Reading Portfolios Part 2

So I'm back to show you the 2nd grade version.

As I said before the 2nd graders I have are mostly Title 1.  So we all did the same book for our project. I used it more for them to demonstrate the skills we had been working on.  Check out my last post to get all the templates I used.  Also, as I mentioned in that post I precut and folded ALL the pieces  the kids just glued them, and only one students had a complete disaster!!  (side note:  Don't use bottled glue for this with 2nd graders.....it got very messy despite an impromptu lesson on how to glue)

the parts that 2nd graders had to do

• Before and middle of reading predictions
• front cover picture
• problem and solution
• connections
• favorite part
• setting
• main character
• They did not do a back project (however next time I would give this option to some of my higher 2nd graders)

First we previewed the book and made predictions about what would happen

Then we choral read the first half and made our middle of the book predictions (I'm trying to encourage active reading)

We also drew our pictures on the front and wrote our title and author

That was all we had time for on Day 1

Day 2

Students read the book with a buddy.  They they filled out their problem and solution along with the main character.  This lead to quite the debate if the main character was Miss Nelson or Miss Swamp.

Day 3

Students read the book independently (if they need to).  They then filled out their connections, main character, setting, and they favorite part.

Sorry I don't have more pictures.  I ran out of time.  The kids were very proud of their work and I had many parents say how much they loved seeing all the skills we had been working on displayed in one place.

Its the Final Countdown!

5 Days With Kids.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  They were crazy last week and I can't imagine what they are going to be like on Monday :/  I just have to keep reminding myself how much I love them....right!?

I have a lot to do this week:

• Have students make parent thank you cards
• Finish my part of the classroom compliment project (more on this later in the week when I have pictures!)
• Complete reading portfolios (a cute idea I found on Pinterest...pictures to come when they are all done)
• Make up vocabulary sheets for reading choice study
• Make up direction sheet for non fiction choice study
• Clean out lockers, book bins, and folder bins
• Plan the LAST DAY with my teaching partner
• Grade final writing assessment (I HATE grading these and always leave it until the last minute)
• Take text book inventory
• pack everything in the room on my shelves with wheels because they "might be painting" this summer.
• And report cards are due Monday. 

See!?!?!  I'm tired just thinking about it all and I'm sure I forgot something.

So to tied you all over until I get pictures of my end of the year projects here is a cute simple project I did with my 2nd graders a few weeks ago.

In third grade students are expected to write summaries for almost all their quarterly reading assessments and they are also a part of DRA2.  So I have been working with my 2nd graders are identifying literacy elements.  This weeks focus was problem and solution.

First the kids buddy read the story The Enormous Carrot

Then they had to identify the main characters, setting, the problem, and state how the characters solved it.  Then we made these cute carrots.  We put the problem on the carrots top because that was the part that was sticking out during the story and "if they didn't see the top they wouldn't know they had a problem"-they can be so smart when they want.  Then we put the solution on the carrot because "they couldn't get the carrot out until they solved the problem"-see just genius

The kids still refer to the problem as the top and the solution as the carrot

These boys were hard at work...at my desk..hey, whatever it takes to get them to focus is my motto.

Well hopefully I will be back with some pictures of our end of the year activities....if I survive :)