Easy Easter Egg Fun!

Hi friends,

It's Nicole from Today, in Second Grade. 

I'm super excited to be back and to share this fun and easy way to decorate Easter Eggs.

I'm Greek, so Easter is a huge deal in my house and we go ALLLLLL out! (like way out)

I can't wait to bake and craft up a storm this year :)

This is all you need for this fun and easy task. You can find all of these items right in your kitchen!

- Cute paper napkins

- Hard boiled eggs

- Egg whites

- Scissors

- Paint Brush

There are the 4 easy steps.

- Cut the paper napkin in the shape of a square and use only one layer.

- Wrap the napkin around the egg and cut off any excess paper.

- Dip the brush in the egg whites and paint the napkin on the egg. Be sure to fold it in places so that you can cover the entire egg.

- Let dry and enjoy the prettiness!

Try it out and let us know how it turns out!

Happy Easter!

Until next time...

Don't Bother Me Hat!

Hey Everyone!

So excited to be back again with this fun idea! I don't know about everyone else but our school is in full assessment mode these days and it has been a little crazy!

Here is a simple trick I use when I need to do some one-on-one in my classroom.

It's super easy... And... All you need is a funky hat (the funkier the better, I say)!

I call it my Don't Bother Me Hat! 

In short, I put this baby on every time I need minimal interruptions from the kiddies.

The students quickly learn (with some training), that when the hat is on, they can only ask me a question or come see me if it is an emergency.

Of course, it is important to make sure that the kiddies are completing work that you know they can do independently. If not, this little trick won't be much help!

Once they are "trained" (it takes a few tries) all I have to do is point to the hat as they approach and they get a silent reminder that it is not the right time to ask a question. No need to speak and interrupt the student who is reading to you. I. LOVE. IT.

This has helped me so much during assessments. The minimal interruptions ensure that I get my evaluations done in a timely manner and also help the student in question perform better as he/she is not getting distracted or interrupted. 

Hope this little trick comes in handy in YOUR classroom!

Until next time...

New Year, New Goals!

Hello Super Friends, 

Happy New Year! I hope 2015 is treating you well so far and I wish you all happiness, health, love, and a little fun! Actually, a lot of fun! Let's make it the MOST fun you've ever had!

As many of us go back to work this week, we bring along personal and work resolutions we would like to implement in 2015. For me, it's all about taking a step back. 

It's time to TRY and worry less about work and go home earlier! 

My specific work goal is to fit in more guided reading time. I do meet with my students for guided reading and my resource teacher meets with my struggling readers quite often for GR, however, I want to make this a priority. Guided reading is an important practice that has AMAZING results and it is definitely worth the effort and time. 

In order to be ACCOUNTABLE for these resolutions I am taking my good friend Valerie's advice (All Students can Shine) and setting an alarm for a reasonable time to leave work. Even if I need five more minutes to finish something up, I must set it aside for the next day and get on out of there! She's a toughie, she'll be checking up on me! Great friends are good to have!

As for my guided reading goal, I have decided to track how many times I meet with groups and what books we read together during that block. Here is what it looks like.

We happened to be working on using our finger detective that week! 

I use this because sometimes a week can go buy and I haven't done any guided reading. This serves as a reminder that I need to get on that! It's also a great way to remember the books we've read AND a great way to measure progress from month to month.

You can grab a free copy of this basic chart right over HERE!

You can also check out my Goal Tracking freebie right HERE!

I use this to plan out specific goals that I am working towards. I'm a list person. Writing things down really helps me stay focused and on top of things. It also ensures that I don't completely forget! Let's face it, we have so much going on that it's easy to forget a lot of things!

I hope these little organization tools are helpful to you and don't be shy to let us know what some of your 2015 goals are in the classroom!

Until next time...

Let's Hear it for the Latke People!

Hi Everyone!

It’s Nicole, from Today, in Second Grade. How are our SUPER friends doing today?!?!  I’M so excited because the month of December is a ton of fun! We’ve had visits from an elf from the North Pole, we’ve received a package from Santa, and we are planning some fun activities for the last week of school. Some of these special activities include elf day, reindeer day, pajama day, and Hanukah day! 

To celebrate Hanukah with the kiddies, we plan to read some of our favorite stories: I have a Little Dreidel and Hershel and the Hanukah Goblins.

We also plan to create a Potato Latke Person! 

Guess what!!!! You can make Potato Latke People with your class too!!! 

Grab yourself a free copy of my Latke Person Craftivity HERE! 

Here are a few pictures from Hanukah’s past...

It’s a very simple craft, so I let my kiddies add their own personal touches.

Another fun twist to our Hanukah day... EATING Potato Latkes (YUMM). I think this might be my favorite part! 

So, grab yourself a copy of this freebie and make AND eat some potato latkes!

As we say here in Quebec... Bon Apetit!

Nicole (Today, in Second Grade)

Hello Citizens of the Bloggerverse,

I'm Nicole and I'm very excited to be putting on a cape and collaborating with these SUPER bloggers on Primary Powers! 

Yes, I love to make people laugh! And, yes, I basically live off chocolate (don't all superheroes???). 

A big YES to getting my super strengths from the amazing, positive, people around me 

(both superhero and civilian)! 

A little more about me...

My blog is Today, in Second Grade

I live in Montreal and it's already getting quite cold (insert visual of freezing teacher HERE)!

We get snow. LOTS of snow... The snow and I have never really been friends. 

I love hockey. I actually think you HAVE to love hockey to be allowed to be a Canadian citizen! 

I love my dog and my books! I love to see the world and have travelled quite a bit. 

I'm Greek, so I talk really loud. And, a lot! 

I enjoy working out and love to feel fit and strong (this helps balance out the chocolate addiction).  

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE teaching the second grade AND blogging about it! 

I may have an addiction to blogs... Teaching, fashion, beauty, organization... The list goes on and on...

I love to create and have created a SUPER freebie for all of you!

   

You can grab a free copy right over HERE!

It's been SUPER ;)