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!