Are grade twos always wonderful?  I’m beginning to think so!  I only had an afternoon with these students and, again, I felt as though the children could run the show.  Things felt so zen-like and orderly that the space created a sense of calm.  Attendance…the trading of home reading books and the exchange of book cards…and then, reading from the collection of ‘winter books’.  I was asked if I would read a book aloud and so I did.  The Snow Child: A Russian Folktale by Freya Littledale. 

I’ll tell you what…if I had ever read this beautiful folk tale before, I would have made art based on the invention of snow children…but, as it was, I ended up slightly revising an earlier cardinals in winter trees activity that I have previously posted, but on half sheets of blue paper.  The students in Elisa’s class work in table pods and so sometimes art lessons have to be modified.

Since I’m featuring Elisa’s class here, I wanted to show you some beautiful ideas for organizing…and it feels as though there is a real focus on numeracy and literacy in this space.  I love that the children have access to lots and lots of books.

Winter theme…lots of amazing stories!  Personally, I LOVE Owl Moon!  Read it!

Word walls…first dictionaries! Teacher’s books saved up for each theme…love the amount of shelving in these newish classrooms, don’t you? Math manipulatives of every sort…when I took on a contract with a grade one class, I fell in love with linking toys for the sake of practicing grouping.I like the caddies on the backs of the chairs…they keep things in order.  I’ve seen these in several Division I classrooms (that would be grades one, two and three for my international readers.  lol)

Thanks to Elisa Rapisarda, for sharing your space and your students with me.  It was a wonderful afternoon!