Last Day Fun!

We had a packed morning of fun on our final day together!  We started the day by exploding our volcanoes.  Then we watched our 2nd grade memories video.  After watching the annual 6th graders versus the teachers kickball game, we cleaned our desks with shaving cream.

Have a wonderful summer everyone!  Thanks for a fantastic year!

Balloon #7: A Treasure Hunt and End of the Year Party

Balloon number 7 took us on a treasure hunt around the school.   We followed the clues from place to place.  The treasure we found was a new book: "Only One You."  I love the message in this book that I shared with the students.  Each student is so special because there is only one of each of them.

That afternoon we celebrated our end of the year party by visiting The Granary for a cup of ice cream.

Balloon #6: Read with a Kindergarten Buddy

Today we popped the balloon: read with a kindergarten buddy and share a treat.  At the end of the day we went across the hall to read stories and enjoy freezes to try to cool off in this warm weather!

Balloon #5: Daily 5 Outside

This is my favorite balloon of all: Daily 5 outside!  We take our book boxes outside and find a comfy spot around the pond to read our books and enjoy the nature around us!

Balloon 4: Bumper Seats for Everyone!

Today we popped balloon 4 and everyone got to choose their seat for the day.  Some chose to be in a small group, and some chose to find a spot on their own.

2nd Grade Field Trip

We had a fantastic day today!  We started our day learning about history at the Winona Historical Museum.  We were able to see Native American artifacts that we learned about as 2nd graders.

We ate lunch and played at a nearby park.

In the afternoon we went on liberty boats and participated in group challenges called Paddle for Life.  The students did great!  Thank you to all of the parent volunteers and Mrs. Stocker for joining us today!

Mystery Reader #12: One of our Favorite People

1) I used to have a pet rabbit.
2) I think it would be fun to have curly hair.
3) I have 3 kids.

These clues really stumped the class, but we were thrilled to see Mrs. Stocker walk in the door as our Mystery Reader.  Mrs. Stocker visits our classroom once a week to read with students and tell us fun stories.  We adore Mrs. Stocker, and we loved the books she picked out to read to us!

Balloon #3: Marker Day and Ag Day

We popped balloon number 3 today and the students were thrilled to find out they could use markers all day long instead of a pencil to do their work.  Markers make everything so much more fun!

Today was also Ag Day so the students were able to visit the animals and farm machinery.

Balloon #2: Lunch and Dance Party in the Classroom

Yesterday we popped balloon number 2: lunch and dance party in the classroom.  It's always a special treat to eat lunch in the classroom.  It's even more fun when you can dance around with your friends.  It's all very entertaining!

End of the Year Balloon Countdown- Balloon #1

On Monday we began our end of the year balloon countdown.  Each day we pop a balloon and do the activity inside the balloon.  On Monday we popped: Write a letter to a senior.  On Monday we began writing our letters.  We finished them on Tuesday, and we hand delivered them to the seniors today.
Congratulations and good luck seniors!

Mystery Reader #11: A Big Brother

1. I wear glasses.
2. I live in Lanesboro.
3. I have one pet.

Little brother knew exactly who our Mystery Reader would be when he read the clues, and he was so happy to see his big brother walk through the door.  Older brother read "I Don't Want to be a Frog" and answered questions from the class about his favorite activities and what he enjoys about school.  Thanks for reading to us today!

Mystery Reader #10: 3rd Grade Friend

1. I have brown hair.
2. I love animals.
3. I'm friends with someone in this class.

The class felt very certain about who our Mystery Reader was, and they were right!  This 3rd grader stopped by our classroom to share "Pancakes for Supper."  We enjoyed hearing this story and chatting with our 3rd grade friend about her favorite books.

Mystery Readers #9: Third Grade Friends

Today two third grade girls stopped by 2nd grade to share a few stories with us.  Based on their clues of being third grade girls, one with blonde hair, the other with brown hair, and one with glasses left the class pretty certain as to who would be coming this afternoon.  Thanks for sharing some stories and answering our questions girls!

Poetry Booklets

During the month of March we wrote and illustrated 4 different poems: acrostic, portrait, haiku, and 2 words on a line poem.  The students also completed an "About the Author Page."  These booklets turned out so beautiful with their artwork.  During Read to Self and Read to Someone, the students love reading each other's poems.

Mystery Reader #8: A Recent Birthday Girl

This 3rd grader was very excited to come and read a story to us.  I think she started asking when she could be a mystery reader in first quarter!  Here were her clues:

1) I am between the ages of 1-10.
2) My birthday was 4 days ago.
3) I have a best friend in this class.

She read us the book "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore."  This book was on the top 20 a few years ago and is an interesting story definitely worth checking out!  So nice to have this student back in 2nd grade to read with us!

Mystery Reader #7: A Familiar Face to Lanesboro Schools

This grandma provided the following clues:

1) I used to work at the school.
2) I love the Vikings.
3) I love wearing tennis shoes.

When her grandson heard the clues, he knew for sure it was his grandma Carrie.  Carrie worked at the school for several years in different roles so she is a familiar face in the halls of our school.  She read a book especially made for her grandson in which the problem was solved by spelling out his name.  What a fun book!   Thank you Carrie for reading with us!

Mystery Reader #6: A Farm Raised Grandma

1) I grew up on a farm in Iowa.
2) I call my grandchildren and sing to them on their birthdays.
3) I love the sun and warm weather.

The class maybe didn't know who would be our Mystery Reader today, but her granddaughter was able to figure it out immediately!  This kind grandma shared the story "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.  I love this story, and it gave the students a lot to think about as the tree gave everything it had to the boy.  She also shared part of an old favorite of hers about a painted calf.  Thanks for making the long trip to Lanesboro to read and talk with us in 2nd grade today!

Mystery Reader #5: A Sweet Girl with a Sweet Treat

This 3rd grade Mystery Reader really threw off the class with these clues:

1) My favorite sport is football.
2) I know someone in this class.
3) My favorite book is "Heckedy Peg."

The class had no idea!  She came with 2 possible books and let the class choose.  She also shared a small treat with the class which they were very excited about.  So great to see you back in 2nd grade today.  Thanks for sharing a story with us!

Force and Motion Science Unit

We recently finished up our science unit on Force and Motion.  We started our unit by learning that a force is needed to make an object move, change speed, or change direction.  We explored this concept through an obstacle course.  The students had to push or pull a bowling ball with a broom through our course and keep it in the boundaries.   The students found that the direction they pushed or pulled with the broom was the direction the ball went, and that the amount of force they applied with the broom affected how quickly it changed its speed or direction.  There was even one part of the obstacle course where they couldn't touch the ball.  They had to apply enough force to keep the ball moving without touching it which allowed us to talk about inertia-  an object,s tendency to keep doing what it is already doing.

We also learned how friction can affect the speed and acceleration of an object.  We tested 6 different ramps: plain wood, wax paper, tinfoil, paper towel, and 2 different rubbery textures.  We predicted which ramp would provide the least amount of friction and which would provide the most.  We tested this by putting a toy truck down the ramp and measured how far it traveled.  On our first testing day, we found that the plain wood ramp provided the least amount of friction, and the ramp covered in paper towels provided the most.  The truck wouldn't even leave the paper towel ramp. 

On day 2 how tested how a taller ramp would affect the friction and acceleration.  We propped the ramp up on one of our classroom chairs, but we found that the truck traveled the same distance on all of the ramps.  We concluded this ramp height was too high, and that gravity had a bigger effect than friction.

Mystery Reader #4: Mom of a Cow Loving Family

This mom grew up in Colorado, is a nurse, and her favorite color is green.  Her daughter had no doubt her mom would be our Mystery Reader on this day!  I chose the book "Kiss the Cow" because I know how much her daughter loves the cows on their farm.   Tina did such a great job, and the class had many questions for her about their cows and their life with the cows.  Thank you so much for reading with us!

Mystery Reader #3: A Big Brother

This big brother and 3rd grade student came into 2nd grade this week to surprise his little sister.  He gave these clues: 1) I have 2 sisters and a brother, 2) I have braces on my teeth, and 3) I love waffles.  Little sister knew instantly it was her big brother.  He read us the book "Thank You, Mr. Panda" which we then added to our classroom library.  He also gave the 2nd graders the rundown on what to expect next year in 3rd grade which was a very fun conversation to listen in on!  Thanks so much for reading and talking with us as a Mystery Reader!

Mystery Reader #2: A Birthday Girl!

This former 2nd grader came back to share a story with us on  her birthday.  It is always so fun to have former students come back as Mystery Readers because I get to hear their beautiful reading and catch up with everything they love about reading currently.  This now 4th grader chose the book "Happy Birthday to You" by Dr. Seuss.  Dr. Seuss' books can be challenging to read aloud, but she didn't skip a beat!  It was wonderful!  Thanks so much for sharing a story with us today, and we hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Mystery Reader #1

1) I will be a announcing Family Time on Friday.
2) I spent a lot of time on the basketball court this winter.
3) I have a golden retriever

The class was convinced that our first Mystery Reader would be Mr. Semmen because all of these clues fit him perfectly.  Little did they know that Mr. Semmen had arranged for a few 6th graders to announce Family Time this Friday.  All of these clues fit one particular 6th grader: Mason Howard.
Ever since I started doing Mystery Reader in my classroom, Mason has wanted to come in as our first guest.  So fun to have Mason back in 2nd grade sharing a story with us!

Practicing Possessive Nouns

This week we've been learning about the difference between plural nouns and possessive nouns.  We recently learned through our spelling patterns that we have to use an apostrophe when writing a contraction.  We learned this week that we also need to use an "apostrophe s" when showing ownership.  We had a lot of fun practicing this skill today by using pictures.  The class knows that I'm always taking pictures of everything for our blog.  Those pictures were used today to write possessive noun phrases.  A picture of each student was printed and put on each student's desk.  The students went around and looked at each picture and wrote down a possessive noun phrase.  The name of the student pictured would begin the possessive noun phrase and anything else in the picture could be included.  The class was totally engaged in this practice and said they loved looking at all the pictures. 

Glue Outlined Oil Pastel Project

We're excited for spring in 2nd grade.  Last week we completed an art project to bring some spring vibes to our classroom.  The students started with a black piece of paper.  They drew any type of flower design that they liked.  We outlined the designs with white glue.  Once that dried, we filled in with oil pastels.  They turned out beautiful!  I love the vibrant colors the students were able to create by blending colors together.

Matter Experiments

Our most recent science unit focused on matter.  We learned about the 3 states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.  Our last 3 experiments focused on a property of matter: density.  This can be a hard concept to understand because it would seem that heavy things automatically sink and light things float, but we learned that is not the case because of density.  We defined density as the amount of atoms that are packed into a given volume.  The more atoms packed in, the more dense.  We experimented with sink and float,  rainbow in a jar which was a layering of liquids from most dense to least dense, and using salt to affect the density of the liquids.  We had a lot of fun with these experiments!

Banana Bingo Celebration: Bumper Seats for the Whole Class!

The students voted on bumper seats for the whole class to celebrate their recent banana bingo.  It's always fun picking your own spot in the classroom for the day!

I Love to Read Month

During the month of February we celebrated I Love to Read Month.  Some of the activities included buddy reading, curling up with a good book in our pajamas, and Books for Breakfast.  We love the chance to get more time with books!

Engineering an Egg Drop

In our engineering unit, we've learned that engineers need to use creative ideas to build or take things apart.  They also need to be great problem solvers who are willing to try things in a new way if they don't work the first time.

In order to put these skills to use, the students built an egg drop box with a few limited supplies.  Each group was given a shoe box filled with 1 toilet paper tube, 2 cotton balls, 1 styrofoam cup, 2 paper towels, 2 popsicle sticks, 2 straws, 2 pipe cleaners, and a roll of masking tape. 

On day 1 the students made their box without the egg.  They had to make some assumptions on how the egg would fit into their design. On day 2, the students were given the egg and many groups had to problem solve a new design based on whether or not the egg fit into their original design.

This project also gave the students another chance to collaborate within a partnership or group, which at times can be challenging.

The goal was to keep the egg safe for 3 different heights of dropping.  We dropped off a desk, off the shelves in the library, and outside on the stairs by the little park.

 The students then reflected on why they think their eggs survived the fall or didn't.  We focused on the fact that if our eggs didn't survive, it's not a failure, but rather it's just one idea that would need further work.  This was a fun project!

Valentine's Day Celebration and our February Author's Celebration

We decorated our Valentine bags on Monday, and they were excited to fill them on Valentine's Day!  They loved opening their cards and enjoying their treats.

We also had our February Author's Celebration today.  The students read a reader's theater of "Froggy's First Kiss" by Jonathan London.  They also shared their opinion writing about the best part of themselves.  Thanks to all the family members that were able to join us!

Top 20 Picture Books of 2017

Every year Amazon puts out a list of the top 20 books from the previous year.  We read them throughout the month of January.  We started at book number 20 and worked our way up to book number 1.  Along the way, the students choose their favorite.  At the end, each student makes a final favorite choice and writes a book review to post in the hallway urging others to check out their favorite picks.  We love our Top 20 Countdown!