100th Day FUN!

We celebrated our 100th day of school last week. I paired up with our fabulous grade 1 teacher and we had a day of 100-themed literacy, math and craftivity centers. Kids were separated into five groups with 8-9 students in each. Grade threes were our leaders; they did a fantastic job. Each group spent 30 minutes at each center. We started centers after our literacy block and kids completed five rotations. It was a very, very exciting day-made more so because I mixed up the schedule. I accidentally overlapped two groups on half of their centers...WHOOPS! Luckily, I teach with wonderful people (kids included, of course) and everything worked out just fine. We scrapped the rotation schedule and just went with a clockwise rotation instead!

Ms L had a limbo line, 100 year-old-person art, and other 100 theme activities in her room. I had 100 Lego, 100 Froot Loops necklace, 100 picture and a 100 steps estimation/task (which I TOTALLY underestimated).

The 100 Lego center was a crowd-pleaser. The night before our celebration, I counted out three piles of 100 Lego. Then, I put each pile into large size Dollarama-brand ziploc baggies. Kids worked in pairs or triads to build a structure from the Lego. Everyone was engaged...awesomeness.

I used 100 charts for the 100 Froot Loop necklace task. Kids first had to use the chart to make sure that they had 100 pieces of cereal. They then strung the Froot Loops onto string. The first group tried to make a pattern, but this turned out to be too hard to do in the 30 minute block. It was interesting to see that some kids thought HUGE piles of cereal would be needed for their 100 chart, while others thought a small handful would be enough.

sorting out cereal

starting to string it on 

lovely, delicious necklace is almost finished

As a home-to-school connection, each student in my class was instructed to bring a bottle filled with 100 things. I bought a case of water and sent home a bottle with each child along with the instructions for this activity (which I found at Read-Write-Think). MARVELOUS! I love, love, love this idea. Kids hid their bottle in a brown paper bag and read three clues about their collection. The class then had three chances to guess it. Objects included; Kibble, toothpicks, beads, spaghetti noodles, cereal, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, popcan tabs...and more! We ended our day with this task, so it was just our class and not the grade ones. I will definitely do this one again. The day after our party, the kids wrote a reflection about their bottle. They had to include what material they used, why they used it and something about it. We used paper with a bottle embossed on it (once again, thank you Dollarama) for the good copy. Kids sketched a picture of their bottle and I took a photo of each child holding their bottle. We'll be gluing the photo beside the drawing, laminating each reflection sheet, and binding them into a class book.

 100 pieces of Kibble

100 Lego

 And, at the end of the day, I went home and had a looooong nap. Any suggestions for next year? I tried to mix things up and have something for all learners but am thinking that some kind of song could be added?

I have been BLOGGY TAGGED!

What a great start to my week...I have been bloggy tagged by two lovely ladies. Miss DeCarbo at Second Grade Sugar and Spice and Michelle at Teach 123 have both made me "it." If you haven't checked out their blogs yet, you should. They are awesomely fantabulous. **WARNING: this is a long (yet enjoyable) post.

Here are the rules of  BLOGGY TAG:


1.  Post the rules
2.  Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3.  Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4.  Tag 12 people and link them in your post.
5.  Let them know that they have been tagged. 

12 Fun Facts
1. I have three middle names. My dad really really wanted my name to be KERI-LYNNE but my mom said no way disagreed. Instead, they made Lynne a middle name...along with JEAN and LOUISE. I haven't ever met anyone with three middle names. I don't even fill out all of them on applications. There isn't enough room.
2. I started dating my husband when we were both 15. We've been together for 21 years. I feel old just typing that little tidbit.
3. I was in rhythmic gymnastics in grades 7-8. I was not coordinated at all and would frequently tangle the ribbon around my ankles.
4. I like doing the dishes. I find it kind of relaxing and like how it transforms my kitchen from eeeeeekkkk to ahhhhhhhh.
5. I have three kids. Beth is 16, Abbi is 13 and Logan is 9. I feel blessed to have such great kids and we have a very close relationship. My daughters ask me lots of questions and tell me lots of info (some of which I definitely probably don't need to know).
6. My nickname at work is KiKi because my initials are KK...I suppose it was easy to add a couple vowels in there to make a word.
7. I live in rural Ontario, Canada. The closest city is 40 km away...and has only 100 000 people in it. The biggest city I have ever been to is Toronto...and it's 2 000 km away.
8. I love to cook. I wish I had more time to explore and try out the recipes I keep pinning.
9. I have, what has been described as, a wicked sense of humour. I love to make people laugh...
10. I have been a bridesmaid six times. I feel honoured to have the opportunity to share in such meaningful, wonderful experiences. I've even been a bridesmaid for the same friend at two of her weddings!
11. I am envious of the artistic talent that so many bloggers have...they make such lovely (and gosh darn cute) activities to go with their units. I wish I could do something half as excellent. {sigh}
12. I can hit a ball VERY far in baseball. Like to the fence far. Which is lucky because I can't catch, throw or run the bases. Once (or ten times) I have got nailed in the kisser when trying to catch a fly ball...thinking that it would just kinda land in my glove...AWFUL player.

Responses to Second Grade Sugar and Spice
1. What is your favorite item in your classroom?
My SmartBoard. I love it so very much.
2. What was one thing you've learned since your first year of teaching?
Connect before you direct. I spend lots of time getting to know my students and letting them get to know me. There is still that line (we aren't friends) but I want them to know how much I care.
3. What is your favorite subject to teach?
Literacy. Although I also love to teach Math...
4. Do you have a pet peeve?
Yes. When kids say "Huh?" instead of "Pardon" or "I didn't hear you..."
5. When do you teach reading? Morning or Afternoon?
First thing every morning.
6. What is the first thing your students do when they arrive in the morning?
Have a healthy snack. Some of my students have been on the bus for over an hour and need something to snack on.
7. What is your favorite unit that you teach?
I don't teach the same unit each year, but one that I did teach last year and LOVED was fairy tales.
8. If you could have any piece of technology in your classroom, what would it be?
A document camera for the SmartBoard
9. Where were you born?
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
10. How often do you switch seats/desks in your classroom throughout the year?
Once every 5-6 weeks. However, I will move students around who aren't learning where they are sitting when necessary
11. Name an intervention program that you use in your school.
Good Readers' Club for those kid who read significantly under grade level
12. Describe a memorable moment you have had during your teaching career.  

During a District Review, I had two superintendents, three principals, two government people and the director of education in my classroom for twenty minutes. They were asking the kids questions about IR strategies etc..s.t.r.e.s.s.f.u.l!! They even went through Reading Response books and bins. 

Responses to Teach 123 

1.  Do you prefer chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla?

Either chocolate or vanilla...don't like strawberry

2.  Who is your favorite recording artist?

Pink or Queen or Elton John...but I love lots of different types of music so it depends on my mood...also love Adele

3.  What is your favorite cereal?

Honey Nut Cheerios with Puffed Wheat mixed in

4.  What color is your vehicle?

Black

5.  Name 3 songs on your iPod.

Bad Romance (Lady Gaga), That Summer (Garth Brooks), Santa Monica (Theory of a Deadman)

6.  Do you prefer winter or summer?

Summer...even though it's soooo short

7.  Do you prefer mountain hideaway or beach house?

Hmmmm....mountain hideaway if it has a fireplace, comfy couch, big windows and lots of books

8.  Who is your favorite book character?

Alex Delaware from Jonathon Kellerman's books

9.  What is your favorite t.v. show?

Right now it's The Mentalist...although I also love Modern Family and Big Bang Theory

10. What are you really afraid of?

Mice and rats (shudder)

11. What is your favorite restaurant?

The Prospector (a local steak house)...they have a salad bar, unlimited buns/soup and the best steak in town

12. What is the best thing about teaching?

The kids and making some kind of a difference in their lives. Academic or emotional, doesn't matter which.

My Questions

1. What do you do to de-stress?

2. Describe your favourite dinner?

3. What do you do on Friday night?

4. Do you have any hobbies?

5. Why did you start blogging?

6. Would you rather teacher 20 eighth graders or 30 first graders?

7. How far do you live from where you grew up?

8. Would you ever teach a member of your family (eg child, nephew, niece). Why or why not?

9. Do you want to be a principal someday?

10. Do most people seem pleased or upset when you tell them that you are a teacher?

11. How long does it take you to get to work?

12. How much time a week do you spend planning, preparing etc (other than the time spent at school)?

I have TAGGED...

April at Ms. Brown's Grade 2 Blog

Delena from Learn with Me in Grade Three

Caitlin from Ms. Preppy

Tracey at Our Cool School

Deborah at Multi-Grade Matters: Ideas for a Split Class

And now, I am d.o.n.e!