Counting back with Finger Count

There was a lot of popping going on in Room 2 today as children worked with buddies to practice counting backwards.
We were using an app called Finger Count.
First we had to count forwards to 40. Each time we touched the screen a number would appear where our finger had been.
Once we got to 40, we took turns to find the numbers, counting backwards. If we got the right one, it would pop and disappear. If we missed, a new number would appear. If we popped a lower number, all the other numbers would change.
What were we learning? We were learning to count backwards and at the same time we were working together.
How did we do?
Well, there was certainly a lot of popping going on in Room 2 today.

Olympic Dreams

Read this ebook about the Olympics.

Sharing our learning with other classes in New Zealand

Click on the picture to go to another blog where children from different schools have shared their thinking about caring for the environment.
A group of children in our class are working on making a slideshow to post on this blog. When we have finished we PASS IT ON to another class. That is why the blog is called, "Pass it on".

Interactive Writing - A Poem

Today we were reading our poem for the week about making popcorn and we noticed that it was organised in a special way.
We called the organisation: "Instruction, then sound words" and we had a go at writing a poem like that about making our cardboard prints.
Here it is:
Cardboard Print
Get out the cardboard.
Flippety, flippety flip.

Cut with the scissors.
Snippety, snippety, snip.

Spread the glue.
Splishety, splishety, splish.

Stick on the shapes.
Sticky, sticky, stick.

Put the cardboard block on the shelf to dry.
And wait…. and wait….
Now get ready to print.

Roll the roller in the ink.
Rollety, rollety roll.

Roll the roller on the block.
Bumpety, bumpety, bump.

Put the paper on the block…
and roll… and roll…
Now lift the paper off.
Wow!

Art - Print making

Last week we made blocks for cardboard prints, and on Friday, we finally got to see the finished result.
We can watch Grady and Jack as they print pictures from their blocks.
The subject of our pictures this time was a house. We were thinking about adding details.

Looking after our teeth

We have been learning about brushing our teeth.The messages are: Use fluoride toothpaste. Floss daily. Brush at least twice a day. Limit the times you eat snacks. Have a regular dental check up.
For art today we made posters about teeth. You can see them here in two animoto videos.

Try our video maker at Animoto.

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

Principal's Achievement Award

We have had two Friday assemblies so far this term. Four awards have been won by Room 2 children. The awards are for different ways of thinking interdependently.
Grady's award was for following the rules. It's important to follow the rules because then you know what to do and so does everyone else. That is part of thinking interdependently.
Nic's award was for being willing to help others.
Billy James' award was for seeing when a job needed to be done and doing it quickly and quietly.Kane's award was for helping people with technology.

It is great that we have interdependent thinkers in our class.

A great location for a swim

The OK Picnic Book on PhotoPeach
We talked today about all the places we like to swim.  One of the best places has to be Martins Bay.  That's where we have our picnic every year.
This year a group of children worked to create a story based on "The OK Book" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.  All the children made pictures showing the things we do at the picnic.
Here's a link to another class that has done some work based on this book

Kane asked me to post this list of swimming locations that the class made together.

The big idea for Term 1 is...

LOCATION
What does that word mean?

Read to Self Fun

In these photos you can see the boys and girls reading to themselves.
If you read, you get really good at reading. It makes you better at reading.
If you read by yourself, you're trying to figure out what the author is trying to tell you. You check for understanding.
When you read you can learn things and you can travel to different places in your mind.
Reading to yourself is fun.