The Second Grade Dictionary

Sometimes second graders have their own language, and sometimes the create their own meaning for "grown up" topics. I am thinking of compiling a dictionary so everyone who is not involved with second graders is sure to understand this unique language. If you are involved in kindergarten, first, and perhaps third, you might already be proficient in "second."

Here are two entries I am considering:

Graduate School - "The school you have to go to before you are allowed to get married."

Opposed to - something you are required to do. Example: "Are we opposed to put away our math books when we are finished?"

Author's Showcasing Their Work

Here is our second grade class's new Web site designed to showcase student writing and illustrations. Some are finished products and some are works in progress. Enjoy and share in the discussions...

It's Alive - Author Page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

C'mon Girls!

I attended PETE&C 2010 this week in Hershey, PA. I learned, shared, collaborated, and enjoyed many thought-provoking discussions.

But what I am taking back as my biggest WOW moment is this: A colleague and I attended a concurrent session. We lingered after the session, finishing a task and discussing what we had learned, not noticing the next group coming in for the next session. But, as we got up to leave what I did notice is that the large room was now filled with just about guys - barely a girl in the room - not something I was used to seeing in the sessions I attend!! Jokingly, I said to my colleague, "This must be an IT-techy session coming next." Sure enough, as we looked at the display outside the room, it was some "network, safety, security, I-don't-get-it" session.

WOW! I teach second grade and I think gender equity is something that exists in our classrooms. I see a mix of abilities in all areas for both boys and girls, whether it is reading, math, technology. Our elementary school has many strong technology-savvy female teachers too. But, something isn't right when the "techy" room is filled with guys (sure there were some women in the room - maybe more came later - maybe they were still in line at the ladies room).

So what I am taking back is an eye on the girls. What are they talking about? What are they interested in? What are they doing in the computer lab that might look different from what the boys are doing? Are there differences? I don't know. But I am going to find out...

Media Festivals - Join the Discussion

Many teachers and students have better access to digital media and the tools needed to create their own projects that are enhanced by digital media. A media festival is a way to showcase quality media projects and to celebrate the wonderful work being done in our classrooms.

Join the discussion at Pete&C 2010 - Birds of a Feather, 8:15-9:30, Monday, February 22, Magnolia A. Or join via CoverItLive from wherever you might be.

Parties and Plans: Then and Now

Here I am, at home, with my sick child. I had to leave school at noon to take care of my daughter after receiving a call from the nurse at her school telling me my daughter was sick.

When I was in 2nd grade, here are the directions that probably would have been left for my teacher's substitute had she left early that day:

1. Make sure everyone stays in his or her own desk.
2. Ask two students to give out the treats (If suggestions were given of "good students," I would have been listed of course!!)
3. Give out the Halloween worksheet. Students should complete it by themselves.
4. Sing Halloween song.
5. Have two students clean up the trash.
6. Have two students sweep the floor.
7. Have two students clap the erasers.
8. Have students pack up.

And here are some of the directions I left:

1. Here is how you log into the Mac. It is the same way as you log into a pc.....
2. Here is where you access the on/off to the projector (it's in a box).
3. Do you know how to orient the Smartboard (yes, good). If you have trouble, see the teacher next door.
   
4. Here is the link to the web site, etc. (provided directions to get to a Halloween spelling game to play on the Smartboard).
5. Here is a pile of books my student helpers and I collected in case you need them to read.
6. On the children's desks are science papers. They need to observe the toothpaste and water to see what it looks like after sitting overnight.
7. The children can have some independent reading time if there's time. They love that. Or, they can write in their journals. They were learning about "sound words" and alliteration by watching two short videos and creating a podcast yesterday so they might want to use those styles in their writing today.
8. Parents are coming at 1:30 to help the children dress. Some parents will stay in the classroom to help set up for the party (food and craft) and others will come on the parade around town.
9. I have partnered the children for the parade so they keep an eye on each other. I used the digital photo magnets of the children posted on the chalkboard to show you who the partners are.
10. Here is my cell phone number in case you have any questions.
11. Make sure to lock up the Mac and cord in the closet when you are finished.

Whew! No wonder we are tired at the end of the day - even if we aren't there!!!

Classroom Culture

As all teachers know, every year you have a different group of children and a different feel to the classroom. There are different people, of course, in your environment, and that makes all the difference. You are teaching similar content, the classroom itself is somewhat the same, you probably have many of the same books, desks, learning materials, standards to achieve, and a similar schedule to adhere to. But, luckily, we get to do our job differently every year. That is one of the exciting things about teaching - even if you teach the same grade year after year.

As the "leader" of the group, a teacher does have some say (at least we try) in the development of the culture of the classroom. This year I have been observing some of the very interesting developments in the culture of my second grade classroom that I find fascinating because the children are creating some of this culture themselves by making the most of the structures that have been set up in this particular learning environment. Here are two examples:

A few weeks ago a child brought in a rock from home. During the busy morning as the children were arriving, the child showed me the rock. I commented on the rock as I was getting the day organized. He asked me if he should put it on the display table. I quickly said yes as I attended to the other children. After a few minutes (processing, processing), I stopped and thought, "Do we have a display table?" I then realized that on the first day of school a child brought in some things from her summer vacation. We put them on a metal stand that I use to store science materials. Without my paying much attention to it, the stand gradually became a display table for all kinds of interesting items the children wanted to share with the class: books, toys, rocks, shells, awards, Halloween decorations. Sometimes I don't know who put the items there - they just "appear" there. And that seems to satisfy the need of the children to share their things without having them become a distraction. And, the other children respect the items and leave them alone.

This is the first year our four Macbooks available at the very beginning of the year for the students to use in the classroom. The children are already becoming comfortable using the computers and will even ask for "my mac" when they have some work to do. But it still surprised me when I was talking with another teacher as the children came into the classroom after lunch and I heard the "ding" of the macs as they were being turned on. I found it surprising, and amusing, that the children were so comfortable with themselves as learners and tech. users that they would get right to work after lunch without waiting for me to give them any directions (I did actually have a math lesson planned by the way...). You have to remember, these are only second graders! They aren't fooling around - they want to get their work done. And this is THEIR work - not my assignment for them to complete.

With guidance and trust, modeling and support, even the youngest children will embrace learning and leading in their classroom. Keep an eye on them...they're fascinating. And they won't wait for you either!!

I Triple Dog Dare You - And Other Exciting Playground Rules

Everyone knows that if you are "triple-dog dared" you just have to do it, right? We all know you can spray yourself or draw a force field to keep the "cooties" off too. When I was in elementary school, we had the "Naked Machine." If you stood on a certain vent and someone pushed a button, then you were naked, no questions asked, and it didn't matter that you still had all your clothes on either - you were naked. About 15 years later I was visiting my parents and walked through the school playground during recess, and, sure enough, someone was on that vent and the "Naked Machine" was still in operation!! I couldn't believe it. Are these really logical and sound rules and procedures for your playground? Of course not!

We do have lots of rules, though, to make play-time fun, safe, and fair for everyone. We help the children understand the rules and what to do if they are having trouble. We help the children when the problems are beyond what they can handle themselves. We work with the whole class and with individuals. We use stories and role playing to help the children understand empathy, fairness, cooperation, etc. So why is it, then, that year after year, we continue to address the same problems, sometimes problems that continue to pop back up throughout a school year? And sometimes the problems continue year after year throughout the grade levels.

During the July 2009 Constructing Modern Knowledge I was fortunate to be able to interact with educator Deborah Meier. She gave us some suggested resources ("Write this down," she would say...so I did.) One of the educators she spoke about was Vivian Gussin Paley, and she suggested we read her book You Can't Say You Can't Play. It took me about two days to read - it's a quick read.

You really have to read the book to appreciate the discussions and debates Paley and her kindergarteners and the children from grades 1-5 had regarding the rule "you can't say you can't play." They wondered--Is this a fair rule and would it work?

So, do you think this is a fair rule, and do you think this would work in your classroom or school? Would you like this rule applied to you, either as an adult or thinking of yourself as an elementary school student? Remember, that would mean that you couldn't tell anyone they couldn't play with you, and no one could tell you that you couldn't play with them (or anyone else).

If you think about it quickly, it sounds great - everybody gets to play. But then you have to consider all the "what ifs" that will certainly occur in a social arena. What if someone is mean to me? What if I only want to play with my best friend? What if the teams are too big? What if the boys only want to play with boys and the girls only with girls?

But also consider: What if one child is always excluded, day after day, year after year? What if there is always one child who decides who plays and who doesn't - one day you're "in" and the next day you're "out"? What if someone wants to play with your best friend and your best friend wants to play with someone else but doesn't want to hurt your feelings.

I'm not sure if this rule is fair or if it would work in my second grade classroom. I do know that for the last nine years of teaching, it is certain that there are problems that occur at recess and free play times because the children exclude some, create cliques (even at this young age), test their social powers, and still need help learning how to join in with a group. As Vivian Gussin Paley suggests, a public school is a public place. If you want to play exclusively with your close friends, you can arrange to connect outside of the school day. But school is not the place for exclusion.

What do you think...I'm still deciding...I wonder what my students think...I'm going to ask them...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/foundphotoslj/ / CC BY 2.0