Every Sweet Thing Candy Cane Project

Christmastime at Waterhouse!

Specificity: The "How To" Paragraph

At the Intersection of Math and Writing

I began the writing workshop with Cuisinare Rods and colored pencils. My writers looked puzzled.

"Today you're going to make a Cuisinaire construction and then describe how you made the construction with words on paper so that a reader will be able to navigate through the paragraph to create an identical construction."

This is my idea of a hands-on How To paragraph.

"Just like math, when writing instructions you have to show all your steps."

Young writers need to practice working through the process of crafting words. It's challenging teach young writers that words need to be wisely chosen and crafted carefully to accurately communicate a specific idea to an audience of readers. This is challenging because the task is a process that involves tremendous effort on the part of the writer and young writers want to skip steps. Participating in this work over time sets a foundation for the rhythm of the writer's routine to be established.

Before beginning, I challenged my writers to keep in mind the cardinal rule of our writing workshop:

"Words are scribbled on paper for a reader to read... your words are a gift."

The young writers eagerly spent an hour an a half contentedly drafting rough drafts paragraph that they took home to self-conference and craft to final draft.

"Next week we will exchange final drafts and see if readers can make the construction."

Begin all writing experiences by breaking the task at hand into steps. Remind writers that writing is a process. Getting young writers to engage in process is a tricky business that takes time to root, but truth be told, process alone takes the daunting out of writing.

We broke this specific project down as follows:

What's your big idea?

Make a construction with Cuisinaire Rods. Map the construction on graph paper with colored pencils.

Write it down...!

Begin by use a topic wheel to outline each step involved in the construction. Craft a paragraph following the topic wheel outline. Be sure to introduce the topic with a sentence that hooks the reader into the big idea. The supporting sentences should include specific details that will allow the reader to navigate through the Cuisinaire construction without a hitch. Craft a single sentence at the end of the paragraph that will conclude the exercise and add an interesting clincher that makes idea of the paragraph echo in the mind of the reader.

Conference with yourself and someone else...

Now, re-read what you wrote and decide, as a reader, if you are accurately communicating your big idea. Use a red pen to make changes. Ask someone else to read your work and to add red marks when they find confusing areas, holes, or dead ends in your "How To" paragraph.

Revise

Make a final sweep with the red pen for common errors—spelling, punctuation, capitalization, tense, and so on.

Final Draft

Use your best handwriting or type up a final draft!

The Science of Observation

Section 5 - Locomotion

Section 5 - The Family Under the Bridge

Farmer Boy

You know what readers like best about Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder? The FOOD! We enjoyed exploring a selection of Farmer Boy recipes during our Section 5 feast—apples and onions, cornbread, and, of course, stacked pancakes!

Coming soon... Person I Admire 2011

Fall 2011 iMadonnari

After Edward Hopper's Approaching the City...

His:

Ours...

Leonardo da Vinci reminds our science students that, "All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions."

What a pleasure to begin the year with an in depth study of the Renaissance Man's contribution to the world of science! Did you know that many of the inventions that Leonardo da Vinci envisioned in the 1400s are in use today? Helicopters and parachutes and many other modern day wonders began on one of Leonardo's 6000 "idea journal" pages. Leonardo believed that great ideas began with an observation that lead to curiosity. Observational drawing is a scientific skill and a powerful tool to teach the value of concentrated patient perseverance.Read more about this skill here:

http://fourandtwenty.typepad.com/blog/2011/08/da-vinci-summer-ii-listen-with-your-eyes.html

Math Lab #1 The Great Ice-Cream Investigation

What have poetry and ice-cream got to do with patterns in math?

Ask our students!

This year, once a month, students will participate in an in-depth, two-hour exploration of patterns math. These activities will provide opportunities to connect complex concepts in math.

This first activity focused on the (x, y) intercept and plotting slope as it connected to Shel Siverstein's Eighteen flavors:

Eighteen Flavors

Eighteen luscious, scrumptious flavors

Chocolate, lime and cherry,

Coffee, pumpkin, fudge banana

Caramel cream and boysenberry.

Rocky road and toasted almond,

Butterscotch, vanilla dip,

Butter brickle, apple ripple,

Coconut and mocha chip,

Brandy peach and lemon custard,

Each scoop lovely, smooth and round,

Tallest ice cream cone in town,

Lying there (sniff) on the ground.

Thank you Mr. Nichols!

Farmer Boy

Farmer Boy grabs the attention of our 6th Grade boys. This is the second time that I have explored this book with an all boy group and I am, once again, taken aback by their enthusiasm for the story. In our discussion, the boys are fascinated by the responsibilities that Almanzo takes on and by the appetite that his daily chores produces! More work = more food!