Grass Seed Planted!

Today we planted our grass seed.  We planted two types of grass seed, rye and alfalfa.  We will be observing them as they grow.  We will even get to mow our grass a few times. 

Rye and Alfalfa Seeds

Grass cups!

Soaking up sunshine!

Plants!

Today we planted our brassica seeds.  These are fast growing plants and we will keep them under the grow light in our classroom.  We also planted dill, basil and cilantro.  These are herbs and if they grow before school ends, we will get to sample them.  We also started a cherry tomato plant.  We are very excited to learn about plants and watch them grow!

Plants, plants, plants!

One Hen

Today we read this book based on a true story. It was an interesting and touching book with a good lesson. See if your child can tell you about the story.   Ask them about what they think the secret message is from the book. 

Fiction Section

Today in Library Ms. Zbacnik introduced us to the Fiction section of the Library.

Here are some things we learned:
   - FIC are the first letters in the address of the books in this section.
   - The first three letters of the author's last name are next in the address.
   - There are guide letters on the sides of the bookshelves that help us know where to start looking.
   - There are guide letters on the shelves that help us locate the book on the shelf.

We will keep practicing this skill as we get ready for third grade.  We will also practice it again in third, fourth and fifth grades.  If you take your child to a library, you could have them practice this skill.

We got to do a search for a book on the shelf.  We worked in pairs to find a particular book.  We had to wait for a teacher to come and tell us if we were correct.

Lunch Bunch

Today we had a Lunch Bunch for students who returned their March Reading Calendars.  We enjoyed lunch together talking and telling jokes.  From now until the end of the year small groups of students will be invited to have lunch with me.  It is always a fun time to be together.

Eating and Talking.

Smile!

Star Of The North Book Award Voting

Today in Library we got to vote for The Star of the North Book Award.

We have read all of the nominated books during our library lesson throughout the year.  All of the books were very good and we liked them all for different reasons.  The books are a good mix of fiction and nonfiction and represent a variety of cultures.  If you would like more information about the award and the nominated books, please find the link on the right side of the my blog. 

Here is a video that includes a summary of each book:

Ask your child which one they voted for and why they picked that particular one.  We will know the results of the vote here at Brimhall next week when we go to Library.  Ms. Z will find out the winner from the entire state of Minnesota on April 23.  She will also find out about which books are nominated for next year on April 23rd.  We can hardly wait!

Ms. Z and all the nominees.

Ready to vote!

Waiting to vote!

April Fools Day!

Today we had a substitute teacher, Mrs. Anderling.  She greeted the students and taught the class until about 11:00.  She asked the students to write about why they thought Mrs. Anderson was missing today.

Here are some of their responses:

Ask your child what they thought about why Mrs. Anderson was missing.  You can also ask about the funny things Mrs. Anderling did and said.  She did report the students were very helpful and really know the routines of our classroom.