Practicing for the I.R.I.

On Friday, April 29th all of the Second Graders will take the Idaho Reading Indicator which is a test each student takes three times per year.  They read three passages for one minute each.  In order to receive a 3 they must read 92 words per minute.  It is an interesting way to see how many words they've gained since the beginning of the year.  It is a fun way to check fluency.  We spend a few weeks practicing with buddies. It is a lot of fun and a lot of work!

Class Store

One of our goals in Second Grade is to learn the value of money especially quarters and dollars. Because of that, I set up a 'token economy'.  The kids get to earn class money to spend at the class store about once per month.  They earn money for bringing back their Cougar Care Packets and doing their homework as well as some of the school work that shows extra effort. It also enables me to be able to charge them for not writing their names on their papers. It is so amazing to watch the kids plan and calculate how they are going to spend their money.  Their little brains work really hard adding and subtracting and figuring out what is most important to buy.  I am super impressed with the kids that purchase something for their whole family.  It is such a great learning experience and they are always so happy on store day.  It is a treat to watch!

Cool, Crazy Clubs

One of the stories in our reading book is called Cool, Crazy Crickets.  It is about a group of kids who work together to form a best friends club.   They built a clubhouse and made up a name and rules and chose a mascot.  We have been learning about synergy and the importance of being able to work together.  We split our class up into 4 teams.  They worked together to form a club.  They chose their names and colors and mascot.  They made up their own rules and even a password.  Then they worked together to build a clubhouse.  They discovered how important synergy is.  The kids were able to read in their clubhouses and do math and even design their reading folders in them.  It was a super fun day.