Skeletons

The week of Halloween we had a PBS reward day. PBS stands for Positive Behavior System. The students are rewarded for their good behavior and following the Eagle Expectations: be responsible, be respectful and be an active learner. 

My 2nd grade team decided to do an entire day of PBS and rotated our students through all our classrooms learning through fall/Halloween related ways:  pumpkins, bats and skeletons. My "partner in crime" and I decided to do skeletons. We played a video of the Skeleton Dance, where the students learned about the major bones connecting. Most of the kids loved the dance. Then we had them make skeletons out of construction paper and label the parts of the skeleton. (I will say I did not come up with this idea on my own. I found the skeleton work on Pinterest, but came up with the idea of using the skeleton dance, because you know, teaching is all about teaching to all different types of learners)

Here is some of the work of my students: 

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day is approaching. The military has always been close to my heart being as I have and have had both family and friends fight for our country, our freedom. 

I work at a wonderful school who has created a wonderful Veteran's Program that other schools in my county are now modeling after. Friday we had our Veteran's program, in which we celebrate and honor the local Vets of Citrus County. After the program, the students line the hallways and cheer, clap, shake the hands of, and say thank you to the Veterans as they walk down the hallways. The kids look at the men and women in their uniforms with awe in their eyes. One little Pre-K boy, when he shook the hand of a man said "Feel how strong I am!" and the man played back with him saying he was really strong. It was adorable. 

I also had the pleasure of hosting a Veteran in my classroom on Friday. I signed up, not knowing who I would get, but since I didn't sign up last year, I wanted to be sure to sign up this year. A 2-star Admiral who had been on the USS Enterprise arrived to speak to my class. While I love all divisions of the military, the NAVY is near and dear to my heart. I was excited to have a sailor in my classroom! Go NAVY!
 
The school decorates their bulletin boards in the hallways showing their support and love of the Veterans. I love living in a country that we can honor those who have given us our freedoms. I love working at a school who acknowledges we need to show our support and we need to honor those who have fought and lost their lives for us.

Here are a few drawings from my students, thanking the Veterans: