Keep It Up Buttercup

I have transferred to a new school district as well as a new grade so now all of my first grade word lists, cards and high frequency games got moved to the back of the cabinet.  So... I needed to make new 2nd grade versions, of everything. Bummer! First, I wanted to jazz up my word wall  bulletin board.  My school district uses the Journeys reading curriculum so I knew I needed to use those specific word lists.  I like the small white cards that come with our basal set, but I find they all look the same in a big stack by lesson 18, let alone a tower or white by lesson 30.  I instead used an easy to read font and made my own cards just a bit bigger than those sent by the program.  I also added the lesson number and story title to the front of each card.  I love having those right in plain view because it gives the students (and myself, volunteers, or aides) a quick reminder what story/lesson to refer to.  Another trick I like to use each year is ...

I finally had a few spare minutes to finalize the costumes and props I have been using with my students to add a little flair to our Ozobot Bits.  I was able to play with these robots over the summer with a group of science camp kiddos who had just completed 2nd-4th grades.  As part of our free explore, some students created the Ozo Town you see below. The town had everything from a bowling alley-the mini bowling pins came with the classroom kit I was using.  It was a great way for the kids to practice drawing lines of correct thickness and corners the Bit could navigate.  The swimming pools were actually a nice touch because Ozo  will cruise around the blue ink enjoying himself until he finds another path to a different part of the city.  This was a pre-code lesson so the kids were unaware you could add speed, direction and point codes to their map, but that would be a great addition...more on that lesson to come. I also let the class dress up t...