Spy School

The 100th day was EPIC! We had the best day!  Our classroom was transformed.  We were not first and second graders today, we were special agents attempting to save the hundredth day from the devious Agent 99.  Let me back up.  The intrigue started the day before our spy school.  Mrs. Wolverton came down to our classroom.  She had mysterious TOP SECRET message for each student.  The messages were dropped of by a special agent.  The children were so curious.  When they got the envelopes home, they found a message in a puzzle.

The students were so curious. Wednesday, when they arrived, our classroom was blocked with caution tape.  Students had to do a fingerprint scan with Agent N before being allowed access to spy school.  Inside...WOW!  The new agents had a case file, dark sunglasses, an ID badge, and a glow stick.  There was a secret black box locked with four different combination and key locks. It was finally time to learn about the mission.

The mission for the day was introduced with a short video message from command central. We learned that Zero the Hero had been number-napped.  We would not be able to celebrate the 100th day without Zero.  In our briefing, we heard a ransom note from Devious Agent 99.  The only way to rescue Zero and save the 100th day was to complete missions that revolve around the number 100.  Our morning held 6 different missions that unlocked clues to the combinations on the locked box. For instance, one station was writing to 100 with our secret agent black light pens.  Another station had students glow bowling (empty water bottles with glow sticks and a hamster ball with glow sticks).  Students had to work as a team to knock down 100 pins.   Then, students had to use magnifying glasses to identify the models of numbers.  Still another station was highlighting hundreds in sea of numbers.  Highlighter really makes a visual impact in black lights.  So cool.

  
 
With all this hard spy work, the agents were lucky to have a station to make a snack.  At the "Hot on the Trail Mix" station, students counted out 10 of 10 different snacks to get exactly 100 in their mix.  They also got to mix a spy potion drink of orange soda and 7up, then a sprinkle of explosives (Pop Rocks).  Thank you parents for all the snacks and drinks. The spies couldn't have done their important work without you.

A favorite station was analyzing fingerprints.  We had some cups with Agent 99's fingerprints.  The students watched a short video about fingerprints.  Then they worked together to dust the evidence for prints.  They lifted fingerprints from the cup and analyzed the patterns and shapes.

After the morning missions we completed, we took a closer look at our case files and gathered our clues.  The students were able to crack a few of the codes and unlock three of the locks.  After completing the fingerprint stations, students were given a coded sentence.  One of the words, was five letters...nines....one of the combinations was five letters.  Hmmmmm!



Then, students found three number 3's and one number 9 written in invisible ink at the top of different papers.  When this super spy put together that 3+3+3=9, he had to stand up and let everyone know.  Yes, that is right, the combination lock had been solved.   



By lunch, there was only a lock with a key left.  The students' afternoon missions were designed to help them find that key!  The afternoon missions included making 100 cup STEM towers out of different sized cups and 100 second timings.  In the timings students predicted how many times they could do something, like write their name, in 100 seconds.  Then, the students had to test their predictions.  

After the four afternoon missions, the spies received another top secret envelope.  It had letters in it.  When the students unscrambled it, it said....."ZERO?"  Now the students were really confused.  They had a combination for another 5 letter lock but they needed a key.  Here it was 1:30 and they students had not found the key to save the 100th day.

However, just when all hope seemed to be lost the students went to library.  As they were telling Mrs. Jensen about their missions, she decided to ask them about a mystery she had.  She had received a strange black box with, you guessed it, a 5 letter combination lock!  The students turned the combination to ZERO? and it opened!  Inside.....THE KEY!!!!  Now the spies had all they needed.  Inside the large mystery box, each student received their very own spy kit and a 1-0-0 snack!  They unlocked Zero the Hero and saved the 100th day!  Amazing day!