Bringing home a 1st place trophy!

Taegan's team won their third and final game to win the international tournament!  They are more than excited to have represented their club team, their city, and their country.  Words can't even describe the feeling of the whole crowd chanting USA, USA, USA! 
The local news channel ABC 24 ran a story last night about us.  Did any of you see it!
It is Sunday as I am writing this, sitting on an airplane.  Happy Easter!  We loaded a bus from Agropoli at 3 o'clock this morning to travel 4 hours back to Rome's airport.  The plane ride is 11 hours long and I have about 3 hours left.  My legs are pretty stiff, but the movies on the plane keep me busy.  We will arrive in Atlanta soon, but have to wait 6 hours at the airport before our next plane leaves for Memphis.  We are expected to arrive at 11pm tonight. 
I will not be at school Monday so that I can readjustment my body and mind to the time change and the jet lag.  I can't wait to see you all on Tuesday.  I love you very much.
Mrs. Allen

 

Second game is another victory!

We spent the first half of today at a local flea market.  It's kind of like a giant yard sale that runs the length of several streets.  I bought some jewelry (You know I love jewelry!) and lots of cute scarves.  Everyone in Italy wears scarves around their necks! 
The second half of the day was our game, which we won 4-1 against Rome, followed by the opening ceremonies.  I will never know what it's like to be a part of the Olympics, but I would have to say this was about as close as I'll ever get!  They played our national anthem while the girls walked around a track waving American flags.  The crowd was chanting U.S.A, U.S.A., U.S.A...  Words just can't describe the pride we felt.
My time away is flying by.  I finally got a hot shower last night!  Please don't ever take for granted what we have in America.  Living conditions can always be worse, so be thankful for what you have.  I love you all more than you will ever know.  I will be back before you know it. 
Mrs. Allen

First game was a victory!

The girls won their first game 2-0 against Salerno, Italy!

Hello from Agropoli!

Today will be the first day of soccer games for the tournament.  Taegan is watching the boys' team play and my friend, Beth, and I are shopping in Agropoli, which is the name of the small city where we are staying.  Things are quite different here.  I am missing the United States' conveniences.  Hot water isn't easy to come by.  I haven't been able to take a hot shower yet...!  No, I don't stink ;). I have had to be very tough in cold water. 
One picture is of our whole team, girls and boys.  The other is of Taegan and me at an old island where Roman emporers used to rule from, called the Isle of Capri.
Hope you are having a good week so far! 

Hello from Pompei!

Good morning stellar second graders.  I am sorry I haven't checked in sooner.  Internet connection and WiFi has been hard to find.
The last few day we toured all around Rome.  I got to visit the Vatican, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon.  When I get back to school I will tell you all about the places and why they are important.
Today we toured Pompei, which is a city that was covered in ash and lava from a volcano called Mt. Vesuvio.  It erupted and killed all the people.  They uncovered the city 1700 years later!  It's so amazing to see in person.
Please work hard this week.  Remember to always show your best Falcon behavior.  I love you and will post again as soon as I can. 
Mrs. Allen

Italy bound!

Hi everyone!  We have flown to Atlanta safely so far.  We are now waiting to board our plane to Rome.
I hope you are making Mrs. Brown feel welcome in our classroom.  Show your best FALCONS behavior at all times.  I expect it.  I miss you already and I love you ALL!
Mrs. Allen

St. Patrick's Day

Play games about St. Patricks Day HERE and HERE!
Learn fast facts HERE about St. Patrick's Day!
Why do we celebrate St. Patrick's Day!  Find out HERE

Class News March 18-22

What’s New 

in Grade Two?

March 18-22, 2013

I hope you all enjoyed your Spring Break!  I certainly did.  Well, the time has finally come for me to leave for Italy.  My daughter, Taegan, and I will be traveling for 10 days with her soccer team to play in a soccer tournament and explore the country.  I really hate to be out of the classroom for so long, but this is an opportunity for her that I couldn’t pass.  I will update my blog as often as I can so you can see pictures and read about what we are doing each day.

www.teachingandreaching-allen.blogspot.com

I will be out beginning this Thursday, March 21st.  I will be back in the classroom Tuesday, April 2nd.  

Please remind your child that we all expect their behavior and work ethic to be great for the substitute.  Ms. Brown comes highly recommended by Mrs. Cramer and many others!

Important Dates

March 18        Shelby County Health Dept. assembly (sealants) 8AM

March 21        I leave for Italy.

March 21-28  Book Fair

March 21        Family Math/Science Night 5:30-7:00pm

March 29        Good Friday

March 31        I get back from Italy.

Apr. 23-26      TCAP Testing

May 22           Last day of school!

Reading/Language Arts

Story: Bad Dog, Dodger!

Comprehension: Plot and Theme

Grammar:  Pronouns: I and Me
Fluency:  Accuracy, Pace, Intonation  Current goal = 84-94 wpm

End of year goal = 120 wpm

Spelling/Phonics: Silent Consonants

Vocabulary: Classify/Categorize

Click HERE to play games about this weeks story and skills!

Spelling words

knock  sign  knee  wrong  write  climb  wrap  wren  gnat  lamb 
comb  knob  knuckle  wrestle  plumber

Click HERE to practice and play games on Spelling City!

Dictation Sentences

If you climb the tree, you can see a wren in the nest.

I will sign my name on the card and then wrap the gift.

Math

Geometry: Plane (2-D) vs. Solid (3-D) Shapes; Identifying a solid shape by name (cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, pyramid, rectangular/triangular prism,  Understanding faces, edges, and vertices of solid shapes

Click HERE to learn all about shapes and play games

Click HERE to choose the correct shape
Click HERE to listen to the Who Am I? song
Click HERE to relate the plane shape to the solid shape
Click HERE to trace and name faces

Social Studies

Africa in April:

Understand the diversity of human cultures; Recognize the contributions of people of other ethnic, racial, religious, and socioeconomic groups

Click HERE to learn all about Africa in April
Click HERE to learn fun kid facts about the country and the animals
Click HERE to learn 51 random facts about Africa
Click HERE to read about Anansi the Spider (an African folktale)
Click HERE to read more African folktales and fables!

Science

Realize that parents pass along physical charcteristics to their offspring  

Spring Break!

I hope you enjoyed your week and spent some quality time with your family!

Think Show!

FACS helpers!

What a huge help!! Two groups of students from First Assembly Christian School helped us with our Think Show projects this week.  They probably had no idea just how "hands on" their service was going to be...  Pretty sure they were all covered in paint when they left.  If any of them ever read this blog post, I hope they know just how influential they are, and how much I appreciate their time and attention to my students.  I couldn't have done it without them!  If they ever see me at school games (since my kids go to Harding and are the same age), they better yell and say, "Hi!"  I'll want to give them a hug of "THANKS"!

A blast from the past!!  Robin Martin, a good friend from my highshool days, showed up at my classroom door.  Boy was I shocked to see him standing there...but couldn't have been happier!  His daughter, Devin, attends FACS and was working with our little ones today at KES.  Mr. Martin is a firefighter and said that he could come back and visit sometime to tell us all about his job. We recently studied firefighters, and when the kids met Mr. Martin, they wanted to tell all kinds of stories about their experiences with fires.  We will keep our fingers crossed!