We are Thankful!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving break.  In the days leading up to Thanksgiving vacation, we worked on a project that allowed the students to reflect on what they were thankful for and use their creativity to put their own spin on a turkey.  The students were so thoughtful in what they were thankful for... family that loved them, their homes, food to eat, school, friends to play with, and much more.  We filled up the smartboard with all of their ideas!

Listen to My Trumpet

As I've written in our receent post, we have been enjoying the Piggie and Elephant books by Mo Willems.  Last Friday we read "Listen to My Trumpet."  One student raised his hand and said, "Mrs. Howard, I have a trumpet I could bring in!"  Over the weekend he practiced reading the book with the trumpet, and he shared it today.  It was fantastic!  Thanks so much Jack for this fabulous version of "Listen to My Trumpet."  We may have to have an encore reading of this one!

Writing Piggie and Elephant Books and a Farewell to Mr. Riley

In 2nd grade we have been reading the Piggie and Elephant series by Mo Willems and using this series to focus on character traits and adjectives.  We've discovered that Gerald is very dramatic and silly and Piggie is more laid back and kind.  Using what we know about these lovable characters, each student is writing his or her own Piggie and Elephant book.  We are having a blast doing it!

We also said goodbye to Mr. Riley who had been working in our classroom this year.  He is moving onto his own classroom, and we wish him much luck.  Thank you for all of your help Mr. Riley!  You will be a fantastic 5th grade teacher!

Honoring our Veterans

On Veteran's Day we spent time in our classroom remembering and honoring the veterans who have served our country.  As a special thank you we wrote letters that we will send out to soldiers.  Many students have family members or friends who have served in the military, and they were eager to share their stories and connections about their loved ones.  The students brainstormed many kind messages to include in their writing.  Here are some of their ideas... "Thank you for serving our country." "Thank you for saving us."  "Thank you for risking your lives."  "Thank you for protecting us."

Halloween Fun!

This last week marked Red Ribbon Week and Halloween.  During the week the students learned about making healthy choices for their bodies.  The elementary enjoyed different dress up days throughout the week.  We participated in the annual costume parade on Friday.