Hi friends! Well...we officially made it through our first week in second grade. And we are TIRED. But we’re also having so much fun getting to know our new students and figuring out this whole second-grade thing. There is definitely a learning curve after years in the upper grades, but so far, so good! One of our favorite moments from the week came from reading The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi with our classes. Our students absolutely loved the story and its message about perseverance...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Hi friend! Whether you're soaking up the last days of summer or already back in your classroom, we wanted to share something we've been so excited about... As many of you know, we're moving to 2nd grade this year! While looking through our new curriculum (including Second Step), we realized so many of the SEL skills we taught in 5th grade transfer beautifully to the primary grades. That inspired us to create Morning Meetings we'd actually use ourselves. We wanted a simple, predictable routine...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi teachers, Testing week is here, so we’re shifting how we use our time. Less new instruction, more review, and a big focus on keeping students engaged without overdoing it. One of our go-to moves this week is turning math review into a friendly competition. We set up task cards around a common area on campus and have students work in partners or small teams to solve them. When time is up, we collect all the responses and tally the correct answers by class. The class with the most correct...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Hi teachers, We’re in that stretch of the year where things start to move fast. The content ramps up, the schedule fills up, and there’s a lot happening all at once. Here’s what’s going on in our classrooms this week: Math: Order of Operations with GEMS We’re diving into order of operations, and we are firmly Team GEMS over PEMDAS. If you’ve ever had students multiply before dividing just because the acronym told them to, you already know the struggle. PEMDAS can lead kids to think there’s a...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Hi teachers, Spring break came and went way too fast, but we’re back and ready to roll into the final stretch of the school year. These last two months always feel like a sprint, and this week is no exception. Math: Geometry is HEREYou know it’s the end of the year when geometry finally makes its appearance. This week, we’re diving into classifying polygons using hierarchies and Venn diagrams. That whole “every square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a square” idea can really trip...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Hi teachers, It is officially the last week before spring break… and the energy is telling us everything we need to know. The weather has been all over the place here in Southern California, routines are feeling a little looser, and let’s just say the social dynamics in a 5th grade classroom are thriving right now. It’s that time of year. Spring break is well-earned. Even so, we’ve got a really meaningful (and engaging) week ahead: 💜 Women’s History Month + Symbolism We’re wrapping up our...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Hi everyone, It happened again... dance-parenting is taking over our lives! We missed last week's email because we were both at a dance competition just minutes away from Disneyland. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by rhinestones, hairspray, and loud music rather than Mickey, the scent of churros, and Pirates of the Caribbean. But hey… it’s all for the kids, right? Here’s what’s happening in our planbook this week on the Top Floor. Wrapping Up the American Revolution We are finishing up our...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Hey friends, First, a quick apology for missing last weekend’s email. We were fully immersed in dance parent life and, if you know… you know. Sometimes it feels like we are juggling teaching, creating, and parenting all at once. Last weekend, dance won. Now, back to our planbook! Women's History Month! March means Women’s History Month, and we keep this one intentionally low prep. This doesn’t have to be a big, time-consuming unit to make an impact. We just share one or two biographies a day...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Hi friends, It’s a short week thanks to the Presidents Day holiday, which means no school Monday in our district. Short weeks always seem to fly by, but there is still a lot of meaningful learning packed into the days ahead. Winter sports have taken over our classroom ❄️ We are continuing to read about different winter sports during our language arts block. The excitement and drama of the games have completely hooked us, and our students are just as invested. We try to time our lessons so...
7 months ago • 2 min read