-Mrs. Porte
Thursday, September 13, 2012
2-3's Welcome Video
In case you are wondering why there are so many posts this evening, we have received ALL of our Media Release forms!! I am very excited to be able to upload the photos and videos I have been collecting since opening day. Here's the video the kids made to welcome everyone to our classroom on Curriculum Night. Enjoy!!
We're Learning and We LOVE It!
2-3 has been working so hard in second grade! This week they practiced their Working with Words center activity that allowed them to practice their spelling words in preparation for their test tomorrow. Looks at these kids hard at work!
-Mrs.Porte
Get ready for more photos from our classroom photographer tomorrow!
-Mrs.Porte
Happy 60th Birthday, DRYDEN!
What a great birthday celebration at Dryden last night! Mrs. Dufern and Mrs. Powers did an incredible job of putting together such a special night. It was really neat meeting some of the original teachers of our school. We were so happy to have Dr. Jares be a part of last night's events as well. The kids even put their signatures on a special birthday sign for the school! Happy Birthday to our wonderful school!!
-Mrs. Porte
60 years is such a special celebration! Here's to at least 60 more!
-Mrs. Porte
Porte Post Video Edition from 09/07/12
Each week I will be posting two students reporting the news of our classroom for the week. Here are our first two friends reporting the news last week...
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Genius of 2-3
Hello 2-3 Families and Friends!
I hope this Labor Day weekend has treated you well. I wanted to give you a few more details about the bulletin board your children will be creating and the GENIUS HOUR project that we are going to be participating in because of that bulletin board!
It all started when I took on a challenge from Ivy Hill's Tech Facilitator, Mark Fijor, to let my students create their own bulletin board in the classroom. We were both in attendance at the Building Learning Communities Conference this summer in Boston where this idea was discussed. I was a bit skeptical at first because I didn't know what everyone would think of seeing a large, bare bulletin board in my classroom, but I was also really interested in seeing what my students could create. The kids were thrilled to have the opportunity to design something in our classroom.
This is what our bulletin board looked like when the kids first came to school.....
We had brainstorming sessions during the first few days of school where I explained to the class that this was THEIR board and they could do whatever they wanted to with it. Since the board is so large, I told them that they could keep it as one board or make it into two. I told them they would choose the color for the background, borders, and what would go on each board. They voted on all of the choices the class submitted and here is what they decided on......
....We will have two boards -- One will be titled, "Class Fun!" This board will be blue with a book themed border. It will showcase what the kids are learning about in class and include artifacts and photos of what is taking place in 2-3. The second board is where our GENIUS HOUR will come into play and I was so thrilled the kids came up with the idea on their own. It is much better than my original idea. The second board will be titled, "Adventures with Patches and Friends" This board will be red with a rainbow colored border. Patches is our class pet guinea pig (stuffed). We also have a stuffed hermit crab, Hermie, and a dancing/singing monkey, Funky Monkey. Together, these three friends are going to travel the world. The students created a list of places our friends should travel to and we took a class vote to decide on the first two places where our friends will go. Drumroll please.....MEXICO and HAWAII! Here are our boards with their backgrounds and borders, we will be putting the titles up this week.
When you walk into our classroom, there is a saying on the wall that states, "YOU are a GENIUS and the world DEMANDS your contribution. YOU can start sharing HERE...this is YOUR classroom!" This quote was created off of what I learned during a speaking seminar with Angela Maiers, the creator of the Choose2Matter campaign. Each student in our classroom has something wonderful to contribute to this world and it is my job to show them how they can share it with others. GENIUS HOUR let's students explore topics of their interest that may not necessarily be a part of our curriculum. It is done a lot at the Middle School and High School level, but I wanted to figure out a way to introduce it to my 2nd graders. Their travel board will allow them to research and learn about new places around the world and close to home. Giving my students the creative freedom to design their own bulletin board allowed me to incorporate GENIUS HOUR into our classroom using the ideas that THEY came up with. Twice a month on Fridays, we will have GENIUS HOUR in our classroom. During this time, the students will work in groups using books and technology to research the places where our class pets will travel. We will use our digital cameras, video camera, and green screen to engage the students and enhance their GENIUS HOUR experience. The travel board will be decorated with facts and photos from their GENIUS HOUR collaboration with their classmates. I will be documenting this process all year so you will be able to see what your children are creating in class. I will also be looking for parent volunteers to be a part of our GENIUS HOUR so if you signed up for volunteering in our room, you will be hearing from me about this...yeah! I am really excited about this project and are looking forward to sharing the GENIUS of 2-3 with you all! You have amazing children who need to share their talents with the world! Stay tuned....
- Danielle
We had brainstorming sessions during the first few days of school where I explained to the class that this was THEIR board and they could do whatever they wanted to with it. Since the board is so large, I told them that they could keep it as one board or make it into two. I told them they would choose the color for the background, borders, and what would go on each board. They voted on all of the choices the class submitted and here is what they decided on......
....We will have two boards -- One will be titled, "Class Fun!" This board will be blue with a book themed border. It will showcase what the kids are learning about in class and include artifacts and photos of what is taking place in 2-3. The second board is where our GENIUS HOUR will come into play and I was so thrilled the kids came up with the idea on their own. It is much better than my original idea. The second board will be titled, "Adventures with Patches and Friends" This board will be red with a rainbow colored border. Patches is our class pet guinea pig (stuffed). We also have a stuffed hermit crab, Hermie, and a dancing/singing monkey, Funky Monkey. Together, these three friends are going to travel the world. The students created a list of places our friends should travel to and we took a class vote to decide on the first two places where our friends will go. Drumroll please.....MEXICO and HAWAII! Here are our boards with their backgrounds and borders, we will be putting the titles up this week.
When you walk into our classroom, there is a saying on the wall that states, "YOU are a GENIUS and the world DEMANDS your contribution. YOU can start sharing HERE...this is YOUR classroom!" This quote was created off of what I learned during a speaking seminar with Angela Maiers, the creator of the Choose2Matter campaign. Each student in our classroom has something wonderful to contribute to this world and it is my job to show them how they can share it with others. GENIUS HOUR let's students explore topics of their interest that may not necessarily be a part of our curriculum. It is done a lot at the Middle School and High School level, but I wanted to figure out a way to introduce it to my 2nd graders. Their travel board will allow them to research and learn about new places around the world and close to home. Giving my students the creative freedom to design their own bulletin board allowed me to incorporate GENIUS HOUR into our classroom using the ideas that THEY came up with. Twice a month on Fridays, we will have GENIUS HOUR in our classroom. During this time, the students will work in groups using books and technology to research the places where our class pets will travel. We will use our digital cameras, video camera, and green screen to engage the students and enhance their GENIUS HOUR experience. The travel board will be decorated with facts and photos from their GENIUS HOUR collaboration with their classmates. I will be documenting this process all year so you will be able to see what your children are creating in class. I will also be looking for parent volunteers to be a part of our GENIUS HOUR so if you signed up for volunteering in our room, you will be hearing from me about this...yeah! I am really excited about this project and are looking forward to sharing the GENIUS of 2-3 with you all! You have amazing children who need to share their talents with the world! Stay tuned....
- Danielle
ROCKSTARS of 2-3
Hello all!
This week we continued learning about landforms, continents, and oceans. Here is our class performing two songs that I created about the 7 continents and 5 oceans. These kids ROCK! I foresee some Grammy Awards in their future :)
7 Continents Make Our Globe
5 Oceans
When you click on each title, it will take you to an audio website. It will say "no preview available" and that is okay. Just click on "download" to hear the songs.
- Danielle
This week we continued learning about landforms, continents, and oceans. Here is our class performing two songs that I created about the 7 continents and 5 oceans. These kids ROCK! I foresee some Grammy Awards in their future :)
7 Continents Make Our Globe
5 Oceans
When you click on each title, it will take you to an audio website. It will say "no preview available" and that is okay. Just click on "download" to hear the songs.
- Danielle
Friday, August 24, 2012
Hip, Hip, HOORAY! A New School Year Is Underway!
Hello 2-3 Families and Friends!
We made it through our second day of school in 2nd grade! The kids have had a GREAT two days in school. I love learning about who they are and what matters to them. I've been taking lots of pictures, but I must wait to post everything until we get information about Media Release forms being signed. I promise to upload everything as soon as I am able to. We will go over all of the policies and procedures about our website during Curriculum Night next week. I wanted to give you a brief recap of some things we did on our first two days together and give you a head's up on what to expect next.....
* The students learned about their morning procedures and how the get to use the Mimio to choose their lunch for the day.
* We read First Day Jitters and talked about how it is okay to be nervous for the first day of school. We talked about how we are all special and we work together as a team to support each other in our classroom.
* The students introduced themselves and told us about something they did over the summer.
* We went on a tour of the building and talked about ways to stay safe at recess...aka, THE RULES!
* We did a supply check-in and the kids organized their desks
* We completed our FIRST MATH LESSON! These kids sure know how to count!!
* We read the book, How to Fill a Bucket and talked about how each student matters in the class and that we want to support each other.
* Did you know that I have 20 geniuses in 2-3? Well, I DO! We talked about how each student is a genius and it is important for them to share the things they know and love with others. We can ALL learn from each other.
* The kids were introduced to our classroom motto, PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS! I don't use the word perfect because I encourage the students to try their best and then challenge themselves to do better!
* We wrote our new principal, Mrs. Sessler, letters to let her know how much she matters to us and to Dryden. She LOVED them. The kids definitely filled her bucket today! Way to go class.
* The students also had their first ART class today....talk about a fun Friday.
* 2-3 created their own set of classroom rules. The kids learned today that rules aren't created to try to get you in trouble, they are made to keep us safe. Each student was responsible for contributing his/her own rule to create our classroom rules.
* The class also told me what special topic THEY want to learn about this year. My goal is to find a way to incorporate each topic into our learning this year. It's important that the kids know and feel like they own their learning in their classroom.
* On Tuesday many of you may have noticed that one of the large bulletin boards in the classroom was covered in CAUTION tape with a sign that said, "UNDER CONSTRUCTION." Today my crew of construction workers and architects decided on what to do with the board.......The large board will be split into 2 so that the kids can create 2 bulletin boards. One board will be designated for photos and information about what our class is doing. The other bulletin board involves our 3 class pets: Patches the Guinea Pig, Hermie the Hermit Crab, and Funky Monkey, our dancing monkey. Our 3 furry friends are going to travel to places around the world. When they travel somewhere, the class is going to research that place so we can learn more about it and put it on the bulletin board. Our 3 furry friends will also have their picture taken at that place (via green screen) and the students will post that on the board as well. I am so proud of them for being incredibly creative and coming up with such genius ideas for our boards. I love that they thought of ways to make the boards interactive with things they want to learn about! Go class!!
COMING UP:
Wed: 8/29 -- PTA Room Rep meeting 3:00 --- I will meet whoever our rep ends up being as soon as I dismiss the kids at 3:35 :)
Thurs: 8/30 -- Curriculum Night -- Our 2nd grade presentation is from 6:30-7:10 and then from 7:15-7:40 there will be teacher introductions and PTA information.
Mon: 9/3 -- NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY
I wish you all a safe and wonderful weekend. Thank you for such a great start to school year. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to teach and learn from your children.
- Danielle
We made it through our second day of school in 2nd grade! The kids have had a GREAT two days in school. I love learning about who they are and what matters to them. I've been taking lots of pictures, but I must wait to post everything until we get information about Media Release forms being signed. I promise to upload everything as soon as I am able to. We will go over all of the policies and procedures about our website during Curriculum Night next week. I wanted to give you a brief recap of some things we did on our first two days together and give you a head's up on what to expect next.....
* The students learned about their morning procedures and how the get to use the Mimio to choose their lunch for the day.
* We read First Day Jitters and talked about how it is okay to be nervous for the first day of school. We talked about how we are all special and we work together as a team to support each other in our classroom.
* The students introduced themselves and told us about something they did over the summer.
* We went on a tour of the building and talked about ways to stay safe at recess...aka, THE RULES!
* We did a supply check-in and the kids organized their desks
* We completed our FIRST MATH LESSON! These kids sure know how to count!!
* We read the book, How to Fill a Bucket and talked about how each student matters in the class and that we want to support each other.
* Did you know that I have 20 geniuses in 2-3? Well, I DO! We talked about how each student is a genius and it is important for them to share the things they know and love with others. We can ALL learn from each other.
* The kids were introduced to our classroom motto, PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS! I don't use the word perfect because I encourage the students to try their best and then challenge themselves to do better!
* We wrote our new principal, Mrs. Sessler, letters to let her know how much she matters to us and to Dryden. She LOVED them. The kids definitely filled her bucket today! Way to go class.
* The students also had their first ART class today....talk about a fun Friday.
* 2-3 created their own set of classroom rules. The kids learned today that rules aren't created to try to get you in trouble, they are made to keep us safe. Each student was responsible for contributing his/her own rule to create our classroom rules.
* The class also told me what special topic THEY want to learn about this year. My goal is to find a way to incorporate each topic into our learning this year. It's important that the kids know and feel like they own their learning in their classroom.
* On Tuesday many of you may have noticed that one of the large bulletin boards in the classroom was covered in CAUTION tape with a sign that said, "UNDER CONSTRUCTION." Today my crew of construction workers and architects decided on what to do with the board.......The large board will be split into 2 so that the kids can create 2 bulletin boards. One board will be designated for photos and information about what our class is doing. The other bulletin board involves our 3 class pets: Patches the Guinea Pig, Hermie the Hermit Crab, and Funky Monkey, our dancing monkey. Our 3 furry friends are going to travel to places around the world. When they travel somewhere, the class is going to research that place so we can learn more about it and put it on the bulletin board. Our 3 furry friends will also have their picture taken at that place (via green screen) and the students will post that on the board as well. I am so proud of them for being incredibly creative and coming up with such genius ideas for our boards. I love that they thought of ways to make the boards interactive with things they want to learn about! Go class!!
COMING UP:
Wed: 8/29 -- PTA Room Rep meeting 3:00 --- I will meet whoever our rep ends up being as soon as I dismiss the kids at 3:35 :)
Thurs: 8/30 -- Curriculum Night -- Our 2nd grade presentation is from 6:30-7:10 and then from 7:15-7:40 there will be teacher introductions and PTA information.
Mon: 9/3 -- NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY
I wish you all a safe and wonderful weekend. Thank you for such a great start to school year. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to teach and learn from your children.
- Danielle
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