Second Grade Common Core

I have taught first grade for several years and I feel fairly comfortable implementing the CCSS into our curriculum.  However, many of you know that this year I'm teaching a split first and second grade classroom.  I have never taught second grade so I sometimes having a hard time aligning our current curriculum with the new CCSS.

I found this cool giveaway (ends Sunday if you're interested!) and I would love to try out this new resource.  This workbook has almost 600 pages full of common core worksheets, activities and posters.  This means when I feel like I need a little extra reinforcement on a skill I won't have to create something on my own.  Yesss!

I can't wait to try it out - I might even order the first grade version, too.  Who doesn't need additional resources, right?  You should definitely check out the Second Grade Common Core Workbook.  

We're getting ready to start an all-new curriculum map including Common Core standards.  Oh, what fun! Has your school/state adopted the new standards?  

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Student Blogs

A couple of weeks ago, I started blogs with my students.  I took a day just to let my students pick out a blog design and add a picture to it.  Then, I let students write things on paper and I scanned them in and let them record themselves reading on Audioboo.  This was pretty time consuming for me because I was doing most of the work (besides their actually writing).  Well, yesterday, I got smart.  (Finally!)
The classroom website that I use is by Weebly.  Since I signed up for the educator website, it came with the option to set up websites for students.  They also have a handy app that students can use to easily upload new posts.

Now, students are able to use our iPods and iPads to easily take pictures of their writing, type new posts, and record themselves reading their writing and tons of other ideas.
This guy hated writing with a passion at the beginning of the year.  I noticed that he loved reading Super Diaper Baby comic books, so one day I mentioned to him that he should write a comic book.  He looked at like I was crazy and asked if I was serious.  When I told him yes, he got right to work... and worked everyday for 2 weeks on this.  Now, it maybe be very hard to understand what is going on in this picture, but he can explain every detail to me.  The sequencing was beautiful and best of all he feels like a writer now.  Sweet success!

Yesterday, my first graders were practicing measuring with non-standard units.  After they measured several items around the room, I let each child choose one item to measure and then make a blog post about it.  Look at what one of my kids wrote:

In case you can't see it, it says "Your pone was six subs tall."  My kids love my poor, busted up phone. haha  Another teacher asked what happened to it one day in the hallway and a student answered, "She just drops it a lot."  So. Very. True.  

Here is a glance of his writing in the app:

I let them write things for their blogs during our Daily 5 writing time.  I am trying to use one Daily 5 session a day as a writing conference time.  They love writing time soooo much now!  It's fun and who wouldn't love getting great comments from parents, friends, and classmate on their blog?  I know that I love it!

How do you incorporate technology into your classroom?

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