Songs

In our classroom, we have poetry books.  We add new poems every week.  Sometimes they are math related, sometimes science, and sometimes social studies.  I went to Kahua training last week in Maui and got to learn some great Hawaiian songs and chants.  I was inspired to sing these traditional Hawaiian songs with the class.  I was so pleasantly surprised when I saw that most of the students already knew the words and tune to Hawai'i Pono'i!  I did teach them a song they didn't know, though, 'Ekolu Mea Nui.  Click here to listen to the song and even download onto your computer, phone, or mp3 player.

If any of you know other traditional Hawaiian songs or can play the ukelele, let me know!  We would love to have you come teach us a song or two!

Funded!

Thank you for your support!  I woke up to an email that our backpack cart was fully funded!  What a great way to start a Friday!  Thank you to those who shared our project or donated.

Remember, you do not have to donate to help our class. A couple parents have taken things home to get ready for us or even grade.  If you are interested in this option, please come see me!

We also could use volunteers during the school day during our writing time daily from 9:35-10:45 and our reading center time from 12:00-1:00.  We could also use help checking out books in the library on Tuesdays from 12:00-12:30 or in the computer lab on Thursdays from 8:00-9:00.  If you are available, please let me know.  We would love to see your smiling faces!

Donorschoose

Our Donorschoose project is live and ready to receive donations.  Please share this link with other family and friends who you think may be interested.  I have really good luck when I post it on my personal Facebook account.  It's amazing how many generous people out there are willing to donate to classrooms.  Thank you for helping to spread the word!

***Edit: A good friend just told me about a matching code from Ala Moana Center.  That means if you donate $20 to our project, we will receive $40!  You will need to enter the code Mall at checkout in order for the code to work.  You'll need to act quick, because once Ala Moana Center donates a certain amount of money, they won't donate any more.   Help spread the word! :)  Thanks!

Book Lists

As a parent, I am always looking for good books for my children to read.   In our classroom, we choose books based on the I-PICK strategy:
I - I choose my own book
P - Purpose.  Why do I want to read this book?
I - Interest.  Does the book interest me?
C - Comprehend.  Do I understand what is happening in the story?
K - Know.  Do I know most of the words?

Here is a video of a song we learned to help us remember!

Here are a few links I have found with great lists of books that are good for second graders.  Choosing a good fit book is so important to make sure your child can and will actually read any book you purchase for them, but these lists of tried and true books should help take some of the guess work out.  These would especially be helpful for aunties, uncles, and grandparents who are looking for gifts for your children.

• Good Reads
• Scholastic
• Highland Park, IL Public Library
• Apache Junction, AZ Public Library
• The Reading Nook
• Birchwood Center, NY Media Center
• Great Schools