The air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing colors...that must mean Halloween is near! Well, here in New England, that's how we know the end of October is coming. To celebrate, I am sharing some of the activities I do with my students each year for Halloween. Halloween ... Read More
Colorful Quotes
Here's a flashback to Back to School time! I never got to post all the activities we did at the beginning of the year. Colorful quotes is one of my favorites! I had been on the search for motivational quote posters that were appropriate for my fifth graders. My second grade ... Read More
Building a Classroom Library
Let's face it, purchasing books for a classroom can be ex.pen.sive. Most schools require the teacher to provide a majority of the books for their classroom. We want quality books for our students to read, but they can cost up to $25 each! Is it possible to create a classroom ... Read More
Throwback Thursday: Open House
It's Thursday! I promised to have a "throwback" on Thursdays to showcase some of my favorite and most popular posts from Smiling In Second Grade. My Open House post is by far my most popular! On September 8 of last year, I showcased the activities I did to get ready for parents to ... Read More
Gallery Walk
One of the coolest activities that I have ever done was Shelley Gray's Get Up and Move! {A Back to School Gallery Walk}. We did this the first week of school and it was perfect for my 5th graders. The concept of the Gallery Walk is for the students to answer questions that are ... Read More
Lava Lamps!
Today we made lava lamps in Science class - so much fun! Some of my students had already made them, but they were still excited to do them again. The best part? They were super easy to make! I had each student bring in a water bottle. You also need vegetable oil (I needed ... Read More