Last Day Fun!

 Our final day flew by!  We exploded our volcanoes, cleaned our desks with shaving cream, played outside, and watched our class video.  What an awesome year with an incredible class!  Happy summer everyone!

Nonfiction Writing Books

 One of our final writing projects was publishing our own animal nonfiction books.  Once we got started, it was clear to see how much the students love to reading nonfiction and especially learn new information about animals.  Each student was able to pick an animal to research and write about.  The process we followed was to first take notes on the chosen animal in the areas of what the animal looks like, its habitat, and what it eats.  Students used books online or books from our classroom library to gather information. We then turned those notes into sentences.  Each student conferenced their sentences with me and completed their books with either drawn pictures or printed pictures.  We also included an About the Author page.  The class really enjoyed writing these books and reading each other's books!

Mystery Reader #17: A Horse Loving Paramedic

 1) If you are hurt, you might call me.

2) I have 4 children, and 2 of them have had Mrs. Howard.

3) One of my favorite things to do is ride horses with my friends.

These clues threw the class for a loop.  The last clue made some of them think it was a student coming in, forgetting that the second clue spoke of having 4 children.  One of our students described this mystery reader as someone he considers to be like family.  That is pretty cool to have someone that close in your life!  She read two books to us: "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash," and "It's a Bear!"  Of course, we enjoyed asking lots of questions, and we learned so much about this mystery reader including her experience with bears!  Great to see you back in 2nd grade, Shaunee!

Balloon Countdown: #7!

 On Tuesday we popped our seventh and final balloon: enjoy a treat in the park.  For second recess we headed outside and the students enjoyed an ice cream sandwich as they played in the park.

Field Trip Day!

 We had such a fun day on Friday!  The students did a fantastic job cooperating and using teamwork while paddling on the boats and completing the challenges.  We also had a ton of fun playing at the park!  So glad we had beautiful weather for our day!

Balloon Countdown: #6!

 Today we popped the balloon that sent us on a treasure hunt around the school.  We found the best kind of treasure- a new book for our classroom library!  We unwrapped and immediately read "Something's Wrong!" by Jory John.  We couldn't stop laughing as we read it!

Mystery Reader #16: A Great Aunt with an Important Message

1. I have a dog.

2. My favorite color is orange.

3. I love my family.

This great aunt brought her favorite book to share with us, "The True Story of Smokey the Bear."  It was obvious how much she loved this book, and we enjoyed the story of how she searched and searched for it until she found a copy at a sale.  This book taught the import message of being safe around fire and not starting forest fires.  It was so interesting for us to learn that there is a true story behind Smokey the Bear.  Thank so much for reading to us today!

Balloon Countdown: #5!

 Today we popped balloon number 5, and we enjoyed lunch and a dance party in the classroom!  These kids sure love to dance!

Balloon Countdown: #4!

 Balloon number 4 was marker day!  Each student got to pick out a smelly marker to use on our assignments for the day.  Of course getting to keep the marker was an extra bonus!

Balloon Countdown: #3!

 For our third balloon we popped gum day!  Each student received a little baggie with 4 pieces of gum to chew throughout the day or save.  It's a special treat to chew gum in school!

Track and Field Day

 Track and Field Day is so fun for the students!  I'm glad that we had a nice day for the students to compete in their events and share this day with their families!

Mystery Reader #15: Some Out of Town Guests!

 1. We don't live in Minnesota.

2. We like fishing and boating.

3. Sometimes we scuba dive.

Many students have family members that live out of state and like fishing so there were many guesses!  One even guessed his aunt in Australia!  No one guessed this uncle and his fiance who had just flown in from Maryland.  What a great surprise!  Thank you for sharing the book "Where the Wild Things Are," by Maurice Sendak.  The students loved this book!  Thanks for stopping by 2nd grade during your short visit in Minnesota!

Balloon Countdown: #2!

 Today we popped our second balloon: bumper seats for the whole class!  This is always a favorite when the students get to pick their own spot for the day!

Balloon Countdown: #1!

 On Thursday we started our end of the year balloon countdown!  Each day we'll pop a balloon and do the activity found in that balloon.  Our first balloon was to write a letter to a senior and deliver the letter.  This is a fun tradition for our class.  This group of 2nd graders got to deliver letters to seniors who did this same activity when they were in 2nd grade!  Congratulations graduates!

Mystery Reader #14: A Mom with a Puppy Surprise

 1. Our home could be described as Old McDonald's farm- we have dogs, cats, pigs, cows, and horses.

2. I have 2 sons, and even though they don't always show their brotherly love, I know they are happy to have one another.

3. I work at Mayo Clinic as a mental health counselor.

As soon as this 2nd grader read these clues, he was certain it was his mom.  He was even more excited to see his dog walk in with her!  The class was so happy to listen to the story "The Cook and the King" by Julia Donaldson along with getting in some puppy cuddles.  What a sweet dog and a fun story!  Thanks for being a mystery reader!

Ag Day

 Even though it was a rainy day, we still enjoyed seeing all of the animals and tractors at Ag Day!

Mystery Reader #13: A Motorcycle Riding Grandma

 1. I like to ride snowmobiles.

2. I like to fish.

3. I have a motorcycle

Many 2nd graders predicted that our mystery reader was one of their grandpas.  Nobody guessed it would be a grandma!  This 2nd grader was so happy to see his grandparents walk in our classroom door.  She brought a special book that had belonged to a few different family members.  The students loved listening to "The Giant Jam Sandwich," by John Vernon Lord.  They had many questions about why making a giant jam sandwich would have been the best solution to the problem!  We also had a great conversation about all of her clues.  The class wanted to know about the color of her snowmobile, the fish that she has caught, and her new motorcycle.  Thanks so much for stopping in to be a mystery reader!

Mystery Reader #12: A Joke Telling 3rd Grader

 1. I'm in 3rd grade.

2. I have a lot of friends in this class.

3. I like to tell jokes.

The class had several guesses for this mystery reader, but nobody guessed correctly.  This 3rd grader has been asking to be a mystery reader since September.  He couldn't wait to come back to 2nd grade and visit as a mystery reader.  He read "The Biggest, Best Snowman," by Margery Cuyler.  When the class asked why he chose this book, he said because it reminded him of himself.  He said even though he's small, he can do great things.  What a wonderful message!  We even got to hear one of his favorite jokes.  Great to see you again in 2nd grade, and thanks for reading to us!