Last Days of School

I could not have asked for a better class this year!  I already miss them so much!  They have worked hard all year and are going to be amazing 2nd graders. Hope you all have a wonderful summer.  Don't forget to read…I know I won't! :)

Mrs. Wishy Washy?  No…that's just Mrs. Cranston having some fun!

Rock Candy Surprise

Mrs. Cranston signing some autograph books

Walking back from the movies

Fairy Tale Presentations

The students had a wonderful time with the Fairy Tales Unit.  We wrapped up our learning by putting on a presentation of 4 short plays for our families and the other first grade classes.  They did The 3 Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and Jack & the Beanstalk. The students rocked it!

Fairy Tale Treats
Bears and Blondies (Teddy Grahams and Vanilla Oreos)
Magic Beans (Jelly Benas)
House Building Materials (Pretzel Sticks)
Cookies for Grandma
Jack's Juice (7-up & Sherbert)

3 Little Pigs STEM Activity

After reading The Three Little Pigs, the students had a lot of fun practicing their carpentry skills.  They worked with a partner to build a house of straw (fabric), a house of sticks (popsicle sticks), and a house of bricks (legos).  We then invited The Big Bad Wold (blow dryer) to try to blow them down.  We determined which houses were the strongest and why and also measured how far each house blew.   It was some great learning…we may have some future architects on our hands!

Working on the brick house

Straw House

Blowing the house down

The brick house won't blow down!

Whooosh….

Buddy Reading

Open a Book

Open a book

And you will find

People and places of every kind;

Open a book

And you can be

Anything that you want to be;

Open a book

And you can share

Wondrous worlds you find in there;

Open a book

And I will too,

You read to me

And I'll read to you.

By Jane Baskwill

Websites and Resources for Home Practice

As summer draws closer, it's time to think about how you will keep your kiddos challenged over the summer.  I am a huge fan of our summer school program and it is available to all students grades K-3.  I will be sending home more information about it in the next few weeks. In the meantime, here are some great websites to check out…

Iowa Reading Resource Center- If you click on the parents page, it has some great resources and ideas to help you learner with reading.

Khan Academy- A great site for you students to practice skills and gain points.  You must first set up an account for your child but definitely worth the time.

Jack and the Beanstalk

We started our Fairy Tales Unit Last Week.  Today we were working on Jack and the Beanstalk.  A magic beanstalk grew in our room overnight! ;)

We decided that Jack climbing down the beanstalk was not the quickest or safest way to get away from the giant so we made parachutes for him!  The students designed and created their own parachutes from every day materials.  Lots of great problem-solving went on!  We then tested which parachute took the least amount of time flying of the equipment.  A parachute made of dental floss and a coffee filter won!

Which way will it go?

Uh oh!   A soggy parachute!  It may not be flyable but it is now fashionable!

Weeeee!

Up, up, and away...

One, two, three…up they go!

Ready to fly

Tying is tough for little hands but they were patient and persistent

More tying concentration 

Teamwork

Future engineers

Common Core Standards

Parents often have a lot of questions about the Common Core State Standards.  It is a hot issue right now, so naturally, there are many misconceptions about what these standards actually are.  The Common Core Standards are clear and rigorous expectations about what students need to be able to learn and do at each grade level in order to be college and career ready.   They build on each other and encourage critical thinking.  These goals don't specify how a lesson should be taught, but rather what a student needs to be able to do by the end of a lesson.  Check out this link to learn more about the Common Core Standards.
Here is another video with an explanation of the reasoning behind the standards:

If you are interested in the standards we are currently using in Iowa, here is a link to the Iowa Department of Education Common Core Website. You can browse by subject or grade.

Let me know if you would like additional information.

Taking a Break

The kids have been working very hard this week on their end-of-year assessments!  We have been taking some extra recess time to celebrate our learning and hard work! 

Peek-a-boo!

Sunshine and smiles

Making me dizzy...

Monkeying around

Science Center Field Trip

Last Friday we visited the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines.  We had an absolute blast!  We saw a Shark iMAX movie, a Fire and Ice Show, went into a bat cave, and even rode an escalator!  I tried to get pictures of everyone and everything but there was just too much to see.  It was an amazing and unforgettable day!

The girls got a ride on a humungous elevator for VIPs only!

Doing some cooking'!

Looking at themselves on the TV!

Getting ready for the iMAX…I think some people were a little nervous. :)

WHOA….huge bubble!

Building a cave

Brave girl by a Rattle Snake

Look at the new weathermen!

Uh oh…a floating head!

Nature walk without taking a foot outside

In a bat cave

Checking out the Mar's Rover

Spinning Disks

Racing cars

Having fun

Ball Wall

They are excited!!

Thanks to all of our great chaperones!

Future Engineers

I had bought a car kit on clearance a few months ago.  It looked too complicated for me so I planned on bringing it home to have my husband put together but I had forgotten about it in the back of my closet.  A few weeks ago one of the students spotted it and asked if they could put it together.  I was a little apprehensive about parts getting lost but I went ahead a let them.  Wow!  I was blown away!  A team of three of them had that car put together in about 10 minutes.  I was very impressed as it had many parts and a batter-run light. Great job kiddos!

Getting Ready for Earth Day

Miss Jodi, the Lucas County Naturalist, visits us once a month.  The kids adore her and we always learn so many things!  This month she talked about Earth Day.  The kids made posters to help others learn about the importance of taking care of the Earth.  One winner will be selected from each grade and will have their poster displayed at the Nature Center.  I think ours turned out pretty great!

There's a recycling truck hiding under that arm.

Earth Day…and every day!  :)

Hard at work for our Earth

Love those labels…future non-fiction author right there!

Flat Stanley Day

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted!  Thank you for all your help with making our Flat Stanley Day fun and meaningful to the kids.  The Stanleys had a great time but are happy to be back home with their real families.

Back from Colorado, Boone, & Idaho

Back from Missouri & Milo

Back from California….with a glowing tan and a new wardrobe!

Thanks for all who were able to attend and share our learning with us1

Back from Wyoming

Back from Indianola