Balloon Countdown: #6 Celebrate Summer Birthdays

 On the last day of school we popped our final balloon!  We celebrated summer birthdays with homemade brownie sundaes while watching our 2nd grade video.  We also erupted our volcanoes on our final day.  Happy summer everyone:)

Balloon Countdown: #5 Treasure Hunt

 The class couldn't wait to discover what treasure awaited them at the end of our hunt around the school.  Of course there is no greater treasure than a new book!  We have loved this series and enjoyed the newest book, "Everything's Wrong!"  We also enjoyed a small treat as we listened to the book!

Field Trip to Winona

 We were so lucky to have a beautiful day for paddling and playing at the park in Winona.  I was so proud of the students as they worked together to paddle their boats.  They learned that it was challenging, but with everyone's help, we could be successful in completing the challenges.  Winona has an awesome park for lunch and playing!

Balloon Countdown: #4 Marker Day

 The kids had a blast picking out a smelly marker to use on their assignments for the day!  Everything is more fun when you get to write with a smelly marker!

Mystery Reader #15: 3 Dogs?

 1) I have 3 kids.

2) I have 3 dogs.

3) I love to read.

The clue about having 3 dogs threw the class off.  A few students have 3 children in their family, but nobody with 3 children also had 3 dogs.  It was quite a surprise when our very own Mrs. Ferry came walking in as our mystery reader!  She read "Dinosaurs Love Underpants," by Claire Freedman.  The class loves Mrs. Ferry and could have asked her questions all day long!  Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to read us a story!

Balloon Countdown: #3 Buddy Read with Kindergarten

 Today we went across the hall to buddy read with a kindergarten friend.  It was great for our class to be able to share all of the books that we've written this spring along with listening to a kindergarten buddy read.  We ended our time by sharing a treat.

Balloon Countdown: #2 Gum Day

 The students were a bit confused when they popped our second balloon that said gum day.  Where would they get the gum they asked?  Of course Mrs. Howard came prepared for this fun balloon!  Each student received a baggie with 4 pieces of gum that they could chew whenever they wanted throughout the day.  According to 2nd graders, gum is pretty great!

Mystery Reader #14: A Very Active Dad

 1) My favorite things to do outside are bike riding and fishing.

2) My favorite things to do inside are playing video games and watching movies.

3) My favorite foods are ice cream and pizza.

This student felt very confident that all of these clues fit his dad, and he was right!  He shared the story with us, "The Big Cheese."  We loved asking him questions about all of the activities he's interested in.  We have a group of boys that love playing video games so they had many questions about this topic.  Thanks for reading to us!

Balloon Countdown: #1 Write a Letter to a Senior

 In the last days of school we start our balloon countdown!  Each day we pop a balloon and do the activity in the balloon.  Our first balloon was to write a letter to a senior and deliver the letter.  This has always been our traditional first balloon, and it's amazing to think that the seniors now receiving letters were once the 2nd graders writing and delivering letters.  Congratulations and good luck to you seniors!

Mystery Reader #13: A Visit from Big Brother

 1) I like farming.

2) I am in a family of 6.

3) My favorite food is pizza.

This big brother must be known for his love of farming because he was a top guess right away!  He read "Secret Pizza Party," by Adam Rubin.  This was a perfect choice for him since he also loves pizza!  Thanks for stopping in to read to us and answering our questions about 4th grade!

Mystery Reader #12: A Visit from Big Sister

 1) I play a brass instrument.

2) I am near sighted.

3) I like colorful skies.

This big sister was a nice surprise for her brother.  She read the very sweet book, "The Giving Tree," by Shel Silverstein. We loved hearing your story and learning more  about 5th grade!  Thank you so much for being a mystery reader!

Ag Day

 The class loved seeing all of the animals and farm equipment at Ag Day today!  Great job high school students in your presentations!  The 2nd graders had a blast!

The Weatherman on Trial

 Last Friday we performed our play, "The Weatherman on Trial."  The class did a fantastic job! I'm so proud of all of their hard work in memorizing their lines.  Way to go 2nd graders!

Mystery #11: A Future Dentist

 1. I like to draw people.

2. I want to be a dentist.

3. I like the trumpet, but I don't play it.

The dentist clue threw off the class except for one student.  She knew that her older sister wants to be a dentist when she grows up.  It's also fun to have this former student back as a mystery reader.  She read a spin on a traditional fairytale called "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig." Thanks for stopping in to share a story with our class!

Mystery Reader #10: A Horse Loving Mom

 1. I love horses.

2. My favorite color is purple.

3. I like ice cream.

Although a few students thought this might be their mom, we have one student who shares her love of horses with us regularly.  She knew it was her mom coming to visit us!  The book her mom chose was perfect for this horse loving family, "Bubba the Cowboy Prince: A Fractured Texas Tale" by Helen Ketteman. This book was a fun mix of fairytale and tall tale, both of which we recently read in class.  Thanks for stopping in to 2nd grade!

Banana Bingo Celebration: Lunch in the Classroom

 The class was thrilled when they finally landed a bingo on our board!  After brainstorming several ideas, including a study party:), the students ultimately voted to do lunch in the classroom and watch a circle story episode to go along with the circle stories that we are reading and writing in 2nd grade!  It's always a treat to eat lunch in a different spot for the day!

Mystery Reader #9: A Lover of Books

 1) I live on a farm.

2) I taught elementary grades for 34 years and now I work in a place with thousands of books.

3) I love hiking and gardening in my free time.

The class thought our mystery reader might be our librarian, Mrs. Ferry.  They were right that our mystery reader is a librarian, but this librarian is the grandmother to one of our students.  She is a lover of children's books and brought a variety of delightful books to share with the class!  We loved listening to you read all of the fun books you brought!  Thank you for reading to us!

Mystery Reader #8: A Disney Loving Mom

 1) I love Disney.

2) I love working with students.

3) I love plants.

This student was so excited to see her mom come into the classroom that she jumped into her mom's arms!  Our Mystery Reader read the book "Sprout Branches Out," by Jessica Von Innerebner.  This was a perfect choice since our guest loves plants.  Thanks for making your daughter's day in 2nd grade!

Mystery Reader #7: First Grandma, Now Mom?

 1) I have 3 kids.

2) I live on a farm.

3) My favorite color is blue.

Since Grandma was our Mystery Reader yesterday, the class doubted this student's mom was our mystery reader today.  This student felt very confident though since all of these clues fit her mom.  Right again!  Thanks for sharing with us "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss!

Mystery Reader #6: A Cat Owning Grandma

 1) I am a retired teacher who used to teach science.

2) I live on a farm.

3) I have 2 cats as pets.

One student felt very certain that this mystery reader had to be her grandma.  She knew her grandma was a teacher, but she couldn't remember what she taught.  This student was right, and she was so excited to see her grandma walk in!  Our mystery reader's granddaughter loves The Berentain Bears series.  Thanks for sharing with us the "Berenstain Bears and the Truth."  Many great lessons for us!

Poetry Books

 We recently completed our poetry unit.  The class wrote four poems: acrostic, portrait, haiku, and two words on a line poem.  The students also created artwork to go with each poem.  Our poems were put together in booklets and include an About the Author page.  We invited in Mrs. Vickerman's 1st graders to share our poems with them.  The poem books are beautiful, and the students love reading each other's booklets!

Mystery Reader #5: A Golfing Nurse

 1) I am a nurse.

2) I like to golf.

3) My favorite color is black.

The students guessed a few parents because there are other nurse parents in our classroom.  The favorite color did make the students question it though.  There was no doubt for this student that all 3 clues fit his mom, and he was so happy to see her walk in!  She shared "The Perfectly Messed Up Story" by Patrick McDonnell with us.  Thank you so much for taking time to stop in 2nd grade and read a story to us!

Mystery Reader #4: A Dancing Dad

 1) I love deer hunting.

2) I love dancing.

3) My favorite food is pizza.

These clues had the class guessing a few dads and one mom.  This student was very excited to see her dad walk in as our mystery, and she assured the class that he doesn't dance in a tutu!  The class enjoyed the humorous book that dad and daughter had previously picked out, "Walter the Farting Dog" by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray.  Thanks for taking time out of your day to spend in 2nd grade!

Mystery Readers #3: A Visit from a Few Former Students

 1) We have brown hair.

2) We like to play basketball.

3) We had Mrs. Howard in 2nd grade.

These clues left the students with many guesses.  When Ruby and Karli walked in, there were many students who recognized these 5th grade girls!  Our mystery readers have been waiting for this opportunity since 1st quarter.  4th quarter has finally arrived and these two were ready!  They shared the Froggy book with us, "Froggy Gets Dressed," by Jonathon London.  Thank you girls!  Great to see you back in 2nd grade!

Mystery Reader #2: A Teaching Grandma with a Sweet Treat

 1) I am a teacher.

2) I am a grandma.

3) I love to read and eat chocolate.

The class was pretty certain who this mystery reader would be, but there were a few other guesses as well!  This student's grandma fit all the clues as she is a beloved English teacher at our school, and the students couldn't have been more excited to hear her story and enjoy the delicious treat she brought them.  In the last few weeks we have been reading fairy tales from different points of view, so her book choice of "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," was perfect!  Thank you for taking time out of your busy school day to share a story with us, Mrs. Knutson!

 

Mystery Reader #1: A Repeat Reader!

 1. I have been a mystery reader before.

2. I've spent a good amount of time at the school.

3. I love to watch football.

The class was so excited to have our first mystery reader today!  They were definitely puzzled by the clues, but ultimately thought it might be one of our student's moms.  They had no idea that Mason has been our first mystery reader since he was in third grade!  The students found Mason's reading of "I Will Surprise My Friend" by Mo Willems very entertaining!  Thanks for taking some time out of your spring break to spend in 2nd grade!

Spaghetti Noodle Tower Challenge

 We've started our engineering unit in 2nd grade.  We learned that engineers design and build things to solve problems.  They use creative and innovative ideas.  We've also learned that there are many types of engineers.  Some may create new things, some take things apart to see how they work, and others study why things don't work.

Our first task was to make a spaghetti tower using 30 noodles and 30 marshmallows.  The students were placed in groups of 3, and they had three science class periods to work.  The goal was to build the tallest standing structure.  Once the students got their supplies they got right to work with enthusiasm.

Groups soon found that this was more challenging than they anticipated.  Spaghetti noodles are not strong building supplies and marshmallows are gooey.  The groups worked together to design and redesign.  This can definitely lead to frustration, and how the groups handle this frustration can definitely impact their outcome.  On day 2 each group received 20 more noodles and 20 more marshmallows to help build on or fix up the tower.

Each group received 10 more noodles and 10 more marshmallows on the third day.  These extra supplies were a welcome addition because many groups found that their snapped noodles were no longer helpful to their ideas moving forward.  Each group pulled together and used excellent team work!  They listened to each other's ideas and were patient throughout the process.  We measured the towers on the third day.  Each group ended with a standing structure.  This is a fun project with so many great lessons!

Opinion Writing: The Best Part of Me Writing

 For our most recent opinion writing piece, the students completed these beautiful projects detailing what they most liked about themselves.  Of course the best parts of them are things we can't see and photograph- their kind hearts, willingness to help others, smart brains, and so much more.  For this project, they needed to choose a part of them that we could see and photograph.

This was a step by step process.  The students brainstormed their ideas in a bubble map.  They began their writing with a topic sentence and then put their brainstormed ideas into complete sentences.  The writing was completed with a conclusion sentence.  We added a black and white photo to go with our writing.  These opinion pieces range from humorous to heartfelt!  I love seeing them up in the hallway with visitors stopping by to read them!

Wrapping Up I Love to Read Month

 We finished up I Love to Read Month with a cozy read in and a guest author visit.  We cozied up to our virtual fire place and enjoyed a s'mores snack as we read our books.  

On our final Friday, along with Books for Breakfast, we gathered in the library to hear the story of "Annie's 4th of July" written by Jeanne Svobodny.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Leading up to Valentine's Day, the class made these cute love bees!  We have great artists in our 2nd grade!

They enjoyed handing out their cards and talking with friends.