd to listen to during reading, writing, and art is Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone....beautiful stuff! 

Your turn.  Check out everyone else's November and start a classroom playlist of ideas!  And don't forget the rule of three!

Happy Sunday,

Second Grade Common Core

I have been waiting for the 2nd grade common core book to be in finished.  I was a little jealous of all you K and 1st grade teachers who shared about the Common Core Workbooks.  Now it is 2nd Grade's turn to have a book helping teachers teach the 2nd grade Common Core Standards.  All the 2nd grade math and ELA standards are addressed and the book is full of resources helping students learn the Common Core concepts.   To find out more about the Common Core Workbook, click the link, Second Grade Common Core Workbook, or you can click on the book's picture. 

Happy Saturday,

Colored Rain

This week I only had kids Monday and Tuesday.  Today is a furlough day...whoever chose October 31st for a furlough day was brilliant!  So during our short week, we did a science experiment connected to clouds.  Not sure where the original source of this project came from, I found instructions in an old science idea binder of mine.  You layer water and shaving cream.  Then drop food coloring onto the shaving cream.  When the "cloud" gets to heavy, colored rain happens.

Love this kid's intent observation.   And I am leaving you with the page we used to work through the scientific process.

 

Happy Wednesday,

Silhouette Season Art

Have you visited Hope.  She has a great blog and is from my neck of the Nation.  Anyway, go check her out.  I found a fun art project she did and then adapted it to our work with seasons and weather.  Here is her art blog post...Tint/Shade/Silhouette Art. 

First we thought about what our favorite season was and a color that we thought would represent that season.  Next we used a blob of colored tempera paint and a blob of white tempera paint.  (I love these trays...thank you IKEA.)

We started with a white circle.  Then added a paintbrush full amount of our color and mixed it with all the white on our tray.  Then painted around the white circle. 

Repeat this process until all the page is painted.  Then let dry.

Next we ripped black paper, for the ground, and glued it on the bottome.

Then we had to think of an image that was part of the season we chose.  We drew our idea with pencil and cut it out.

 And then glued our image on the paper.

Next week, we are going to add some poetry.
Happy Finally Friday!