Dr. Seuss Day is Coming!

March 2 is Dr. Seuss Day!
Everyone has been extremely busy getting ready for the BIG DAY.
Doors are getting decorated.
Hallways are coming alive with new displays.
There is even a road filled with stops across America in the front hall.
Teachers took pictures with their favorite Dr. Seuss book which will turn into a guessing game for students.
Students will begin reading and tallying their minutes to convert into miles as we Read Across America.

In the picture below (thanks to DoInk and ExplainEverything)  Mrs. Costa, our principal, is wishing everyone safe travels on this month long adventure.

Stay tuned!

World Read Aloud Day 2016

"Every year World Read Aloud Day calls global attention to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories."

Click on the picture below to learn more about WRA16

Students at Steward School had the exciting opportunity to visit via skype with an author to help celebrate World Read Aloud Day..

The day began with the First Graders who visited with Michelle Edwards in Iowa who read her book Pi Lia's First Day. This was her first experience with WRA and we had a wonderful time talking about the characters and settings of her stories. Michelle shared her writing room with the students and told them about her love of knitting. She even put on one of her own funny hats.

Third Grade students had a visit with Lauren Magaziner from Brooklyn, New York.  Lauren enthusiastically read chapter 2 from her newest book Pilfer Academy.  She explained to the students about the writing process and even shared the story of having to remove a character from her book after the publisher read the draft of the story. One student asked her how she found her funny words. Lauren answered that she pays attention to new words and even writes them down in a notebook. Her favorite funny word is "collywobble".

Kindergarten students enjoyed the stories of Sue Fliess from North Carolina. Sue read a funny rhyming book titled Calling All Cars. The students enjoyed listening for the rhymes. We also got a sneak preview of her new book Goblin Hood. Can you tell the title of the book that she got the idea from? (Robin Hood) Her son gave her the idea for this book because he always said "bone and arrow" instead of bow and arrow.

Second Graders had the pleasure of meeting Katy Duffield from Florida.  Katy shared her favorite parts of writing: creating on a blank page, research, and revising. Students were entertained with her reading of Loud Lula who always talks in her outside voice but one day it comes in handy.

Thank you all the authors who shared their time with students for World Read Aloud Day. 

You have inspired us all!

Polar Animals in Grade 2

Mrs. Ford's Second Grade Class has been studying the Polar Regions and the animals found there. After selecting a polar animal, second graders spent time researching that animal. They read nonfiction books and used online websites to gather information.
All this hard work led to a digital project.
First, students used the app Drawing Pad on the iPads and created a detailed picture of their animal in their natural habitat.

Then using the app Chatterpix Kids each student drew the animal's mouth and recorded a 30 second fact from the perspective of that polar animal.

Click on the videos below to hear the talking polar animals share a few facts about themselves.