What Turns You into a Crankenstein?

A few weeks ago we read "Crankenstein" by Samantha Berger.  In this story the main character details everything that turns him into a Crankenstein!  It is quite a funny list!  We brainstormed what makes us cranky.   We made a class book and also some fun Crankensteins to share with those walking by 2nd grade!

Red Ribbon Week

During this last week the students at Lanesboro celebrated "Red Ribbon Week."  The students learn about healthy habits and choices for their bodies.  Their time with Ms. Johnson on Tuesday focused on a variety of ways to keep our bodies healthy and safe. Ms. Johnson also organizes dress up days throughout the week.  The students always have a lot of fun with these dress up days!

Monday- Red Out Day

Tuesday: Team Up Against Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use

Wednesday: Reach for Your Dreams- Make Healthy Choices for Your Body

Thursday: Eat a Rainbow of Colors for a Healthy Body

Friday: Put a Cap on Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use

Spunky Punky

All of our hard work was shared with our families at our performance of "Spunky Punky."  The students were so excited to perform for their families and asked all day long if it was finally time!  Thanks so much for all the families that were able to attend!  I'm so proud of all the 2nd graders for doing such a great job!

  Pumpkins

 Farmer Boys

 Sun Beams

 Jack and Jill

 3 Little Witches

Scarecrow and Blue Jay

Fire Prevention Week

This last week was Fire Prevention Week.  The slogan this year was "Don't wait check the date!  Replace fire alarms every 10 years!"  As a class we talked about the importance of smoke alarms and having a plan with your family in case of a fire.  The students shared their exit plans and where they would meet up with their family.  We learned more about the job of the fire fighters and the fire trucks on Friday. The firemen taught the class about the different tools they use when going into a fire.  They discussed the importance of replacing fire alarms every 10 years and checking the batteries every year.

Odd and Even Math Monsters

While studying what makes numbers odd and even, the students were able to get creative and put their odd and even math skills to use.  The class created creatures that could include any body parts they could imagine up.  They had to record 4 odd and 4 even body parts.  There were a variety of ideas brainstormed: eyes, mouth, nose, arms, legs, horns, heads, tail, teeth, wings, stripes, polka dots, and many more!  This project is so much fun!

Writer's Workshop

In Writer's Workshop the students write about self-selected topics each day.  As writers we've been developing a list of what great writers do.

Great Writers:
-choose a topic that interests them
-spend writing time thinking, writing, and illustrating
-add details to their stories that stay on topic
-go back to reread their stories and add to them
-keep a list of possible writing topics for days they feel stuck
-write in complete sentences with capital letters and end marks
-use spelling tools to help them (word wall, dictionaries)
-share their writing with others

Many of these items are a work in progress for most students, and we will continue to add to this list all year long.  The most recent item on our list, "writers share their writing with others," was just introduced last week.  At the end of our writing block, the students now have the opportunity to meet up with a partner if they'd like.  This conference is meant to be used for sharing our stories that we're so excited about and also as a tool for improving our writing.  As a partner, the student is to be a good listener and also ask questions about anything that doesn't make sense or about details the listener is still curious about.

Students have been writing about all sorts of topics: pets, family, friends, school, and also a variety of fiction stories have been written.

Doubles Rap!

We've had a blast practicing our doubles facts using a fun rap made by a group of teachers and posted online.  We used their music in the background as we practiced our facts off the smart board.  On Friday the students brought in their best rap accessories to make our doubles rap video.
(I'm working on getting the video posted to our blog.  Due to some computer problems it wasn't possible to get it posted over the weekend.)