Banana Bingo Celebration: Lunch and Dance Party in the Classroom!

The class voted to do lunch and a dance party in the classroom to celebrate earning a banana bingo.  This is always a favorite because lunchtime has never been so much fun!  Check out our 2nd grade dancing skills:)

Mystery Reader #13: A Farming and Fishing Father

1) I am a farmer.
2) My favorite hobby is fishing.
3) I love to garden.

This student felt pretty confident that either her mom or dad would be our Mystery Reader today.  She wasn't sure if her mom's favorite hobby was fishing, but she knew it was her dad's.  She told me afterwards that it was extra special because his job keeps him very busy so she felt so happy that he came to visit!  Thanks for reading to us!

Mystery Reader #12: Twin Mom!

1) I like to go camping.
2) I work in Rochester.
3) I have 4 children.

Although all of these clues fit this student's mom, he was convinced it couldn't be her because his twin brother had been our reader the day before.  This was a great way to fool him, and he was very excited to take the seat again next to his mom as our Mystery Reader!  Thank you so much for reading to us!

Mystery Reader #11: Twin Brother Visit!

1) I like to play softball.
2) I have 2 brothers and 1 sister.
3) My favorite color is pink.

This twin brother didn't hesitate to predict his brother would be visiting us today as a Mystery Reader!  He was right!  He had been waiting and hoping his twin from the class next door would be one of our Mystery Readers.  It's not often that we have the chance to have another 2nd grader as a Mystery Reader.  We enjoyed it!

A Surprise Visit

During our math stations we had two 7th grade visitors stop in to share a song they are practicing for an upcoming event.  What a surprise! The song they performed was so beautiful.  I had one of these girls in this very classroom as a first and second grader, and I've been lucky to watch both of them grow throughout the years.  I'm so proud of you girls for all of your hard work!  Thank you for sharing your gift with us today!

Mystery Reader #10: A Favorite Familiar Face

1) I had a paper route in junior high and high school.
2) I used to have a pet rabbit.
3) I have straight hair.

Mrs. Stocker remained a true mystery until she walked into our classroom this morning.  The class guessed a few moms who have straight hair.  We couldn't have been happier to see Mrs. Stocker's smiling face!  We are so lucky that Mrs. Stocker volunteers in our classroom every Wednesday, and today she surprised us as a Mystery Reader!  She read one of her favorites to us: "Harry the Dirty Dog."  We love you Mrs. Stocker!

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 interesting 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.  The students found that it wasn't as easy as it looked!

Another concept that we explored was friction.  We questioned whether the type of surface on each ramp would affect how quickly or slowly a small car would go down a ramp.  We measured this by how far the car traveled from the ramp.  In our investigation, the plain wooden ramp had the least amount of friction and the rubber material on another ramp provided the most amount of friction. 

Mystery Reader #9: A Grandma with a Sweet Easter Treat

1) I am related to someone in this class.
2) I live on a farm and sometimes have sledding parties at my place.
3) I like to grow giant watermelons and pumpkins.

The class wasn't exactly sure who our Mystery Reader was today, but this student was so proud and happy to see his grandma arrive with not only books, but Easter cupcakes.  We enjoyed both the Easter books and treats!  Thank you so much for reading to us today!

Poetry Books

In the month of March we learned about 4 different types of poems: acrostic, portrait, haiku, and 2 words on a line poem.  The students wrote several of each type of poem and chose their favorite of each type to publish.  To publish our poems we typed them and added unique artwork to each.  We also included a page about the author.  After finishing up our books, we invited the first grade class into our room to share our poems with.  Since then our books have been on the rug in a basket.  The students love reading each other's poems.  They are beautiful booklets!

Mystery Reader #8: A Lover of Books!

Today's Mystery Reader shared with us that...
1) She likes to grow things in the garden and indoor plants.
2) She has a dog and two cats.
3) She plays piano and sings.

Her son was so excited to share his mom and their collection of books with us!  Starting out with "The Book with No Pictures" by B. J. Novak had the students rolling with laughter.  The next book, "The Word Collector" by Peter Reynolds, was a very special book for this family, and we were honored to hear this story.  The final book, also one of my favorites, was "Extra Yarn" by Mac Barnett.  This story opened us up to so much conversation about why the young girl had a never ending supply of yarn, yet the Duke had none.  This mom compared the yarn to love... the more you give the more you get.  Such a beautiful message!  Thank you Stela for reading to us today!

Mystery Reader #7: The Sweetest Grandmother!

We had the sweetest grandmother visit us as a Mystery Reader today!
1) I live in Rochester.
2) I used to be a teacher.
3) I love art.

Her grandson was so excited and proud to have his grandma visit 2nd grade today.  Not only did she read a nonfiction book about snakes which the students loved, but she also brought cupcakes!  What a way to end the day!  Thank you so much for being our Mystery Reader!

Mystery Reader # 6: Our Former Librarian with a Flare for Scare!

1) I miss reading to kids.
2) I miss being in the lunchroom.
3) I live close to the school.

There was no doubt that this Mystery Reader was Ms. Drew!  This year Ms. Drew moved into a new position at our school which took her away from the library where she loved to read scary books to the students!  Ms. Drew is so fun to listen to because she uses all sorts of voices and adds to the drama of the scary stories with her suspenseful reading!  We were hooked on the first two chapters of this scary chapter book, and I'm sure the students want to know how this one ends!  We love you Ms. Drew!

Mystery Reader #5: Older Brother and Former Student

This former student wanted to surprise his younger sister as a Mystery Reader.  With these clues, his sister was pretty confident her older brother would be our visitor today:
1) I have 4 sisters.
2) I like to play video games.
3) I'm going to start trap shooting.

He read the new book "The Good Egg" which the class was so excited to hear since they already know "The Bad Seed" by the same author.  Thanks for reading to us today RJ!

Mystery Reader #4: A Former Student on her Birthday

This former student comes back to be a Mystery Reader every year!

1) I like to wear dresses.
2) I know a few of you.
3) I did this last year.

The class could only come up with one person, Ms. Drew.  They were surprised when this 5th grade birthday girl arrived to share a birthday story with us!  Thanks for being a Mystery Reader yet again!

Mystery Reader #3: Mom of the Birthday Girl!

This mom remained a true mystery until she walked through the door.  Her clues were very specific, but nobody could figure out who it might be!

1. I grew up in Lanesboro and graduated from Lanesboro High School.
2. My first name, middle name, and last name all of five letters.
3. I have three children and a total of 11 nieces and nephews.  (They all attend either daycare or elementary school at Lanesboro Public Schools.)

The class was trying to place a teacher with these clues but couldn't find a teacher with 5 letters in their name.  Her daughter, the birthday girl, was thrilled to see her mom arrive with a fun book to share with us today! The class loved the book: "Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast," and the conversation about all the relatives in Lanesboro! Thank you so much!

Mystery Reader #2: A Gardening Mom

This Mystery Reader didn't fool us...
1) I love working in the garden.
2) Fall is my favorite time of year.
3) I wear glasses.

The class was pretty certain who this Mystery Reader was, and they were right!  This mom shared her daughter's favorite book with the class.  Thank you so much for reading to us!