A Timeline of Papillion

Learning about the past is an important part of social studies; understanding the past can be hard though!  When you are 8 years old, everything seems to have happened in the past.  Many 2nd graders are unable to tell you who lived first - George Washington or Abraham Lincoln - and some would even tell you that they lived at the same time.  How then, do we get young children to understand that things that have happened in the past occurred over a span of time?  We use time lines.

Because our standards are focused heavily on understanding how our community has changed over time, we used a timeline of Papillion's history.  We began with the founding of Papillion in 1857 and listed important events that have occurred, including when Hickory Hill opened, Shadow Lake's opening, and the building of Werner Park.  Students worked together to put the events into order and discussed why things have changed in our community. 

You can support this understanding at home by having your child create a timeline of their own life, or even of your family.  Talk with them about how your family has changed throughout the years. 

I'm Talking BIG!

In writing we have been working on revising our writing by using more exciting words.  Today we read an awesome poem:  I'm Talking Big!

I’m Talking Big!

By: Colin McNaughton

I’m talking big!

I’m talking huge!

I’m talking enormous, immense,

Tremendous!

I’m talking hulking, towering,

Titanic, mountainous!

I’m talking maximum, massive, stupendous, gigantic, monumental!

I’m talking fantastic, fabulous,

Incredible, unbelievable, mammoth,

Vast!

I’m talking astronomical, mighty,

Monstrous, universal, colossal,

Magnificent, galactical!

I’m talking BIG!

 

After reading this poem, students worked together to write their own synonym poems for some of our "over-used" words. 

 

Walking

By:  Connor and Haleigh

 

I’m talking skipping!

I’m talking running!

I’m talking galloping and sliding, jogging, and hopping!

I’m talking walking!

 

Hot

By:  Sariyah and Addison

 

I’m talking  burning!

I’m talking steaming!

I’m talking sizzling, roasting, blistering.

I’m talking hot!

 

Small

By:  Andrew K. and Kamira

 

I’m talking teeny weeny!

I’m talking tiny!

I’m talking miniature, teeny, microscopic!

I’m talking small!

 

 

Happy

By Marriah and Mason

 

I’m talking joyful!

I’m talking elated!

I’m talking great, glad, thrilled!

I’m talking happy!

 

Excited

By: Emily and Andrew G.

 

I’m talking bedazzled!

I’m talking impressed!

I’m talking awesome, great, shocked!

I’m talking excited!

 

Sad

By:  Molly and Grace

 

I’m talking disappointed!

I’m talking worried!

I’m talking lonely, let down, upset!

I’m talking sad!

 

Good

By: Landyn and Trey

 

I’m talking nice!

I’m talking enjoyable!

I’m talking satisfying, excited, great!

I’m talking good!

 

Cold

By:  Madison and Thomas

 

I’m talking freezing!

I’m talking breezy!

I’m talking icy, windy, frosty!

I’m talking cold!

 

 

Nice!

By:  Orion and Bryce

 

I’m talking respectfully!

I’m talking honest!

I’m talking delightful, gladly, friendly!

I’m talking nice!

 

Fun

By:  Brayden and Joshua

 

I’m talking entertainment!

I’m talking ball!

I’m talking impressed, pleased, enjoyment!

I’m talking fun!

 

OUR MVP EMILY (the last one for the year!!)

I've had a great week being MVP.  I like when we get to make words out of my name.  Some of the words we made were mime, maze, are, and yum.  I got to share my poster the first day.  I got to bring five show and tells.  I brought my snow globe, my favorite book, "Night, Night Emily", a ball of clay I made.  I also brought a rainbow bracelet I made.  The snow day on Wednesday I did not do my WORDLE because we weren't here.  We did it today.  Today we got to do my MVP paper.  The MVP paper is when you get to say something nice about the person who is the MVP.  I loved being MVP but now it over.  That makes me sad because there is no more MVP's to do for the year so there will be no more papers or we won't get to see any more show and tells.  I am also feeling excited because I get to eat lunch with my mom!

Snow Day Musings ... And a Few Great Poems

I love snow days -- and hate them at the same time!  I love that I get a bonus day to spend with my family and get caught up on the never ending pile of work that teaching brings.  I also hate that I miss seeing the bright, shiny faces of my 21 friends.  We have a lot of fun learning together each day and I miss them when we are apart!

As for this snow day - I'm busy getting some work done for my boys' trap team, looking at some writing done by our friends, scoring essays for Hickory Hill's scholarship, and going through a stack of papers that have been needing my attention.

One of the things in my stack of papers are two great poems written by friends on our 2nd grade team.  One had an author name and will be noted, the other is apparently anonymous.  Either way - they are both great and I wanted to share them with you!

We're a
T - teammates
E - entertained
A- awesome
M - Mrs. Heath as teacher
         By:  Andrew K.

We're a Team
T-turns
E- excited
A-amazing
M-mighty

H-helpful
E-education
A-athletic
T-thoughtful
H-happy
     By:  Anonymous

School Newspaper by Andrew K.

1/30/14

We had three tests in this week. Mrs. Heath is working hard this week.  But she does a very good job helping all the students good and equally.  She helps everyone.  Mrs. Heath is the best.

Our MVP Orion

Dear Mom,

School is fun.  We do a  lot of stuff each day.  Some of it is hard.  Tests are hard.  We took a math test, a social studies test, and a listening comprehension test this week.  Tomorrow we have a word test. 

My favorite part of school is writing.  I like that we can write whatever we want but it has to be real. 

Snowbucks.  Tomorrow I want to buy stuffed animal day.

 

Love,

Orion

OUR MVP MADISON

On the 100th Day of school we dressed up like they did in 1914.  We ate in our classroom because there were no cafeterias in schools in 1914.  Some of the games we played were Go Fish, Duck, Duck, Goose, and marbles.  The best part of the day was trying War Cake.

Some 100th Day Pictures!!

View our Slide Show of 100th Day Pictures on Photobucket!!

 

 

100th Day, 1914 Style

On January 23rd, 2nd grade celebrated the 100th Day of school.  We celebrated by going back 100 years to 1914.  Now 1914 is much different than 2014.  For one thing, we had to attend school in a one room school house.  January 23rd was an especially chilly day to be in a one room school house without central heat - it was NEGATIVE 27 degrees when you factor in the the wind chill!!  brrr...that outdoor outhouse was especially frightful!!

Class was much different as well.  To begin with, our desks were all in rows!  Students had to be silent unless they were called on.  Then, the students would stand, push in their chair, and state their answer to the question, and wait for permission to be seated again. Another big difference was that there was NO technology in 1914.  That meant our learning was done without the benefit of an Elmo, computer, or SmartBoard.  Most of the talking was done by the teacher and students spent much of their day performing orally as opposed to discussing and recording answers in writing.  Students performed math fact tests orally, participated in a spelling bee, and gave oral poetry recitations from memory.

Learning about games from 1914 was a big hit.  We played marbles, SNAP (similar to slap jack), Go Fish, and  Duck, Duck Goose.  Students learned that while there were fun games to play 100 years ago, they were seldom played during school.  They may have played running games during their lunch break, but otherwise games were played after school and on the weekends.  School was for learning - not playing!!

At the end of the day, Mrs. Mazur brought in a special treat for us; War Cake.  War Cake was a staple from 1914 on throughout World War I.  It is a type of bread that was made without butter, eggs, or milk.  Students enjoyed their sample and many were even brave and ate the raisins, though they claimed to not like them!

At the end of our adventure it was overwhelmingly decided that we prefer to attend school in 2014.  We missed our technology and the interactions that are the everyday norm in our classroom.  While it was interesting to see how silent a room could be when following old school ways, I question the amount of learning that was occurring.  Research has learned so much about the way children learn and I firmly believe that talking, interacting,and performing hands on activities are crucial to students' development and learning.  Besides, it is hard to be the teacher in 1914 because you have to talk all day!

Overall we had a wonderful trip back in time and a great 100th Day of School.  :)  I'm attaching a few videos here and look for our picture slide show in the next post. 

Class Election

Part of our 2nd grade social studies standards including understanding the rights and responsibilities of American citizens.  One of the most important rights we have is the right to vote.  Students got to learn about this right first hand by participating in a classroom election.

We decided to elect a class mascot.  Our mascot would be a stuffed animal that would represent our class and what we stand for.  The three candidates were:  Peace, Glory, and Kicks. 

In preparation for the election, students worked together to create platforms for the mascots.  What exactly did each character stand for?  They then created posters and gave speeches outlining the platforms.  They did a fantastic job making the platforms meaningful and appropriate for our classroom - Glory stood for being an American and being patriotic, Kicks for good sportsmanship, and Peace for everyone getting along. 

Students practiced voting privately and then we read the votes.  The winner is Glory!  It was a wonderful lesson in rights and one that I hope will serve the students for the rest of their lives. 

 



Penny Olympics

2nd grade celebrated the return from break and kicked off the Winter Olympics with The Penny Olympics.  Students participated in a 8 different "events" that all focused on pennies.  The events included:
Penny Roll
Penny Stroll
Penny Spin
Penny Words
Penny Toss
Penny Poetry

 
Penny Stack
Penny Grab

Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded for all events and two very special "Good Sportsmanship" awards were given as well.  It was a great way to kick off the New Year, practice some math skills, and work together as a team. 

Go USA (and TEAM Heath)!!!!

Our M.V.P. Bryce

In the summer I like to ride my bike with my dad.  We ride around the neighborhood or in the park.  I just got a new bike from Santa.  It is purple, pink, and blue and those are my favorite colors. 

I am allergic to eggs, milk, and cheese but I can have a type of ice cream.  I can only have soy ice cream.  My favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry with cherries in it. 

Winter Party

TEAM Heath had a ball at our Winter Party.  Prior to the party beginning, we had a visit with Sadie, a therapy dog in the district.  Then during our party the students had the opportunity to pin a nose on Rudolph, decorate a Christmas tree, participate in a gift bow relay, and do some stocking guessing. (He pretty much failed!!)  A great time was had by all and the snacks were fantastic!  It was a lot of fun when Mr. Guthmiller came in and tried to pin a nose on Rudolph.  We appreciate all of the hard work and effort put forth by our class liaison and our volunteers.  Thank you for helping us celebrate the holidays!

Meet Miss Smrcina

My name is Ms. Smrcina and I am beyond excited to work with Mrs. Heath’s second grade class.  I am so excited to begin the next chapter of my life and learn from not only Mrs. Heath, but also from each and every one of the twenty one students as well. I will be with Team Heath for ten weeks and will then move to Portal Elementary to student teach in the Special Education department. 

I was born in Omaha, but was raised in Fremont, Nebraska.  I attended a one-room country school from Kindergarten through sixth grade.  I am able to use many memories and experiences from my elementary school as I am beginning to work with elementary students more and more.  My dad and mom have been happily married for twenty five years.  I have three brothers, Jake (23), Josh (19), and Zach (17.  They are all very dedicated runners so I am constantly attending races and meets to support them.  My family has three dogs, Bailey, Lacy, and Zoey.  I also have a dog of my own, Jerzee, who weighs a measly six pounds.  She has quite the attitude and loves to play ball and go on walks.

I can remember back to when I was in fourth or fifth grade and the idea of being a teacher crossing my mind.  Ever since then, becoming a teacher has been my goal.  I love being able to work with children on a daily basis and hopefully make a difference somehow in their lives, as my elementary teacher did for me.  I will graduate from Midland University in May of 2014 with a double major in Special Education K-6 and Elementary Education K-8. 

In my free time I love to take Jerzee for walks, spend time with family and friends, arts and crafts and rooting for the Green Bay Packers.  I am on Pinterest constantly coming up with new ideas for arts and crafts, as well as games and activities for different classroom settings.    Thank you for allowing me to spend the next ten weeks with your children!   I know it will be an experience that I will learn from and remember for the rest of my life. 

 

Our MVP Marriah

I am 8 years old.  I have one brother.  I have one dog and one cat.  I am a dancer on the performance dance team.  I dance Tuesday and Thursday at Dance Dynamics. Thursdays are fun for dance because I get to practice for my performance.  One of my favorite songs is "Make Them Laugh".  We are also doing a sunshine song.  I want to do gymnastics.  I like to do sports.  I have two very nice teachers, Mrs. Heath and Miss Smrcina.  My favorite store Justice.