Elements of a story and first TpT product!

Greetings!! What a busy week it has been here in second grade! We have been learning so much and working hard! 

Our focus in writing was elements of a story and we had a great time working on character, setting, problem, and solution. Yesterday, I had the kids work on setting. To do this I pulled out my trusty old "picture file" that I created back in college. The kids L-O-V-E using the picture file.  It is so simple to make.....it is just a file filled with magazine photos, glued onto construction paper or card stock, and then laminated!  I keep my picture file in my writing center, along with several other items that the kids can choose to use during Writer's Workshop. (I could go on and on about how this book changed my Writer's Workshop time, but that is for another post!)

Back to our setting lesson using the picture file. I divided the kiddos into groups (don't you just love cooperative groups?) and gave them each a picture from the picture file. Actually....I didn't just give them one...they loved this part...they got to draw one out of a pile while we did a magnificent drum roll! 

Once they had their group's picture they described the setting of the picture using the categories "where" and "when". 

Just getting started!

My students love working in groups and had a lot of fun with this! We talked about using picture clues and prior knowledge to determine where the setting is, when it happened, as well as how it would feel to be there! What wonderful details we came up with! 

Now...onto another exciting thing...I began my Teachers Pay Teachers adventure! I just uploaded my first FREEBIE to TpT and am hoping you will all LOVE it as much as my kiddos and I did!

Our current math unit is on Measurement, and specifically Mass this week. We have been going over and over and over kilograms and grams this week and I wanted to create a fun way to review the week's lesson......so "This or That?" became our new favorite math game! "This or That?" is a review game using auction style paddles. There is some assembly required, but once you have a few sets created you can use them year after year! 

the "paddles"

Here is how it works...I named an object...like a math book and the kids had to hold up either their "grams" or "kilograms" sign to show me how they would measure the mass of the object. It was FUN! My little smarties were smiling from ear to ear about this math review! They cheered when they held up the right answer....so darling. You can download this game from my TpT store HERE or by clicking the image below. Don't miss this FREEBIE!

Thanks for stopping by!
Mrs. Palmer