2nd Grade Common Core Units: Unit 5--Hand Me Down Tales from Around the World

Unit 5 from 

is all about Hand-Me Down Tales from Across the World.  Below you will find the books reccomended for this unit.  I am really excited about this unit coming up because it will be a time to incorporate lots of map skills and even map out the settings and locations for the various books that we will be using!

I hope that you find this useful!

Informational Texts

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes by Ann Morris

On the Go by Ann Morris and Ken Heyman

Loving by Ann Morris and K

Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris and Ken Heyman

Houses and Homes by Ann Morris and Ken Heyman

Informational Books for Read Aloud

If the World Were a Village:  A Book About the World's People by David Smith and Shelagh Armstrong

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Alusisio

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz

How the Camel Got His Hump in Just So Stories by Rudy

If you can think of any other books or stories that are 'hand me down tales' leave them in the comment area! I would love to see what other teachers are using!

Common Core Texts for 2nd Grade: Unit 3--Building Bridges with Unlikely Friends

As most of you know I have been following this book closely with the hopes that I am lining up my curriculum as closely as possibly with other teachers in other Common Core States.  We are a bit behind at my school in starting the units so we are just now starting Unit 3--Building Bridges.  So, all of the books below are a part of this unit.  They are already linked to Amazon, so if you want one, just click!

Stories

Henry and Mudge:  The First Book by Cynthia Rylant

The Fire Cat by Esther Holden Averill

Read Alouds

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden and Garth Williams

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White and Garth Williams

Zen shorts by Jon Muth

Pop's Bridge by Eve Bunting and C.F. Payne

Mackinac Bridge:  The Story of the Five-Mile Poem by Gloria Whelan and Gijsbert van Frankenhuy

One Green Apple by Even Bunting and Ted Lewin

Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah da Costa, Ying-Hwa Hu, and Cornelius Van Wright

The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence P. Heide, Judith H. Gililand and Ted Lewin

My Father's Shop by Satomi Ichikawa

Silent Music by James Rumford

The Little Painter of Sabana Grande by Patricia Maloney Mrkun and Robert Casilla

Collective Nouns

I found this collective nouns app today after a fit of desperation!  There is not a lot out there as far as fun and games for this skill that is adequate for second and third graders.  So, today I did a search on iTunes and found this app for $2.99.  I grabbed it.  Even if it isn't that great, it still allows me to teach this skill!  If you would like to go check it out, just go and click on the button up above!  Hope this helps!

Celebrating 1 Year of Blogging! Freebies and Surprise!

Bear with me until you get past my nostalgia...and then you'll see the good stuff!!

It has been one whole year since I started blogging and putting some effort into selling on Teachers Pay Teachers.  The blogging has been so much fun because I have 'met' so many other wonderful teachers from across the country.  These teachers motivate me, teach me, help me, bring out the creative side of me, and make me want to become a better teacher.  I love working with these ladies < and a couple of gents!!> as we help support each other in our endeavors.  There is a true network of teachers working together to make teaching easier and education stronger....it is 'All for one, and one for all."

I learned that Facebook is a wonderful place to 'hang out' and meet other teachers.  I have had wonderful discussions with teachers in Australia, France, and Canada....and frankly, that would never have happened had I not discovered Teachers Pay Teachers.

I have learned that I love to create lessons and centers because I am no longer limited to colored index cards, a marker, and some pre-made teachery-something that I have to choose that really doesn't fit what I want to work with.  Throughout this year I learned how to work with graphics and even created the blog banner that you see up above!  I was not alone as I delved into the 2nd Grade Common Core, learned more about turning anchor charts into art, and some of my blogging friends gave me oodles of ideas for back to school classroom decorations!  It's almost like your local teachers union....only it is a teachers reunion every time we 'talk' on the computer!!

Pssstt....the good stuff starts about right here!!

The money I have earned has helped my family immensely.  I haven't earned all that much, but what has been earned has helped my immediate family, my mother, and my sister and her family.  It has been a true blessing and a gift not only from God, but from other teachers.  If you think that you would like to be a part of the same blessings, feel free to click HERE and become a part of the network.  You will be amazed as to what you learn!  And, I would personally be glad to help you however I can, so you won't have to go it alone!

I want you to celebrate with me, so I am setting up my latest packet of question posters and sort cards <all 63 pages of them> to be free this weekend.  You can find them by clicking Here.  It has a value of $15.75, but I was trying to sell it at somewhere near $11 because so many teachers receive no extra monies from their school and have to pay out of their pockets.  So, enjoy this freebie for a couple of days!

Also, because I know everyone's budget is tight, and frankly, just because I like cheap stuff, AND BECAUSE I AM CELEBRATING THE HECK OUT OF THIS THING, I am going to have a sale!  

So, go now, look at things, download the questions file, click on FOLLOW ME and take the day off, courtesy of me!!!

Fountas and Pinnell Update Guided Reading Levels

I get updates from Heinemann Publishing because we are great friends....actually, most of you know that I am addicted to professional books and all, so I get updates on new books so that I can send them my money.  Anyway, I got an update today letting me know that Fountas and Pinnell have issued a new 'standard' for the guided reading levels in comparison to grade levels.  You can read the article yourself HERE. The change came about in order to make sure that reading and comprehension are DEEPER, just like the expectations of common core.

Common Core Math Practice and Assessment - Fun in the Fall (2nd Grade)

Hi everyone, it's Yvonne again from Mixminder. Jennifer has graciously allowed me to post here about my new, fun product that I just released.  It's called Common Core Math Practice and Assessment - Fun in the Fall (2nd Grade).  

It is a collection of math problems targeted toward specific Common Core Standards for the second grade with a fun autumn theme.  Worksheets are organized into problem sets organized around a specific group of Common Core Standards.  All Common Core Standards  for Math are covered in this book.

This packet has 33 worksheets that are grouped together by the Common Core Standards. It also has answer sheets for all worksheets, a teacher's checklist for the worksheets, a list of the Common Core Standards for second grade, and a completion certificate.  Also, it has 11 fun math posters that you can hang on your wall!  Click here to view the packet on TPT.  Below are a few previews of the packet.  

I'll be making more for other grade levels so, make sure to follow my store so you can get the updates when I add a new packet.  

Have a great school year!

Common Core Curriculum Maps Book Study

Yesterday you might have seen a post by Yvonne at Sassy in Second as she kicked off our Common Core Curriculum Map overview!  If you missed it, you might want to go back and read her post so you know how the book works!

It is time to kick off the Second Grade version of our Common Core Curriculum Map book study for Unit 1!!  Below is a thumbnail of the book.  Many teachers across the country are using this book to make sure that we are all on the same page.  The curriculum map focused on here was developed by the writers of the common core and a team of teachers.  If you want to purchase this book, just click on the book below and go to Amazon.  I suggest getting the book <not the Kindle version> so that you can get the pacing guide that goes along with the curriculum map.

There is very explicit vocabulary that is recommended....or more plainly, specified, to be taught.  The CCSS vocabulary is mapped out in this book also so that it is easy to refer to when teaching.  I expect to keep it very close at hand through the year so that I can make sure that I use this vocabulary when teaching.  This vocabulary is going to have to become common place with our students as we plunge headlong into more and more testing.

So, now, on to the unit!!

Well....this six week unit kicks off the school year....and yes, what is normally a Kindergarten unit is now in second grade.  If you are like me you are wondering (1) Why?  (2) How are we going to implement this?  I can't tell you why, but I CAN give you some ideas on implementation as I have been thinking about this all summer.

So, we are going to 'kick it up a notch'!!

So...we are teaching about the seasons....think of all of the science and social studies that can be taught!

*Rotation

*Revolution

*Weather

*Skin Care/Health

*Proper Clothing

*Maps 

*Survival Skills

*Safety Precautions/Positions

*Goods/Services

*Needs/Wants


On pg 123 of the book, there are recommended interdisciplinary connections:

Art:  Van Gogh, Seurat, Bruegel, Caillebotte, Tiffany
Geography:  both general and specific landforms such as the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and the Rocky Mountains, among others
Science:  Seasonal cycles, water cycle, solar system

I made you some posters, too!!  You can download them <HERE>!  Graphics were provided by DigiWeb Studios, Scrappin Doodles, and LBDesigns.

But, alas, our focus in the book is on language arts!  The essential question for this is, 'When is language beautiful?'

This is a unit that mixes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to show students that although reading can be a challenge, it can also be beautiful and fun.  Using a mixture of poetry, art (Vincent Van Gogh!!), and music (Vivaldi's The Four Seasons).

The unit emphasizes questioning (all of those W's and H's), strong beginnings and endings of stories, adjectives and adverbs, complete sentences, and shared research.  In the realm of poetry, the unit emphasizes rhythm, rhyme, imagery, repetition, and alliteration.  The non-fiction that is recommended also allows discussion of those all important text features.



One of the poems recommended for use is Nikki Giovanni's "Knoxville, Tennessee."  Seeing how I grew up just 20 minutes from Knoxville, in Clinton, I was thrilled to see this poem in the book!  Since my blood bleeds orange and white for my UT Vols, I typed the poem out for you and used those colors!  

When I read this poem, it truly does take me back into time back to when I was a little girl, running barefoot through the yard or climbing trees to be the 'lookout' for whatever scheme we had cooked up that day!  I can remember going to my parents' friends garden and picking fresh vegetables and canning or freezing in the summers and helping lay out food in the homecoming shed for our church's homecoming.  Homecoming was like no other....we started with our morning service, ate lunch together and all of us kids would play games like 'One, Two Three, Off My Father's Apple Tree' and then we would either sit and listen to more 'pickin' outside, or if it was too hot, go back inside of the church to listen to the 'special singing'.  I love this poem!!

I spent the summer gathering links for all of the exemplar texts and suggested texts for this unit.  If you would like more information about them, feel free to go to my blog and search 'common core books' or 'common core literature' on my blog!

The 'Season for Chapters' unit focuses on these standards from Common Core:

RI2.2, RI2.4, RL2.5, SL2.1 SL2.2, W.2.7


If you have lessons or activities or any science/social studies lessons that support any of these standards/related content, feel free to link up below!

Now....tomorrow you can go and visit my good friend Michelle at Teach123 as she covers Unit 2--The Wild, Wild West!!  That one is going to be fun!