Letters to Guatemala

Hi Room 203 families, 

This week we practiced our letter-writing skills as we worked on cards for kids in Guatemala. One of our classroom parents is currently down there for a medical trip and hand delivered our classroom cards. The kids loved writing and decorating them and I know they will be excited to see pictures of the Guatemalan kids holding their cards! :) 

Happy Sunday! 

Through the Eyes of Olympic Athletes

Hi Room 203 families! 

In honor of Digital Learning Day today, we "hit the slopes" using an awesome iPad app called Visa 360 Cam which allows us to see what it's like to be a Winter Olympic athlete. Featured athletes had a camera attached to them, allowing app users to see through the eyes of the athletes. 

The kids LOVED it! We discussed what it means to be an athlete and how to be a good sport, relating back to one of our 7 Habits of Happy Kids--"Think Win-Win." Check out the video below for a peek, and make sure to download the Visa 360 Cam app and try it yourself. :) Thank you so much to our awesome Instructional Technology Facilitator, Kimberly Eggett, for leading this Digital Learning Day lesson! 

Through The Eyes of Olympic Athletes from Ms. Wertheim on Vimeo.

Chinese New Year Lion Dance

Hi families! Yesterday we celebrated Chinese New Year right here at Claxton! Our celebration began with a morning filled with Chinese New Year stories and activities, and in the afternoon we went out into the hallway for the Lion Dance Parade. The celebration wrapped up with an assembly in the gymnatorium where students were able to watch another lion dance and have a question and answer session with the dance teacher. Check out our video below to see the excitement!


Chinese New Year Lion Dance from Ms. Wertheim on Vimeo.

Gung Hay Fat Choy! (Happy New Year)

Happy Birthday, Dr. King!

This week we will be doing several Martin Luther King Jr. activities. Last week I showed students a picture of MLKJ and they brainstormed their "wonderings." This week students will be doing research about his life to answer those wonderings. Jamie Allbach (the fabulous CLX media center specialist) will be coming in to co-teach with me as students use iPads and Big Universe to conduct research. Be sure to check back later this week for some of the highlights from our MLJK activities. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this powerful quote which I believe in, 100%. Character education in my classroom is just as important as intelligence education. :)

Photo Credit: Teach for America 

Happy Monday! Thanks for stopping by, 

Around the World and Back By Lunchtime

I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty awesome that this morning my 2nd graders and I managed to fly to the other side of the world, tour another country, and make it back in time for lunch ;) Of course, none of this was possible without a little a lot of help from Google Earth!

My classroom theme this year is Ms. Wertheim's World Travelers! Part of my classroom management plan is our Superstars Suitcase. When I see the class working hard or going above and beyond, our Travel Agent for the week gets to choose an item to pack in our suitcase. When the suitcase is full, the students get to pick anywhere in the world to take a field trip via Google Earth.

Since we are sponsoring a student at Kopila Valley School in Nepal, the kiddos voted to take a trip to Nepal. It was a blast! First, we made sure we had our passports all ready to go, complete with a passport photo, of course ;) Next, students had to "buy" their plane tickets and received their Boarding Pass and Trip Itinerary. Then we boarded the plane and got ready to take off from the Asheville Airport runway. As you can see, they were super excited! This photo means the world to me. This is what teaching is all about--making lessons so magical and watching these kiddos' imaginations soar. This is the look of pure joy when we were about to take off on the runway. So much for reminding them to stay in their seats with their seat belts fastened ;)

I wanted to make our trip feel as realistic as possible. I used street view in Google Earth to make it look like we were really on the runway, and when we took off I played a YouTube video of a plane ride so the kids could see what it really looks like from the window of a plane. Hanging out in the clouds is something everyone deserves to experience :) They pretended to sleep for the remainder of our 16 hour flight across the world.

When we arrived at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, we talked about the time difference and jet lag. Most of them wrote in their journals how "tired" they felt from the long flight. They immediately noticed the difference in the terrain and the buildings in Nepal. This lead to great discussion about architecture, natural resources, and economics. 

After touring Kathmandu, it was time for us to take a long, bumpy, windy bus ride to Surkhet to visit Jarana and the other students at Kopila Valley School. We got to see pictures of the school, talk about similarities and differences, and even had the chance to "meet" a few students from Kopila.

What trip to Nepal is complete without a visit to Mt. Everest!? The kids couldn't wait to "hike" to the top. They especially loved looking at all the Google Earth pictures posted at the peak. And, in true imaginative fashion, I let them "sled" down Mt. Everest, which I must admit is pretty fun in Google Earth ;)



Throughout our trip, the kids wrote about their experience in their passports, which double as a journal. They even learned how to say a few words in Nepali, including my favorite--Namaste.

I know it's unrealistic for us to go on field trips all the time, but with Google Earth in the classroom the possibilities are truly endless. I can't wait to see where we go next! ;)

Thank you for stopping by, and Happy Thanksgiving!

GOAL Getters Craft Fair Fundraiser

I am so excited to share photos from the Claxton Holiday Craft Fair which was a huge success! Our kids made button bracelets, magnets, and scarves to raise money to sponsor children's education in developing countries.

 This educational project is part of our year-long Social Studies initiative called GOAL Getters (Global Opportunities, Awareness, and Leadership). The aim of GOAL Getters is to integrate Global Citizenship education throughout as much of the core curriculum as possible.

Students learn about global issues and then set goals to take action and help. Our main classroom goal this year is to sponsor a year of education for a girl in rural Nepal. As 21st century learners, it is important for our kiddos to be exposed to other cultures, service opportunities, and social responsibility at a young age.

These experiences help shape them into the wonderful future leaders that our world needs. The purpose of the craft fair fundraiser was to teach our kids that we can use our talents (in this case, making crafts) to help make a difference in the world.

My class teamed up with Ms. Adams's class to sell our crafts and I am beyond proud to announce that together we raised $350 for girls' education!

Now you may be wondering: Why girls? Why aren't we sponsoring boys and girls? Well, the answer is simple, and one that our kids agree with: girls in developing countries are not given the same educational opportunities as boys, so as global citizens we should help close this gender gap.*

In our classes we are learning about the differences between our culture and other cultures. Education in developing countries is not free and it is not covered through taxes. Therefore, families have to find money on their own if they want to send their children to school. If families do have money to send their children to school, they are more likely to send their sons instead of daughters. This cycle deprives girls of the opportunity to learn to read and write, which in turn leads to a lack of job opportunities later in life, and a wide range of other issues.

It is obvious that putting a girl in school changes her entire life trajectory, and it's incredible that our 2nd graders in Asheville can change the lives of kids on the other side of the world! *Learn more facts about girls' education, here!

I am so proud of all of our students for working so hard on these crafts! They love knowing that they are making a difference. :) And most importantly, thank you SO much to all of the parents who contributed to the craft fair fundraiser; from buying the materials, to volunteering in the classroom and the day of the fair-- none of this would've been possible with you! :) Enjoy the pics!

Making the crafts: 

The craft fair: 

Huge thank you to all the Claxton families for being so supportive of our initiative!

Good Times with Google Earth

In Social Studies we have been learning about maps and globes. No map lesson is complete without Google Earth! I'm a HUGE fan of Google Earth (let's be honest...it's so much fun!) My kiddos will have the chance to explore Google Earth a whole lot this year. We began this unit by reading Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney. This interactive book puts maps into perspective for kids, by zooming in on a map of the girl's bedroom and zooming out all the way to a map of the planet, talking about a variety of maps in between. We were lucky enough to participate in an AWESOME Google Earth intro lesson led by Claxton's Instructional Technology Teacher, Mrs. Eggett and our Media Center Specialist, Mrs. Allbach. Not only were the kiddos excited to see Google Earth in action, but they were particularly excited to use iPads! Students worked together to find North America, then zoomed in on North Carolina, Asheville, and finally, Claxton. They really loved the "street view" which shows exactly what our school looks like from the road. Have you used Google Earth street view yet? If not, check it out. It's so neat! Here are some pics from our fun day:

Thank you so much for stopping by! Be sure to check back soon.