Workshops, Workshops, Workshops!

Hello Blogging Buddies!  I hope you all have had a wonderful day today!  Our school held an art festival today for some of our students and some schools near by.  I was chosen to present a workshop to the students on one of my hobbies, quilting.  I presented on what quilting is and the process of making a quilt.  Then, I led the students in an activity based around quilting.  I wish I had forty sewing machines so they all could have made a quilt, but I did not.  Instead, we used paper, crayons, scissors and glue.  The final products turned out great and the workshop went better then I expected!  I even had a girl tell me she wanted to take up quilting!

Some of the samples I displayed for them to see.

The younger students were given quilt squares to color.  They had five different ones to choose from.

I told the students that each quilt has one mistake and this boy showed me his.  I commented on how I liked it and he said it came out this way because I made a mistake!

A couple of students colored two and taped them together to make a small wall hanging.

The older students were given a nine inch white square to use as a base.  They then had to take other colored paper and cut it to make a quilt block.

A final product.

Now on to workshop number two!  I am linking up with the wonderful and fabulous Ideas by Jivey for her Wednesday Workshop!

This weeks theme: Favorite Reading Group Book. This year I am not teaching reading so I do not have a current reading group book, but I will share one I taught in third grade.  Frindle!  I love Frindle by Andrew Clements.  It is such a fun story that has the students on the edge of their seat and their minds working on how they can be like Nick. The book takes place in a fifth grade classroom, but it is perfect for third/fourth grade students. 

Synopsis: He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it. 

The book has great chapters to do studies on characters and character traits.  We would often compare Mrs. Granger and Nick.  There is a chapter on each of them.  When I was doing my student teaching I read this book with my class and even dressed up and acted like Mrs. Granger one day.  This book is also great to read as a jumping off point for dictionary skills because Mrs. Granger loves the dictionary.

I hope you will consider reading this book with or to your class.  My fifth graders loved it when I read it earlier this year.  They now call their pens Frindles!

I hope you have a fantastic night!

Rosie