Happy Valentine's Day!

Building Confidence in Writing!

We completed our genre study on informational writing this week! We reflected on our growth using Google Forms. Students identified areas of greatest improvement based on the rubric, and areas they still wanted to grown in.

The most powerful portion of our reflection required students to rate how confident they felt about writing in September and how they felt presently.

*A score of 1 indicated-"I am not good at writing."
*A score of 5 indicated-"I am a confident writer!"

Look at those results!!! The students have worked hard to apply the skills and strategies we work on during writing and their efforts are paying off! Next week we jump  in to argumentative writing...I can't wait to see what they accomplish! 

Virtual Museum and Inquiry Time!

We wrapped up our "On the Move: Exploration" planner in Individuals & Society this week by creating a virtual museum. Students set up exhibitions that featured Adobe Spark videos on their expert explorers. We "wandered & wondered" as we visited each exhibit and recorded our new thinking and what we were still wondering about.

We collected a TON of wonders for inquiry time! Students picked one to focus on and used their trusted resources to "dig deeper"! We spent time on Friday sharing our findings with one another. I just love how these kiddos push their brains to find out more and more!

"Tech-Free Tuesday"!

Today was "Tech-Free Tuesday" at Village. We participated in a variety of ways throughout the day. First, we spent some time at the Library looking for a really great book that we could jump into. Students were very purposeful with their selections and found novels that would be engaging, just challenging enough, and fun to read! Next, we came back to the classroom, put on some classical music (we decided that despite having to use technology to play the music, that it was OK to help create a quiet, serene ambiance!). Students kicked off their shoes and found cozy places to get lost in their books.

Yesterday, we voted as a class to determine what special activity we would do in order to unplug and connect with one another (art activity, reading to our buddies, board games, crafts). The students chose to bring in board games! We dedicated part of our morning to having fun with our friends and getting away from those screens! 

When reflecting on our experiences today, I shared with the students that Mr. Carr & I have "Tech-Free Wednesdays" every week. I told them how nice it is to take a break from technology and to really talk to one another; sharing stories, reading books, etc. We decided as a class that we would like to implement a "Tech-Free" day weekly and focus on building relationships with one another. Love these mature, open-minded kiddos!!! 

Teaching our Buddies Research Strategies!

Mr. Carr's class is beginning to research animals for informational writing. In order to help our buddies learn how to research, we worked to make a second grade version of the strategies we have used all year long. 

Students worked in small groups and focused on one of the research strategies. They worked together to create a Google slides presentation for Mr. Carr's class. 

Next, we worked with our buddies to help them gather information on their animals using our Chromebooks. Another great activity to build communication, leadership, and presentation skills! Great work! 

Using Teamwork to Build Our Garden!

Mrs. Finke has received permission from Dr. Rudd  to start a class garden in the HJ Entrance at Village! All vegetables produced will be collected and given to local families in need. Students have been working during science to map out responsibilities and to brainstorm research questions in preparation. All of the signs and labels were made by our classes as well. We received many donations from our wonderful families to help make this idea a reality! Talk about team effort!

Today, the planting started! We brought both classes together and all got our hands dirty planting seeds and watering the soil...I can't wait to see their hard work start to grow! If you are in the building, please stop by to admire what they have accomplished. A BIG thank you to Mrs. Finke for all of your efforts!