Shark Attack!

Good Morning Friends!

Today, in Second Grade we read, wrote, and learned about SHARKS! 

0

Shark Week!

All teachers know that kids learn more when they’re excited and engaged. Today a team of bloggers come together to help your students take a BITE out of learning with a theme your students are sure to love!

One way I like to keep my students engaged is by getting excited about themes and activities. You best believe I'm looking for a a shark fin hat as we speak! It's all about delivery. I love to get my acting on in the classroom. The classroom truly IS my stage! The goofier and funnier I am, the more they eat it up!

My Shark Week freebie is a craft and information page. Students can read about sharks and then write a few interesting facts. I have included writing stationary and a research recording page. 

You can grab this FREEBIE HERE!

It's a Shark Week FRENZYYYYYYY!!!!!

Check out this freebie in action!!

Be sure to go for a swim in the linky party below. Every blog in the Shark Week Blog Hop features a fishy freebie for you and your students- but hurry! Shark Week only lasts until Sunday, August 17th  : )

Until next time...

HAPPY CHOMPING!

An InLinkz Link-up

4

The Sandcastle Contest

I'm back! Three days in a row! Woohoooooo!

Today the kiddies embarked on a beach adventure and took part in literacy centers. We finally got to experience my Let's Go to the Beach literacy pack! I love getting feedback about how much fun your kiddies are having with this unit and now I can also say that my munchkins are enjoying these activities too! If you haven't already checked it out stop by my TPT store and take a look at my

Let's Go to the Beach Unit. It's great for the end of the year, summer programs and even a cute welcome back at the beginning of the school year! 

Alongside the literacy activities included in the package, I added 2 extra centers. I chose some beach themed books for the students to listen to over at our listening center. If you don't have many books on tape or cd, you can always record yourself reading the story books. 

The kiddies get a real kick out of that!

I also added an art component. As I've mentioned in previous posts, we are working on a reader's theater production of The Sandcastle Contest by Robert Munsch, so we decided to make sandcastles as part of our "set design." As usual, I gave the kiddies some templates on card stock and let them trace the pieces on various "sand colored" construction paper. I think they turned out great! 

Can't wait to put them up! 

Grab yourself a free copy of the sandcastle template right over here!

Until next time...

Ms. Nicole xo

6

Time for a Swim!

Hi friends,

I'm back, a second day in a row! I'm busier than ever, yet I'm finding more time to blog! Go figure! Today was a cold one in Montreal, however the kiddies really wanted to go swimming! So we did!

As usual, I gave the kiddies a template on card stock (Guess what! I'm giving it to you too!) and they traced the swimwear onto their preferred color of construction paper. I don't know if I've ever mentioned (I'm sure you all do this anyway) but I always make a model and place it on the board. I also make several copies of the template, so as to keep the peace! I usually make about 6 for a class of 20. It's a good number. They never finish the writing portion at the same time, 

so there is always at least one template available. 

I think these turned out darling! The kiddies did such a great job! My favorite little touch is the shoelace drawstring on the swimming trunks. I simply purchased shoelaces at the dollar store, made a bow, and used my hot glue gun to stick them on! Cute right?!?!

Grab yourself the SWIMMING TRUNKS

Don't forget the SWIMSUIT 

Until next time...

Ms. Nicole xo

 

6

Digging in the Sand

Good Morning Everyone,

It's been a week since I've last blogged and I've missed you all so much! I can only imagine that you must all be going through the same busy, hectic, crazy schedule as I am and probably haven't had much time to blog either! There are exactly 14 school days left for us and I am getting quite excited to welcome summer vacation! Lots of great stuff planned for my vacation time!!!! Of course, I will be planning for next year as well (which is also exciting!). 

As mentioned in previous posts, we have completed an ocean theme and are now at the beach! We are working on a reader's theater production and updating our writing folders. The parents will be coming in for a fun day of theater and portfolio revisions. They have also been invited in on the last day of school for a picnic! While we prepare for these wonderful events, we have been turning our classroom into a veritable beach! 

Here is our latest addition...

The kiddies went digging in the sand and you wouldn't believe the things they found to put in their pails! Flowers, Legos, crabs, shells, ice cream, broken umbrellas... What an imagination...

I simply printed the templates on card stock, cut them out and let the kiddies trace them onto constructions paper. 

Grab yourself some free templates!

pail

shovel

stationary

Until next time...

Ms. Nicole

4

One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish, Four!

Good Morning Friends,

I am feeling both excited and nervous this morning! 

This, because, there are only 19 school days left! Although the arrival of summer vacation makes me very happy, I am feeling slightly overwhelmed with all that needs to be done before the bell rings on our last day in June! The kiddies, however, could not be in greater spirits and are just soaking up every little bit of our new beach theme! We have moved from our ocean theme to the beach! We are working on a reader's theater production of the Sandcastle Contest by Robert Munsch 

and will take part in some great literacy center activities too! 

Don't forget to stop by again this week for a beach themed writer's workshop freebie!

If you are looking for some great centers to do for the end of the year, you can check out my summer themed units over on my TPT page.

         

Now, time for a freebie template!

We have slowly been turning our classroom into an ocean (will provide pictures when all is done) and have added some fish to our scene!

I gave the kiddies the fish template on card stock and they chose colored tissue paper to decorate. They glued pieces of the tissue paper flat on the fish and I covered it with a special glue that added shine and luster to the finishing product!

 Here are some of the "fishies" up close!

You will need to draw the black outlines over the tissue paper! 

You can grab a free copy of the fish template right over HERE!

Until next time...

Ms. Nicole xo

7

Let's Go Snorkeling!

Hi Everyone, 

I apologize for going M.I.A AGAIN! Been a busy couple of days!

Just stopped by for a quick post about our latest writer's workshop activity.

The kiddies had a fabulous time writing letters to friends and family about their snorkeling adventures!

Guess what?! Your kiddies can do the same!

Grab a free copy of the snorkel and mask right HERE

Grab a free copy of the letter stationary HERE

Until next time...

Ms. Nicole xo

7

Let's Go on an Undersea Adventure...

Hi Everyone, 

Look at me, blogging two days in a row! HeHe!

I'm on a roll...

Yesterday, I promised to share a freebie with you! The kiddies did such an incredible job with these!

We decided to go on an undersea adventure and dove into the ocean in a submarine! You can't imagine the creatures we saw! We even came across shipwrecks, scuba divers and other submarines!

The kiddies were just so thrilled about this "experience" that they decided to write letters to their friends and family about the trip. Then, they even recreated their view from the submarine window!

Cool right?! That's blue cellophane paper!

I apologize for the picture quality, rainy weather is not ideal for this kind of photography! Oh, and a cell phone camera doesn't do much to help the matter either!

You can grab yourself a copy of the "submarine window" HERE!

A copy of the letter stationary template HERE!

And a copy of regular (story writing) stationary HERE!

I also decided to revamp our submarine letters (I teach 2 classes, one made submarines, the other made the windows!) and added some cellophane to make it look like it was under the water. This was actually the idea of one of my students! Smart little guy! 

You can grab a copy of the submarine template right over HERE! The letters are glued on the back!

Enjoy! If you are in the middle of an ocean unit and would like to add some literacy centers to your theme, check out my Under the Sea Adventure Literacy Center Package! My kiddies had an absolute blast with these centers!

Until next time...

Ms. Nicole xo

6

A Little Bit of Everything...

Hello Sweet Friends,

Oh, how I've missed you! I have been M.I.A. for some time now, as I have been busy with some non-teaching activities! Three bridal showers in one week! This is such a fun time for me! Summer is on its way and there are lots of great events coming up too!

Here's what you missed this week! 

Some students found an adorable cottontail bunny in the yard on Thursday!

My good friend and colleague Ms. Kelly took little "Kennedy," as we call him (our school is called J.F.K. Elementary), and brought him to the vet. She was informed that he could be released back into the "wild" (i.e. the field behind our school yard). She did so and the next day, the little rascal made a reappearance. This time, it was a little more dramatic! As I was outside on recess supervision, I noticed a large crowd of students form around a small area in the yard. I immediately thought someone was hurt. Thank goodness, all was okay! However, Kennedy was back, and he was stuck in the sewer! Yes the sewer! It was filled with leaves and mud, and there he was, sitting on top of all the "guck!" Our custodian was so kind as to spend 30 minutes trying to rescue Kennedy and thankfully was successful! He was once again released in the fields and hopefully will lead a happy and safe life!

Here's a pic of our little friend!

Isn't he just darling! I kinda wanted to keep him!

Now on to our ocean unit! My kiddies are really taking this seriously and have become enthralled with this theme! So much so, that one of my kiddos came to school and offered me these!

Amazing right! Sea creature gold fish crackers! 

They are so captivated by the ocean that we took them all on a field trip to the IMAX theater. We watched a film called The Last Reef. The kiddies loooooooooved it! I loved watching 50 little hands reach out and try to catch 3D jelly fish! 

Here's a picture of my colleague Ms. Khan and I looking absolutely stylish in our 3D glasses!

The kiddies got a real kick out of this!

Next on the ocean adventure agenda is a wonderful writer's workshop activity (it will prove to be very colorful and fun) that I shall post about soon. Freebie templates will of course be included!

We will also be making some sea turtles!

Can't wait to share some pics of our classroom. It is slowly turning into an ocean! We are having so much fun! If you are also in the middle of an undersea adventure and would like to add some centers to your theme, be sure to check out my Under the Sea Literacy Center Pack. We just finished up our centers last week, and the kiddies had a blast!

Check it out on my TpT page!

One last thought!!!!

My kiddies were asked to write letters on Friday. They were told that they could write to anyone! 

This right here is why I love to teach...

These moments make everything worth it! (this was pre-editing)

I'll be back soon with some pictures and freebies!

Until next time...

Ms. Nicole xo

0