TETC

Had a great time at the TETC Conference! Here are some pictures from our presentations and our friend Amanda Mullen's TN ALLSTAR Keynote! Here is the link to our presentation:

 Novel Studies Infused with Technology in a 1:1 Primary Classroom

TETC Conference

We are getting ready to present at TETC! If you're looking for some ways to tech-infuse your ELA time, come and check us out!

Register

Wondering just what our tech-infused novel studies look like? Here's a sample:

Session Summary:

Halloween BREAKOUT!

What do you do when it's Halloween, Monday, and Book Character Day?!?!? Why, a Monster Mash Breakout EDU, of course!

Our motto is: why fight it? Buckle up and embrace the fun!

We started by reserving the auditorium and positioning divider walls to create 6 Breakout Rooms. We  mixed up our classes and divided students into teams of 6-8.  They had 45 minutes to Breakout and EVERY.SINGLE.TEAM.DID! It was AWESOME!

If you haven't tried a Breakout EDU yet...what are you waiting for? It was the best 45 minutes of collaboration and problem solving we've had all year! It's amazing and inspiring to see students step up for the challenge. Especially those students who don't typically do so in class.  

We hope you enjoy some photos of our morning! 

 One of our Breakout Rooms

 Blacklight Puzzle that spells TREAT on the Word Lock

 They found the key the mummy hid and are getting started!

 Dividing and conquering in this group!

 Place value 4 digit lock puzzle

 2 combos and a directional lock--WOW!

 Wait, the place value puzzle has a clue ON.THE.BACK!

 Highlighted letters spell out 3 number words for a 3 digit combo lock

 Almost finished...

Our first group Broke Out with 27 minutes to spare!

Flexible Seating: Take 2!

Flexible Seating has been a GAME CHANGER for us in 2nd grade! We have seen amazing things happen in our classroom! More choices for success! More peer collaboration! More focus and less distractions! It truly has been unbelievable! Here are the choices that we have in our classroom:

Tall tables for stools and standing:

Floor tables (my personal favorite) and a view from the front of the class: 

Regular tables for regular chairs or wobble stools:

More tall tables for bouncy balls:

Another shot of a floor table:

Big Joe bean bags:

A canoe? Yes, we do!

We WILL NEVER go back to traditional seating! It has been the most rewarding experience to see students become MORE successful by having a seating choice! I hope that if you are reading this, you will try it too!

"You can always speak up!"

Skypping with Author/Illustrator, Erik Brooks!

Alyson attended ILA this summer and was lucky enough to meet author/illustrator, Erik Brooks. We were blown away on August 31, when our two classes had the opportunity to Skype with Mr. Brooks. 

Not only was this an extraordinary opportunity for our classes, but educational as well. 

In 2nd grade, we were already studying continents and oceans, so we added a little polar bear study to the mix this year.  We read books about their habitats, life cycles, and climate change.  We used BrainPopJr and Pebble Go (both phenomenal resources for primary researchers). We also reviewed Erik Brook's website and discussed his Polar Bear Postcard Project with our students. If you are looking for a writing and science connection, this is it! 

To say our students were excited to see and speak with a FAMOUS author/illustrator, is a HUGE understatement.  One little student even said, "This will be my first time speaking with a famous person!" They knew this was a BIG deal. It was our first time to Skype with students, and to be honest, we weren't prepared for all the glitches (time lag, real time video not loading), but we rolled with it, our students rolled with it, and Erik Brooks was cool, calm, and collected the whole time.  Mr. Brooks, you created a room full of fans that day! When it was over, I asked one of my kiddos, who adores art, if he loved watching Mr. Brooks draw.  He said, "Yes, but the best part was all of the learning!" WOW! What an impact, what a difference. 

One of the best take aways from our chat with Mr. Brooks was, "We can always speak up." As educators, that hit at just the right time for us. Speaking up is a simple, global message, that makes a difference right in our neighborhoods, right in our classrooms.  May we always remember to be advocates for our students!

After Skypping, our students had the opportunity to illustrate and write postcards to President Obama as well. For only the first month of school, their handwriting and effort were perfect! (Maybe I should always say the President is reading their work...)

We hope you enjoy a few of the pictures we snapped during this awesome day!

Whale bones?!?!?!?

Erik and his lovely wife!

     

It took Erik about 30 seconds to draw this. #talent

      

                    It took me about 4 mins to draw this. Practically the same, right???#thepowerofyet

Brace yourself...the student work samples are coming.

He included our fox mascot on one of his daily postcards to President Obama!

For more information about Erik Brooks, follow him on Twitter @erikbrooksbooks or check out his work on Amazon.