October/November Wrap-up

Happy Halloween ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

I think that we would all agree that the past couple months have just flown by!! We have been pretty busy in Room 220. In October, we finished up the Global Read Aloud activities and had fun at our Fall Festival Parties. We were very excited to be able to 'skype' with another classroom, Room 7, from a school in Cleveland where a friend of mine teaches. To say that the students enjoyed the activity would be an understatement....they LOVED it. The students were excited to see into another classroom and were very attentive when those students were sharing their 'mixed up chameleon' creations. We created our own mixed up chameleons too and some of the students were able to share them as well. 


In addition to 'skyping' with Room 7, we also had the opportunity to skype with a college children's literacy class from Arizona. Again, the students amazed me with their attention as a couple of the college students and the professor read a couple Eric Carle books. Some of the students even shared their mixed up chameleons again. I will be working on more 'skyping' opportunities for after the first of the year. 


The students have been working really hard in reading these past couple months. We really have been focusing on the standards of listening to text and being able to answer questions about the text. Please reinforce this skill at home as you read with your child. I often send home visuals for each of the books/themes which you can use to give your child choices or help support their verbal answers. If there is a book your child really enjoys and you would like visual to go along with it, let me know and I can send them home.



I will be posting the December newsletter this week. I will also send a hard copy home as well. There are going to be some changes ofter the first of the year. We will be starting a new curriculum. I will create a separate post about what that will look like and how our classroom might look a little different after the first of the year.

~ Melanie

A busy end to September.....

And what??? It is almost the end of October!!

We have been very busy in Room 220!! To conclude September, we learned a little bit about Johnny Appleseed, discussed apples, and made applesauce with the help of Ms. Morris. This time of year is always my favorite because there are so many fun activities to do and the students are so motivated and engaged during the cooking activities. Ms. Morris and I have been doing this unit together for over 10 years and each year we are amazed at the students and how much they enjoying participating in the recipe process....and of course, enjoying the yummy treat at the end.

Here are a couple pictures from our applesauce afternoon! I will be printing and send additional ones home with the students soon.

Z wearing his Johnny Appleseed hat.

D showing H the picture of honey.

D helping peel the apples.

M running the blender with the switch.

October brought us into the Global Read Aloud author study of Eric Carle. We started with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar where we focused on the vocabulary: caterpillar, butterfly, apple, pear, plums, strawberries. The students enjoyed participating in various sequencing activities and using the 'talker' to help tell the story. All the students agreed that they liked this book.

Here are a couple pictures of our creations relating to The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

matching the fruit to days of the week

our own very hungry caterpillars

string fruit beads

helping our friends string fruit beads

The next week, we read the book Have You Seen My Cat? It was a great story for predictive text and we were able to learn about different types of cats, but the excitement for this book wasn't there as with other books. The did many group readings of the story using a variety of AAC devices. The best part of the week was when the students created their cat masks. Although the loved the masks, it was almost unanimous that the students DID NOT like the book.

Here are a couple of our favorite 'cats'!

Keep a look out this weekend for another update! We have some exciting new to share!!

~Melanie

Global Read Aloud ~ Week 5 Review

This week marked the end of the Global Read Aloud 2012 and the conclusion of our Charlotte's Web activities. This week we finished reading the adapted book and completed our comprehension book. As a concluding activity, we incorporated a science lesson about spider webs into the mix. (Thanks to Mrs. Pence for sharing her scholastic science sheets with us. It provided a great literature connection.)

We learned:

• how a spider web needs to have specific components in the web structure (bridge lines, anchor points, and the spirals)
• that the web starts out a liquid and turns into a solid
• that although spider webs look fragile, they are actually quite strong

To illustrate and reinforce the concepts of the spider webs, we created our own spider webs using wax paper and liquid glue (such as Elmer's). This hands on activity allowed the students to create their own webs while reinforcing the parts of the web. With assistance, the students first created the bridge lines, then we attached the anchor points. Next we created the spirals. Lastly, we labeled the parts of the web while the glue was wet so that they would stay in place. Some students even chose to draw and add their own "Charlotte". Some students completed this activity within their 2nd grade class. Other students completed this activity while in our classroom. See below for the of our great student spider webs.

In addition to the "glue" webs, we also took some time and encouraged students to draw his/her own spider web on the SMARTBoard using the same structure as mentioned above - creating a web with bridge lines, anchor point, spirals, and maybe even a spider! Check out the examples below.

#GLRead12 ~ The Global Read Aloud 2012

Here is a quick video that provides a brief history of The Global Read Aloud 2012 and well as shows the books begin read aloud this year: Charlotte's Web and The One and Only Ivan.

Global Read Aloud 2012

Global Read Aloud 2012 ~ featuring Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Photo Credit ~ Wikispaces

I am very excited to have the class signed up to participate in our first Global Read Aloud. 

Now, I know what you are thinking, 

What is the Global Read Aloud?? 

The Global Read Aloud was founded a few years ago by Mrs. Ripp. It is an international literacy project in it’s third year. On her blog, Mrs. Ripp describes the reason behind this project: 

“I founded the project because I believe books are powerful. Books, by themselves, spellbind people, particularly children and allow them to travel to new places. Books become such a personal experience that to take a book and have children listen to it around the world at the same time, could open up the world. They would understand that the experience they were having with the book was perhaps the same experience as another child in another place was having. My students understand through this project that they are part of something bigger, that other kids were just like them even if they were so far apart. Even if the sun didn’t rise at the same time or the seasons were opposite, they were the same because they loved the same book.”

I was intrigued to be a part this project after a fellow teacher, Ms. Kolis (@Room5Friends), told me about the experience with her classroom last year. I am very excited to have the students participate in an event that will allow them to showcase the great things we do here at Evendale. I am also excited to get our classroom connected to students from across the globe. Last year, we connected with students from New Zealand and the student enjoyed learning about the culture of the students. The Global Read Aloud will provide us with yet another opportunity to learn from and about others.

Photo Credit ~ Coloring Pages for Kids

Here are the specifics about The Global Read Aloud. This year’s book selection for the younger elementary students is Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. The project officially begins October 1st and will run 4-7 weeks. An international group of teachers are currently in the planning process for the 4 weeks of lessons. I will modify the lessons and the timeline to fit the need and abilities of the class as well as organize additional resources as needed. During this project, we will use a variety of technology tools to engage in the book, collaborate with other classes, participate in discussions, and create projects revolving around the book. Some of the websites/technology tools that we will be using for this project will be the classroom blog, edmodo, twitter, and wikispaces.

Most of the project will take place at school; however, I will also be asking you to complete some activities at home. I will be posting information to the class blog about our activities as well as the Global Read Aloud in general. I encourage you review the blog posting and engage your child in discussions about the book. It would be a great idea to get a copy of the book to also read at home with your child. As I create modified curriculum materials for the book (such as visuals, flashcards), I can also provide you with copies for home as well. When checking out the classroom blog, you can easily find the Global Read Aloud postings by searching the tags “Global Read Aloud”, “#GLRead12”, or “Charlotte’s Web”.

Photo Credit ~ Coloring Pages for Kids

Thanks in advance for your support and cooperation as we take part in this amazing international literacy project! If you have any questions, please feel free to email or post a comment. If you are interested in volunteering to help with part of the project, let me know that as well. I’m sure we can find a way to help you get involved.


Are you a special education teacher participating in the #GLRead12? I would love to connect our classrooms. Leave a comment or find me on twitter (@teachwtechbrox).

~Melanie