Reflexive Pronouns…. in Second Grade? Oh My!

Reflexive Pronouns…. in Second Grade? Oh My!

No very long ago, we were teaching pronouns in third grade. Now, we are teaching reflexive pronouns in second grade. YIKES! It is a difficult concept to teach reflexive pronouns if your students don’t yet have a grasp of regular pronouns. I had to “brush up” on the term reflexive pronoun, so if you’re like me, here’s a little “cheat sheet” for you outlining the most common reflexive pronouns: read more

Form and Use Frequently Occurring Irregular Plural Nouns- Google Style!

Form and Use Frequently Occurring Irregular Plural Nouns- Google Style!

Years ago, as I ventured into teaching 2nd grade after years of being an upper grade teacher, I was on a quest to learn more about the second grade Common Core State Standards. As I waded through the Common Core Literacy Standards, such as CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1.B, I was already familiar with plural nouns. The problem was I GRAPPLED with the best way to teach this concept while making it fun! Yes, I could fall back on worksheets or task cards, but my second graders had an unquenched thirst for using technology in our classroom. This was the impetous for the creation of our GOOGLE ELA resources. read more

Small Groups- “How Do I Organize Them?” (Part 5)

Small Groups- “How Do I Organize Them?” (Part 5)

What do teachers need to teach in small groups?How do I organize them? When talking with teachers, the major reason I’ve heard as to why they do not pull small groups or struggle with them is how to “choreograph” them. Who goes where? How do I remember? Well, I have a solution for you! read more

Pencils, Pencils, Pencils!

Pencils, Pencils, Pencils!

How do we solve the pencil problem?

Pencils, pencils, pencils. We still use them you know.  Computers, smartphones, devices are all the rage but the good old pencil is still a valuable tool for students. I would never have imagined that keeping sharped pencils in the hands of second graders could be so complicated! Having entered a second grade classroom after teaching fifth and sixth grades for so long was a transition, but I found out that of all the adjustments that were needed to be made, managing pencils proved to be the biggest “challenge” at the beginning of the year. Upper grade students managed this beautifully, but I quickly found I needed to reach out to veteran primary teachers for solutions as to how to keep sharpened pencils in the hands of students with minimal disruption. Here were some great ideas provided by these talented and seasoned teachers.  Maybe one of them will work for you! read more