Mrs. Cox's Class: January 2013

It's A Blizzard Out There!!

The students and I have thoroughly enjoyed our latest science unit on WEATHER. One of their favorite extreme weather conditions was a snowstorm/blizzard, so we created symmetrical snowflakes in hopes that they would bring us some real snow! I guess it worked, since less than a week from when we put up our snowflakes, we got our first real snow of the 2012-13 school year.

I hope everyone enjoyed their SNOW DAY this past Friday!! What did you all do that was fun in the snow??

Here's a look at the fun Eliza and Ann Catherine had in the snow :) Eliza spent most of her time eating eat, while toting "Bun Bun" (her lovie) around. Ann Catherine couldn't decide whether she loved it or hated it. I hope you all were able to get out and enjoy the snow like we did!!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2013!!

With the new year, comes a time for reflection and a time for looking ahead. The students and I had a long discussion about New Year's Resolutions - Who makes them? What do they mean? Why should we make them? How do you decide what your resolution should be? After answering these questions and many more we took some time to reflect on our year in 2nd grade thus far.

I challenged the students to think about what has gone well for them so far. What good choices have they made? What is something that seems to be working well for them? Then I really put them to the test and asked them to think about what wasn't working so well. It is hard for adults to talk about what they would like to change in themselves, let alone a group of 7 and 8 year olds - but once again, my students impressed me! They knew right off the bat what areas needed working on, from keeping their desk organized, to studying more in math. Some students even said they needed to work on paying attention more in class. Others wanted to focus on something from home, like getting better at baseball by practicing in the backyard with Dad.

After a great brainstorming session, we were able to get our thoughts down on paper. The students were able to set not one, not two, but THREE goals for themselves: a school goal, a personal goal, and one additional one of their own choosing. They wrote down each goal and more importantly, HOW they were going to follow through with their goals.

We shared our goals with each other, and they are now hanging proudly in the hallway for all to see and for us to hold each other accountable. We will check in sporadically throughout the rest of the year to see how we are doing on our goals.

Native American Dioramas

As a culminating activity for our Native American unit, students were asked to create a shoebox diorama. Students were expected to show the tribe that they chose (Powhatan, Lakota, or Pueblo), along with that tribe's region, habitat, food, climate, occupation, and method of transportation. Students were also expected to write a brief paragraph that summarized all that went into their diorama.

To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. What walked through my door on the diorama due date (or even before) was quite a sight! The time and effort that went into these projects was amazing. It is clear to me that the students invested not only time, but a great deal of thought and effort as well. I commend all of them for the hard work they did!

If you didn't get a chance to swing by the second grade hall and see these dioramas yourself, have no fear! Below you can see an up close and personal shot of each one. ENJOY!