Books, Pilgrims, and Indians

The books are finished! On Friday, Mrs. T. worked the the students to decoupage and collage their covers. When I walked into the library yesterday and saw all of the books drying on the tables, I was amazed at the creativity. They are awesome! I can't wait to look at each one in detail and choose some for the online book exhibition. One student said that she wished they could spend more time on the project. Sometimes, it felt rushed trying to get our goals accomplished in 30 to 50 minute segments. Another student thought it was "challenging." Another student asked if we could make another one for Christmas. Hmmmm.

The first and second graders made little books, too, about the First Thanksgiving. They will take these home to share with their parents and other relatives for the Thanksgiving holidays. Happy Thanksgiving!

Book Making

What can you make from an old cereal box and a brown, paper grocery bag? Can you believe that you can make a book? The third through sixth graders did just that today in literature connection. Using and applying math skills such as spatial recognition, measurement, division, and fractions, the students constructed the container or the "book" to hold the results of their research on the pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. Last Thursday, they researched and recorded comparison and contrast notes from this wonderful and informative website on Thanksgiving from Scholastic. On Monday, they reviewed their notes and chose to create a character for either a pilgrim or a Wampanoag Indian. They had to write four clues for their "Who Am I Book." Tomorrow, they will be decorating their book covers with Mrs. T. Finally, on Monday they will pull the entire book together as an artistic and informative creation!

And, from Reader's Theater Club today. . .

And,

Leaf Walk Book

Today, 1st and 2nd grades went on a leaf walk to gather a few leaves and look at their different shapes and colors. It was chilly, but at least the sun was shining! Yesterday, we made a little "Leaf Walk" book that describes different kinds of leaves and has a little pocket at the pack in which to collect some small leaves. Christopher L. found a leaf with a cocoon wrapped up inside of it. Now, we'll have to wait to see if it opens to release a butterfly or moth! Going outside and collecting bits of the natural world is a wonderful activity for naturalistic learners. During autumn, when the leaves are so beautiful and colorful, it is also a good time to reflect on the wonders of God's creation.

"Who Am I" Books

Today, we worked on our "Who Am I" books in 3rd through 6th grades. For instructions on how to make these, please look here on one of my favorite websites for learning how to make different book forms. The students used this activity to practice the techniques of making these books and to review the book characters that they had chosen for the election project.

This week, Mrs. Tarleton and I will be helping the students research about Native Americans and the first colonists in the computer lab. In the coming weeks, we will make another "Who Am I" book with more detail and planning out of recycled materials. This project will record some of the things we have been learning about Native Americans, colonists, Thanksgiving, and this special time of our American history. Please save cereal boxes (flatten them out) and paper grocery bags for this project.

Pre-K through second grade students reviewed the procedures for looking for books and checking out books. Pre-K and Kindergarten students will begin checking out books to take to their classrooms next week. This will give them good practice for taking them home later on.

Book Character Election Results

On Tuesday, November 4th, St. Therese students voted for their favorite book characters. Each class held primaries in their classrooms to narrow down the candidate fields and nominated one character for the school-wide elections. The candidates were:

Pre-K: Joseph T. as The Cat in the Hat

Kindergarten: Patrick D. as Spider Man

1st: Caleb B. as Green Power Ranger

2nd: Kennedi C. as Bumble Bee

3rd: Jessica L. as Ms. Frizzle

4th: several boys as Greg Heffley

5th: Chidi O. as Hermione Granger

6th: Tatyana L. as Willie Wonka

During the morning prayer assembly, the candidates dressed as their characters and gave a short speech to the school. Then, each student voted, placed their ballot in the ballot box, and received a bookmark decorated with the words, "Vote For Books."

Student council officers counted the ballots and made the winning announcements at the end of the day. Buzzy the Bumble Bee was elected President and Hermione Granger was elected Vice President! Way to go St. Therese Students!