While Pinterest-ing One Day...

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Pinterest. It can be overwhelming and way too time-consuming, but it can also be a fantastic place to find resources for school (and my kids, and my kitchen, and...you get the point). This time, I came across a FANTASTIC website for kids with a ton of great games! It's abcya.com, and all of the games are organized by suggested grade level. Obviously, your student does not have to play only what they have listed for second grade, but it is a great place to start! The site is very attractive and really "modern" in the way it looks. I know that in the past, many school sites I have found turn out to be pretty boring. This one is not! Check it out tonight! Happy surfing!

Week Two!

Week two is off and running! Today, we learned about our first transdisciplinary theme for I.B. We are beginning the year with "How We Organize Ourselves" through a study of community. I hope that everyone has looked over and saved the newsletter that tells you a bit more about this unit. We are also well into our first Investigation in Math. The first unit is all about strategies for counting, working with coins, and introducing problem solving strategies. It was very interesting to watch students work together this morning to decide whether or not their bag of chips contained enough for the whole class. I learned a LOT about how this group of students interacts with eachother, and I saw several amazing leaders emerge. I am excited to allow them more opportunity to work together to develop as learners. Thank you so much for your overwhelming positive support as the school year has started. Often, we have our first "glitches" within the first three weeks of school, and I have been so excited at the prompt and positive responses when difficulties have been addressed or changes in routine have already taken place. Be sure to follow along with us as we take the journey through second grade!

Welcome Back!!

Welcome back to TMSE! Or, if you are new to us this year...welcome!! I hope that by the time I make my next post, I have lots of new followers that make up my new great group of parents! We are off to a great start in second grade. It always so amazing to me to see how much the first graders have changed over the summer and also how many changes take place over the course of the school year! The biggest change in second grade (in the classroom) is how independent we encourage our students to become. For some, this has happened naturally between first and second grade, and it is a more daunting task for others. Rest assured that we will work throughout the school year to grow independent learners who are beginning to take responsibility for their own learning and actions. I have learned a LOT in just the first few days of school! There is a student in my room who was born in Indiana (just like me!!), I have tennis players, horseback riders, readers, world travelers, artists, writers...it is AMAZING! I can't wait to see how they all continue to grow and learn. Yesterday, LOTS of things came home from the district, and thank you so much for returning it so quickly! Today, there is a classroom packet from me that I hope will help outline for you what second grade is all about. Additional information will continue to come home as we move further into the year, but please keep that packet to answer many questions you might have. Also, there is a special assignment in their folder for tonight. I have asked that ahead of reading Chrysanthemum, students ask a few questions about why their name is special and how it is a perfect fit for them. Lastly, thank you so much to the parents who are being so patient and flexible as we work out afternoon car pick up. Already today, the administration between all three schools have made some adjustments that I hope made your afternoon much better! Always, if you have any questions or concerns, send me an email (lnbechtel@tusc.k12.al.us) or put a note in your students folder. I promise I will respond within 24 hours, or sooner if necessary! We are off to a great start to what I know is going to be an amazing school year! Thank you for the support you have already shown and in advance for your continued support throughout the school year!

Down to the Wire

This week wraps up another great school year at TMSE. Through our growth as an International Baccalaureate candidate school, there have certainly been a few changes this year as we continue to figure out what is best for our learners. I know that I have loved the challenge and the changes, and I hope that you have, too! This summer, be sure to read, read, read! The Tuscaloosa Public Library has a fun summer reading program that is a great way to keep your student moving forward as they head into third grade. Also, do something fun! Go to the zoo, McWane, the park, the pool, the sprinkler in your backyard...anything that puts a smile on your student's face and gives you a great day to make some memories! I love summer, as it is a great time to rest and recharge for the coming school year. I always look forward to spending the summer with my girls, and then by August, I am looking forward to the coming school year. I hope that you are able to enjoy a restful, fun, and safe summer and I am already excited about what your student will continue to achieve beyond second grade! Mrs. Bechtel

Making Connections: An Explanation

Last week and this week, we have focused on making connections in reading. This allows for students to connect what they are reading to real life. In turn, it helps build better readers. There are three types of connections that have been our focus: text to self, text to text, and text to others and the world. Here is a quick breakdown of what each connection really tells you. Each connection finishes the phrases "This reminds me of..." and "This made me think of..."

Text to self: Students read and are able to connect the story to something about themselves. For example, last week we read "The Relatives Came," a great story about family. Many students were able to make the connection to themselves that "This story reminds me of the trip I took to see my family that lives far away."

Text to text: Students read and are able to connect the story to another story they have read. For example, in a story we read today, the little boy likes to pretend he is a mountain climber. In the story "Amazing Grace," Grace loves to pretend that she is all sorts of different things.

Text to others and the world: Students read and are able to connect the story to someone else or to something they know about the world around us. In our current IB unit, we have learned a lot about people who have made a difference through their choices and contributions. Many students connected that Rosa Parks was arrested for doing something she felt was right (refusing to sit at the back of the bus) in much the same way that Susan B. Anthony was also arrested for something she felt was right (voting although women did not yet have the right to vote). They also make many connections to people they know, such as family and friends. For example, a book we read talks about how the little boy wasn't old enough to play with "the big kids." Many students made the connection that they have been left out of playing by older friends and siblings.

That, in a nutshell, is how students make connections to their learning. When students make connections, the learning becomes real and much more important. As you read with your student at home, don't be afraid to point out what they story reminds YOU of or to ask your student to tell you what they story has made them think about.

While surfing one day...

I came across a few great websites! One is through www.dictionary.com, and is a vocabulary game called Word Dynamo. The other is the math game Kakooma on www.gregtangmath.com, a brand-new math website by children's book author Greg Tang. Both are great ways to enrich your student's learning at home, and both are great fun (but you don't have to take my word for it...try them yourself!) for students of all ages. I think I am hooked on both games. :) Enrichment at home is often a tricky thing! The internet is full of great resources, but at the same time they are sometimes hard to find in a sea of not-so-great resources. I hope that these two will help!

The past is present again: Part 1

We have finished our first IB unit, and we are now well into our second. Our theme is Where We are in Place and Place, and our central idea is that the past impacts the present. We are working our way through the 20th century as we "Drive Through the Decades." We are focusing on events, people, entertainment and inventions. It is a lot, but the idea is not for students to be able to recall everything we cover, but to instead understand how all of those things have shaped who we are today. For example, we learned about the Wright Brothers first flight and how they changed transportation forever (as did Henry Ford with cars). We also studied how ragtime music was the first American music and that it led to several other styles of music, including jazz, which we are talking about this week. There are endless possibilities with this unit, and we will make as many connections as we can!

Also, we are working to have a few art focus lessons throughout this unit. We have been given the awesome opportunity to have an extra art class during this unit with Ms. Freeman who also teaches the UA Partnership art class. She is doing an OUTSTANDING job of connecting art to the current decade (this week, 1920's-1930's). She will stay with us through this unit and we will have an art show later to "show off" what we have learned! Also, we are fortunate to have a parent (and probably more than one) with a background in visual art. Coming up, he is going to help us experience being a painter through the eyes of Jackson Pollack. Not only is this an opportunity to have big fun and get messy, but it is also a great connection to modern art.

Whew. That is really only scratching the surface of what is going on in The Beehive. Stay tuned for Part 2. :)