STUDENT PROJECTS:
We build projects in our classroom based on students' interests and attitudes established throughout the first grade curriculum. Subjects are integrated and themes are built that are of interest to the students. The following projects represent a student-centered classroom!!

January:
In January, we continued our "friends" theme with three stories: Ruby the Copycat, Watch Out! Ronald Morgan , and What Kind of Baby-sitter Is This?

December:
In December, we finished our "nature theme" with the stories What Lives in a Shell by: Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld and Where Does the Trail Lead by: Burton Albert. Then students began our "friends theme" with the story My First American Friend by: Sarunna Jin. We read aloud the story Flat Stanley to introduce the theme. We made our own flat Stanleys and mailed them to our friends and families over the holidays. We are anxiously awaiting our responses in January.

November:
In November, we began our second theme called "Be a Nature Spy". Students read two non-fiction books this month that incorporated the nature theme: Animal Tracks by Arthur Dorros and Nature Spy by: Shelley Rotner and Ken Kreisler.

October:
In October, students continued our pet theme with the stories Arthur's Pet Business by Marc Brown and Julius by Angela Johnson. Students concluded their theme by putting on their own pet show and bringing their real live pets to school. In our classroom we had several pets including: cats, dogs, turtles, snails, fish, and ferrets. It was an exciting theme and an exciting day!!! August/September:
In August, we started out the year with a review of skills we learned in first grade. Due to our class looping, the students were excited to see everyone back in our classroom. Students made up a second grade cheer with the help of the book Three Cheers for Tacky by Helen Lester. We also made a "favorite quilt" which integrated technolgy of all our favorite things.

In September, we began our first theme "Pet Show Today". Students started the unit with the story Cats of Tiffany Street by: Sarah Hayes. Students read fiction and non-fiction books about cats and did several activities including: writing their own story about cats, making a story circle, and creating a web with cat facts.

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