Adorned in rainbow tutus, camoflage leggings, colorful headbands, glittery gold sashes, or in the case of one student, a wonder woman costume, the Class 2 students had a wonderful Friday morning shedding their traditional Chapin attire and sharing personal stories with their classmates. The Class 2 teachers also participated in the “crazy” outfit opportunity; wearing polka dot headbands, jazzy earrings and bright colors.
These new ensembles may have caused some confusion for those outside of Class 2, but the fun looks were a celebration of Gooney Bird Greene, a character from the series by Lois Lowry of the same name. Gooney Bird Greene is a second grader herself, who wears fabulous outfits and has a passion for telling “absolutely true” stories. She imparts knowledge to her classmates on how to create rich narratives based on everyday events, and confidently explains that using words like “suddenly” help keep a listener’s attention.
Chapin’s Class 2 students, who began reading the series at the beginning of the school year, spent the day employing Gooney Bird Greene’s tips to become vibrant storytellers themselves. Gathered in a circle, each student got the chance to be center stage and share a uniquely titled story from her own life.
In Ms. Orbach’s and Ms. Kim’s class, one student excitedly told the story of finding a birthday gift in the closet but her mom wouldn’t let her open it until her actual birthday, no matter how much she begged. Another student giggly described a fun vacation where she got to snorkel with stingrays exclaiming, “they felt slimy but then one gave me a kiss!” A third student recounted a comical tale of her pre-school teacher who bit so hard into an apple she lost her tooth and accidentally swallowed it.
Other story titles included:
“Paragliding”
“The Day I Lost My Tooth”
“The Day I Got Surgery”
“When My Mom Was Scared of the Mouse”
“How I Went to London”
“A Crazy Day”
The all day event allowed each student to express herself both visually and verbally in a special way. While each girl showcased her individuality, she also listened attentively to her classmates’ to understand and appreciate their differences.
Gooney Bird Greene Day, a beloved Class 2 tradition, was another great success and served its purpose of creating ambitious, bold, and vivid storytellers.
