Our Schedule
8:00-8:20 Begin Our Day: We begin our day at 8:00. As students enter, they shake Ms. Fox's hand and begin their morning work. At 8:15, a student leads the class in our pledges and we get ready for specials- first thing in the day!
8:25-9:05 Specials: Students attend their specials class this year on a 3-day rotating schedule. At this time, students are either enjoying Music, Art, or PE. Because our schedule does not allow for specific days on which they have a certain special, students must remain aware of where we are on the rotation. Please also check to make sure your child brings tennis shoes on PE days. :)
9:05-9:45 Snack/ Today Paragraph/Reading Street: During this time, students enjoy a snack while we go over our Today Paragraph. This portion of our day is usually student-led and informs the students of any special activities for the day ahead. This is also the time we go over our High-Frequency words, Amazing Words (Vocabulary) and enjoy reading mini-lessons from our Reading Street Curriculum.
Below is a video of 2nd graders participating in Active Reading! This is a Whole Brain Teaching technique which engages the reader and provides them the opportunity to really GET INTO the story. The students are using "Brainies" (the gestures) as they read to show punctuation, capitalization, and key content words in the sentences. Now, THAT is fun reading! :)
9:45-10:45 Workshop & Intervention: This is one the most crucial hours of our day. Small group interventions and instruction will take place at this time. Students are being taught specifically to their needs in literacy and math. Students are also participating in learning stations to reinforce knowledge from prior lessons.
10:50-11:50 Math: This year at FA, we are using the Math Expressions program from Houghton-Mifflin. This program helps us to teach the Common Core Standards for 2nd grade. In this program, students engage in a daily money routine, math talks, math drawings to prove their answers, partner discussions and independent practice. Hands-on experience with real-world math problems also takes place during this time.
11:55-12:25 Lunch: Yum! :) Our favorite time of the day. If students have more Smiley Points on the Scoreboard at this time of the day, they get to enjoy a movie during lunch!
12:25-12:50 Recess: The other best part of the day. Students enjoy playing outside on our playground or a Just Dance Party on rainy days.
Sometimes, rainy days are the best. Watch these kiddos have a "Just Dance" party during indoor recess. :)
1:00-1:20 Silent Reading & Read Aloud: Students use this time to practice their silent reading skills while reading a book of their choice. Students may choose to read a story from our classroom library or one from home. Many times, Ms. Fox also shares a story with the class. This will become the Mystery Reader time-slot very soon! :)
1:20-2:10 Language Arts & Writing: Grammar and conventions are a main focus during this time. This is also our Word Study time, where we are working with spelling words and phonics. This time then feeds into our writing time for the day. Students work on developing their writing through the writing process, creating draft and meeting with the teacher and peers for proofreading.
2:10-2:50 Social Studies/ Science: At this time, students focus on either science or social studies topics. These topics are taught in units and are usually on a rotating basis. Students will study a social studies topic for 1-2 weeks, then a science topic for a similar length of time.
2:50-3:00 Planners & Pack Up: Students write one reflective sentence in their planners from the day. This is also where students record their behavior for the day.
3:00-3:10 Family Meeting: To tie up our day, we come back together to discuss successes and ways we can grow as a "family" in our classroom. Many times, this is where our moral focus virtue is discussed or any pressing matter for our classroom community.
This week, we took our first field trip to the Greensboro Science Center. What a fun time of exploration! Students enjoyed the aquarium, museum and zoo on the grounds. Here are a few pictures from the trip.
Bryce, Christopher, and Alphonso touch a sting ray!
Students learn about a skink, a type of lizard with a very blue tongue!
Students enjoy feeding the ducks at the pond nearby.
Well, that's all for this post! Thanks for tuning in. I'm excited to see where this year takes us! Gear up, matees!! This is going to be quite a voyage! :)
'Til next time,
Ms. Fox
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