Thursday, December 23, 2010

Monday, November 22, 2010

Tanner McDonald visits 2B...

It is not everyday that you get to take one of your kids to work with you, but thanks to Mrs. Ann Barbour-Stevenson's English Tech class, we were fortunate to have my son Tanner as a regular guest for the past month. Tanner spent period 3 with us,which happens to be our Math time. The students enjoyed having Tanner helping out in the classroom, and I'm sure they will miss him ! I may even miss him too!! lol .. Thanks Tanner , and we hope you will drop in and see us soon!



Sunday, November 21, 2010

Jest Stix Juggling...

We were very fortunate to have had Issac Girarden (Jest Stix Instructor / Children’s and Youth Programs)from Brandon come to our school last Tuesday. Issac has been performing and teaching juggling with Jest Stixs for the past 5 years. He informed us that Gyroscopic juggling, also known as stick juggling, is one of the oldest art forms and toys in the world. It is known to have originated independently in both Egypt and China between four and five thousand years ago.Taking inspiration from his own large collection of sticks, Issac has developed a design of Jest Stix with exceptional playability for both amateurs and pros. You may have even seen the order form that went home last week. Check out his video of a performance at the Brandon Folk festival (do not try this at home, Issac is a trained professional) and our own slide show of our class Jest Stixing it!


Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween "Poems and Pies" 2010...

On Friday morning, parents, grandparents, and friends got into the Halloween spirit by enjoying a wonderful "Poems and Pie" assembly performed by the Grade Two classes. At the completion of the program, parents were invited to stay for lunch and for dessert, yes you guessed it , yummy pie. A big thank you to Mrs. McKibbon, the pie makers, and of course all the parents who came and enjoyed. A job well done Grade Two !!! We hope those who could not make it, enjoy the this post....






The Twelve Days of Halloween...

This past week we have been very busy creating, collaborating , and performing. The "Twelve Days of Halloween" was the focus for a  collaborative writing project with our very good friends, Miss Dunsiger's Grade 1/2 class in Anacaster (Hamilton) Ontario. Creatures and things (nouns) and words that describe them (adjectives) was the learning focus. Both classes wrote their version of the "Twelve Days of Halloween", then using Google Documents, exchanged stories and created illustrations. Using the web 2.0 tool VoiceThread, each class created Digital Story Book versions, then through a video conference call via Skype, did a shared reading of each  Digital Story! Thank you for collaborating Grade 1/2 !





The "Twelve Days of Halloween" written by Miss Dunsiger's Grade 1/2 class, illustrated by Mr. McDonald's Grade 2 class. Click on this link for a full screen version !




The Twelve Days of Halloween written by Mr. McDonald's Grade 2 class, illustrated by Miss Dunsiger's Grade 1/2 class.Click here for a full screen version!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

All About Patterns !!


Our first math unit this year is all about patterns. They are an integral part of mathematics, they develop important critical and creative thinking skills needed for understanding other math concepts. Check out some of our patterns and see if you can find patterns around your home.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Welcome to the World of Blogging!

I would like to inform you of some exciting things that have been happening in our classroom this past week. You may have heard from your son/daughter that they have set up their own Blog, and are now Bloggers. This is true, and you may be wondering "what the heck is a Blog? " and "my son/daughter is a Blogger?? ". A blog is basically a type of website, the features that make blogs different from other websites are:

* content is published in a chronological fashion

* content is updated regularly

* readers have the possibility to leave comments

An educational blog such as the one your son /daughter has created will have some very unique features. Like a regular web log (blog) students will be able to write posts, post photos, drawings, stories, pictures, slide shows, and videos. They can even leave comments on other students blogs. The main difference between a regular blog and an educational blog is the role of the Administrator. The Administrator is the person who oversees everything that is posted on the blogs. Any article, picture, story, and comment must have the approval of the administrator before it will be published. As administrator, I receive information on all activity on all of our classroom blogs.
Safety is always a concern when you have students working on the internet. Having their own blog allows me as a teacher, to give them a real life experience in a safe, controlled , environment, yet still allowing them to create, collaborate, and celebrate their learning and life experiences with others. We now have another platform in which we can discuss internet safety rules, talk about how to make a good comment, and collaborate with others in a learning community.
I'm encouraging students to work on their blogs at home if possible. I hope you will share in their excitement and help out if the need arises. Students love to read comments left by parents and classmates. Please try to read and leave comments whenever possible.
This is a new learning journey that we all will be taking together, I hope you are excited as we are.
I will keep all updated as we continue our exciting learning adventure.

Please feel free to drop me an e-mail, phone call, if you have any questions, comments , or concerns.
Your child's blog can be accessed by a direct link off our Classroom Blog...
The link is called Student Blogs

Thanks for you cooperation and happy Blogging !!
Mr. Mc

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Harvest Festival 2010




On Friday October 8 students at Taylor School gathered together to enjoy a "Turkey" lunch with all the trimmings in honor of the Fall Harvest. A huge Thank you goes out to Vernice Eggie for catering, and to all our hard working parents from the P.A.C. for helping serve the feast. A special thank you goes out to Mrs. Betcher and Eden for bringing us the most delicious "Turkey" cakes. What a great way to celebrate the end of Harvest.

Turkeys, Turkeys, and more Turkeys !




Thanksgiving means many different things, but in our classroom, the Turkey is King. We talked about turkeys, read stories about turkeys, and made turkeys. We had some Oreo cookies left over from our O.R.E.O. project, so we decided to make some delicious tasting OREO cookie turkeys. Not to be forgotten, but with a 21st Century Twist,  that timeless classic "The Paper Plate Turkey."

Friday, October 1, 2010

Terry Fox Run...




On Thursday September 29 students, staff, family and friends participated in the annual school "Terry Fox" walk for cancer. Blessed with beautiful weather, all enjoyed a 25 minute walk around the Legion Park, all for a great cause- cancer research.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

" Read to Self " part of the "Daily 5."



We decided to take a short video to show what happens in our classroom everyday during "Daily 5". Read to Self is the first of the 5 components of "Daily 5". We know that the most important thing we can do to become better readers who love to read is to spend lots of time practicing reading. You notice we always refer to our "I" anchor chart, reinforcing the desired behaviours to make "Read to Self " a success to all. We also want to remember "Why" we are doing it, to become better readers. It is truly amazing when you sit in with us, and see 17 students totally engaged in the reading process, Fantastic!!!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

That's How the Cookie Crumbles....



Our class took part in the O.R.E.O. (Our Really Exciting Online) project hosted by Jennifer Wagner from jenuinetech.com. This year's project invited students from all over the world to stack Oreo cookies as high as he or she can and then average the data to achieve a final class result. Students were not allowed to use anything to stabilize or adjust the cookies as they were stacked. The students had a great morning predicting, stacking, counting , tallying, and yes finally getting to eat the Oreo cookies. What amazing "Meaningful Math !" A big thank you to Erica, Emily, Carter, and Alayna our Grade Four helpers. It will be interesting to see how Taylor 2B Top Dogs stacked up against the rest of the world.

Grade Four Helpers!

Monday, September 27, 2010

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, no it's a SNAKE !!




We had the most amazing show and share today. Our special guest arrived in style,inside a very large pickle jar. No , it wasn't a frog, snail, mouse or a pickle. It was indeed a snake. A Garter Snake to be exact. Thanks to Robby for asking his Mom and Dad to come to school and share the most amazing information about Garter Snakes. The students were so excited , and yet were so eager to ask questions in order to learn more about these most resounding reptiles. Thank you Marty for taking time to come into our classroom and allowing us to experience "All about snakes " and for answering all of our questions. If this wasn't exciting enough, we also had another special guest pop into our classroom. Miss Aviva Dunsiger's Grade one class from Ancaster Meadows School in Hamilton Ontario joined us via a Skype Video conference call. This is one of the many ways that we can collaborate and learn with classrooms from all around the world. They also had a chance to see the snake via live streaming video, and had the opportunity to ask Marty questions. All in all it was a pretty spectacular afternoon of learning, sharing, and collaborating.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Welcome Back Bar-B-Q a big success !!!




What a great way to kick off a new school year. Thanks to the Taylor School Parent Advisory Council for cooking all the dogs for such a huge crowd.It was nice to mingle with students and parents, and although the weather did not cooperate, things did run very smoothly in the gymnasium. A gigantic "Thank You" to all the parent volunteers and workers who worked so hard to get our new play structure up and running. You are all most amazing, thanks from Grade 2B.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Welcome Parents and Students to a New School Year!!!

A big Top Dog Welcome to all of our new Parents and Top Dogs. We have gotten off to a great start, and it's going to be a wonderful year. Please remember to check in often to find out what is happening in Grade 2B... What a lovely bunch of coconuts !!!!  Mr.Mc

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Friday, May 28, 2010

Hug a Tree !!!



On Tuesday Randy Antonio from Search and Rescue Manitoba vistied our Grade Two classrooms to talk about "How to Stay Safe " when lost in the outdoors.

Adventure Smart is a national program supported by Federal Grants to the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC). The programs provided under the Adventure Smart program are designed to promote outdoor activities with an emphasis on safety and proper preparation.

The key teaching points for the Hug A Tree presentation are:
1) Tell and adult where you are going;
2) If you are lost, Hug A Tree and Stay Put;
3) Stay warm and dry;
4) Help Searchers find you.

Students received an emergency kit to use when going on hikes or excursions in the outdoors. It was a very informative session, with students participating and asking some very good questions. Thank you Adventure Smart .

Monday, May 17, 2010

Microscopes,Telescopes, and a "Bearded Dragon" lizard...



What an exciting week! It started with Jade bringing her Microscope/Telescope science kit and then it ended with a former student, Parker, showing us his "Bearded Dragon" lizard! Science Rocks!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Max the Hedgehog...

Hedgehogs make the most unusual  and unique pets,  and on Friday we were lucky enough to have an up close and personal encounter with one. Seth's mom was kind enough to bring his Hedgehog "Max" to spend part of the afternoon with us. To make things even more exciting, Miss Dunsiger's  Grade 1 class  from Hamilton , Ontario, joined us via a video Skype call. Thank you for joining us and asking Seth a lot of really inquisitive questions. Seth did a fantastic job fielding questions, and sharing his knowledge about his most interesting pet. Seth also said that having a pet required a lot of hard work and responsibility, and you should be prepared to look after your pet before you get one. Thanks Seth, our "Hedgehog Expert!"

Skype Call with Grade 1 from Rob McDonald on Vimeo.






Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Butterfly Video Conference


On Thursday both Grade Two classes participated in a Tandberg Video Conference entitled "Butterflies". The conference was hosted by the Distance Learning Video Conference at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta Georgia. The conference was a perfect fit with our science unit "Growth and Change in Animals", as all the activities dealt with the Life Cycle of a Butterfly. Students enjoyed learning about the different stages of a butterfly life cycle, butterfly predators, ways in which butterflies defend against predators, and last but not least, making butterfly puppets. Please take note of the symmetrical wing formation! What an exciting, fun, educational video conference.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

We love our "Planet Earth!"



This year marks the 40th anniversary of "Earth Day" celebrations around the world. It has become more of a "movement " than a "celebration" for the past 20 years. Our class was fortunate enough to connect and collaborate via Skype with Miss Dewhurst's Grade Three class in Lumsden Saskatchewan. (Home of Rider Pride!) We each sang a short song about Earth Day, then read a story to each class. How exciting it was, and such good listeners. We also did a reflection activity on Wallwisher after viewing a short Earth Day video. Check it out here. Remember "Everyday is Earth Day!"



Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Happy Birthday Greeen Eggs and Ham !

Yet another fantastic online project hosted by Jennifer Wagner. In honour of the 50th Birthday of the book "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr.Suess, we connected with Mrs. Yakes second grade classroom (Chicago Illinois) via Skype and read parts of  "Green Eggs and Ham" together. We also created a wall-wisher, where  student's thoughts and reflections were posted! You may be wondering what is "Skype" and what is a "Wallwisher" ? Skype is software that enables users to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users.It is an amazing free tool to connect with other classrooms, educators, and experts all around the world. Wallwisher is an Internet application that allows you to post thoughts about a topic, messages, answers to questions, using an online postie note. We are fortunate enough in our classroom to be able to use these Web 2.0 tools to connect, collaborate, reflect, and learn. Check out the two walls of reflection on our "Green Eggs and Ham" 50th Birthday project that we collaborated with Mrs. Yakes Grade 2 class.           Mrs.Yakes Wall       Mr.McDonald's Wall

Monday, April 19, 2010

"Holden" Grade 2B's resident Mad Scientist !

Holden loves to bring things to class, books, comics, Wizard Wands, you name it, he has probably pulled it out of his 22 lb. backpack at one time or another. But you see this is a good thing, because Holden is a very curious kid, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Each morning is like a new adventure, wondering what Holden is going to be pulling out of his backpack. Well today was yet another one of those days, when Holden pulled out a Science Experiment Kit. It just so happened that I still had my video camera at school from the previous day, and so here is what transpired...



Choir Festival ...

Last Thursday afternoon, the Grade 2 classes participated in the Swan Valley Fine Arts Festival. Under the direction of music teacher Mrs. Darlene McKibbon, the students performed two numbers "It's a Small World" and "Tinga Layo" . The accompanying video does not do justice to the fantastic performance, Well done Grade 2!!




Sunday, April 11, 2010

Swan Valley Visual Art Festival



Friday afternoon the Grade Two's battled 70 Kph winds and walked to the Veteran's Hall to view the Swan Valley Visual Art Festival. The art was fantastic, entries ranging from students to adults. Former Art teacher Mr.Paul Freed provided a fantastic tour and explained to the students the different types of art. If not for the wind, it would have been an absolute perfect afternoon.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Lucky Charms Project

 
Graphic by   https://www.thistlegirldesigns.com/shop/

Our third on line project was once again hosted by Jennifer Wagner. As a GROUP -- we will be trying to prove that there are more GREEN CLOVERS (you might call them hats) than any other shape in a box of Lucky Charms. Students were each given a baggie of Lucky Charms. Their job was to sort the marshmallow charm shapes into the following categories: Pots of Gold, Clovers (hats), Horseshoes, Stars, Moons, Rainbows, Hearts, and balloons. Once sorted, students were asked to count their shapes using tallies. This data was then displayed in two different types of graphs. Students created a bar graph using paper and pencil crayons, then using this same data, they created  a bar graph electronically on the website "Create a Graph". We also tabulated all of the students data into a classroom data bank. The classroom totals were submitted to Jennifer. Wow, not only did the students have fun, but we sure did a lot of math too. Check out our slide show and videos of all our learning . I apologize in advance for the poor video, it's hard to shoot video and guide students at the same time. lol !




Sorting Lucky Charms from Rob McDonald on Vimeo.
Grade Two's using their sorting mats to classify their Lucky Charms.


Sorting Lucky Charms 2 from Rob McDonald on Vimeo.
Students continue working with their sorting mats.


Lucky Charms Tallying from Rob McDonald on Vimeo.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Olympic Torch visits Taylor School...


Olympic Torch from Rob McDonald on Vimeo.
Students were treated to view and touch the Olympic torch. Former student and "Taylor Top Dog ", Kaili Gilroy, who carried the torch on a run in Southern Manitoba, brought the torch to her Alma matter, allowing  everyone an up close and personal session with it. Dressed in full "Official Torch Relay Track Suit" attire , Kaili toured each classroom answering questions and posing for pictures. Thank you Kaili, it was really nice of you to share this special experience with us.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Reading, Reading, and more Reading !!!

February was "I Love to Read " month at Taylor School. As part of our month long celebration, we participated in many events that encouraged and promoted the love of reading. From teacher round robin reading, to the Reading Olympics, students not only were encouraged to read more, but had a whole bunch of fun doing it. The month concluded with a school wide Buddy Reading activity. Congratulations to our Gold Medal winners !

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

We are "Bloggers" now...

I would like to inform you of some exciting things that have been happening in our classroom this week. You may have heard from your son/daughter that they have set up their own Blog, and are now Bloggers. This is true, and you may be wondering "what the heck is a Blog? " and "my son/daughter is a Blogger?? ". A blog is basically a type of website, the features that make blogs different from other websites are:

* content is published in a chronological fashion

* content is updated regularly

* readers have the possibility to leave comments

An educational blog such as the one your son /daughter has created will have some very unique features. Like a regular web log (blog) students will be able to write posts, post photos, drawings, stories, pictures, slide shows, and videos. They can even leave comments on other students blogs. The main difference between a regular blog and an educational blog is the role of the Administrator. The Administrator is the person who oversees everything that is posted on the blogs. Any article, picture, story, and comment must have the approval of the administrator before it will be published. As administrator, I receive information on all activity on all of our classroom blogs.
Safety is always a concern when you have students working on the internet. Having their own blog allows me as a teacher, to give them a real life experience in a safe, controlled , environment, yet still allowing them to create, collaborate, and celebrate their learning and life experiences with others. We now have another platform in which we can discuss internet safety rules, talk about how to make a good comment, and collaborate with others in a learning community.
I'm encouraging students to work on their blogs at home if possible. I hope you will share in their excitement and help out if the need arises. Students love to read comments left by parents and classmates. Please try to read and leave comments whenever possible.
This is a new learning journey that we all will be taking together, I hope you are excited as we are.
I will keep all updated as we continue our exciting learning adventure.

Please feel free to drop me an e-mail, phone call, if you have any questions, comments , or concerns.
Your child's blog can be accessed by a direct link off our Classroom Blog...
The link is called Student Blogs

Thanks for you cooperation and happy Blogging !!
Mr. Mc

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

January Fun "Skating and Sliding"...

Since our arrival back to school , we have been extemely busy. We have have recieved a new literacy program "Nelson Literacy" , and so far both the students and teacher are loving it. Yes we will still be working on our "Animated Literacy," but only as a supplement to the new program. Please spend the time to go over all the exciting activities in your child's Friday folder. We have also been blessed with warm temperatures, ideal for skating and sliding... don't forget to check out the " Mr. McWiki" link off the cool sites for links to some really good sites...