Welcome

I'm really excited to launch this blog!  This school year has been jam packed so far.  I want to use this space as a forum for my students, their parents, and fellow educators.  I will post class updates, information on fun projects, and general best practices in the classroom.

T-Minus 8 days until Halloween!  Can you sense my strange combination of excitement and fear?  There is nothing quite like an elementary school on Halloween.  On my first year of teaching, I let a second grader hold a large tray teeming with cupcakes and pass them out to everyone.  It took no more than 45 seconds for the tray to teeter and fall.  I felt like I was watching the scene in slow motion.  Let's just say this:  Neon orange icing.  All over the floor.

I have not made that rookie mistake since.

It's been a lot of fun to prepare for Halloween with spooky writing.  We acted as real estate agents and pretended to sell a haunted house.  The kids were tasked with using descriptive adjectives and compelling arguments for why a person might want to buy such an abode.  Here's an example from Natalie!

There is a Halloween house for sale in Boothesda.  There is a master bedroom with a slime blanket.  There is a monster that is green and slimy.  There is a huge backyard with a pool.  A witch lives in the pool house with her pet frog.  There are ghosts in the bathroom.  There is a cook in the kitchen but it is a scary Frankenstein.  There is a hairy, scary spider that crawls around the living room.  If you need a maid, witches will fly to your room to help you clean up!


After our writing was complete, we made houses from construction paper and miscellaneous supplies.  Grace created an impressive Halloween house to accompany hers.

Very creative, Grace!