How-To Writing: How To Make An Owl Candy Holder!

Our current writing unit is How-To writing, in which students choose a task or project and write a step-by-step book to teach others how to meet the objective.  

I love this unit because it involves us making a bunch of stuff as examples of How-To writing.  The kids love it because they get to add colored pages to their books (red pages for warnings and green pages for tips).  A really good example of a warning from a child's writing this week, "How To Make Pancakes" was 'Be careful! Don't burn yourself on the stove!' I suggested including a tip that said 'When you see the bubbles, you know it's time to flip the pancake over.'

I had a parent donate a large amount of toilet paper rolls and I was incredibly excited because I knew right away how I wanted to use them!  The very next day I wrote a hurried How-To book and had the kids follow along to make their own candy holders!

Going through each step one by one helped students realize what they needed in their own writing.

Without the "Things You Will Need" page, we wouldn't have known what to get ready.  I accidentally left scissors out initially, and we realized it was important to add those!

We also saw that it was more trouble than it was worth to add the feet, so we just crossed through that step.  We talked about using words like "first," "next," "then" and "finally."  We talked about putting one step per page.  We talked about drawing clear pictures with arrows that helped the reader understand the directions.

When we finished, students went back through their own writing to make sure it was clear and easy for the reader to understand.

On being Mrs. Richardson... in Georgia

I see the last time I posted was before summer break... and now it's the end of July, and I'm already back at work. Let's recap what major events happened in this "break" time, shall we? We'll have to work in timeline format.

June 13: Last day of school at Spotswood! So sad. After we waved goodbye to the buses with our bubble blowers (Thanks, Mrs. Smith!) and before we headed into the library for the end of year luncheon, there may have been a pit stop in my classroom to let a couple tears flow.  It's hard to say goodbye to the students, staff and parents at Spotswood. Simply put, they are amazing and will hold a special place in my heart forever.

June 14: However, you don't have long to be pouty when you've got a Budget truck to load up! Thankfully my parents came on Saturday to help me finish packing and get the truck loaded and ready to go.

June 15: I MOVED to Georgia! And for the first 30 minutes had my shoulders up to my ears I was so tense about driving that truck. Turns out, I'm pretty okay at driving moving trucks... but I'd rather not do it again. David and I began unloading immediately (on my recommendation) when I arrived at our new house!

June 16: Since we still had the truck rented, we went to David's apartment to grab the last of his large furniture. We got everything unloaded and the truck returned.

June 17: David had to go to work, but I got a lot of unpacking done.

June 18: Did some more unpacking, then headed back to Virginia for our wedding! I made fan programs for our outdoor ceremony the entire ten-hour trip. Surprisingly, it made it go by faster. When we arrived at my apartment, we realized we packed an air mattress but forgot all bedding. We slept pretty terribly without pillows or blankets. (Remember, my house was "empty.")

June 19:  I say "empty" loosely, because we had to continue to pick up and pack those last few things that turned out to be enough to completely fill David's car and half fill my car. Hm... more than I intended, clearly. Then we had to clean the apartment and rush to Richmond to meet our officiant for some marriage counseling! We made it to my parent's house in Charlottesville around 11pm.

June 20: The last day to get things done for the wedding! We worked all day to make welcome bags for our guests, make and wrap the favors (Excellent job, David!), write cards, wrap gifts and finally get ready for our rehearsal.  I am quite pleased with how fun and entertaining the rehearsal and dinner were. We know some good people. :) I remember thinking at the dinner "this is weird, I've sat through so many of these as a guest, it kind of feels like I'm a guest at someone else's rehearsal" ... and then someone stands up to give you a toast and you realize "no! it's mine! hooray!" We had plans to enjoy a bonfire with some of the guests staying at the cottages with us, but the weather suggested otherwise. With all the rain, I began to get nervous how the weather would be the next day for the ceremony. We ended up staying up way past the time we should have, enjoying the company of good friends we hadn't seen in awhile.

June 21: YAYAYAYAYAYYYYYYYYYYYY! The day arrived! I woke up incredibly early because I was so excited. I did my nails (which I had been complaining about to David, saying I didn't have enough time to get them done, so he bought me THIS). Let me tell you, it's amazing and easy and I got a ton of compliments. 

Maria: "These look beautiful! Did you go get them done or did you do them yourself?"

Me: "What do you think?" 

Maria: "Well, I know you, so I think you did them yourself, but they look great!" 

Me: She knows me too well.

Then I went outside, looked at the beautiful views, and got started on the flowers! Which I also opted to do myself. Thank you, bloomsbythebox. Of course, these took a bit longer than I expected. (THANKS, MANDY AND ED for all your above and beyond exceptional help!)  Before I knew it everyone was there eager to get ready! And then I took too long doing that, too... So padre had to come make sure I hurried it along. 

Driving in the car from the cottage to the ceremony site and stepping out of the car was a genuine dream. come. true.  Everyone worked so hard (MAD PROPS TO YOU, MOM AND DAD) to make it exactly how I'd pictured, only way better.  I actually thought I'd fallen into a fairy tale.

And now I'm married to my Prince Charming!

Want to see more wedding photos? CLICK HERE.

June 22-July 1: 4:30am wakeup to make it to Dulles in time for our flight to the Dominican! (THANK YOU, MARIA AND NELS for waking up with us, giving us a ride and housing my car!) This was an excellent 8 days in paradise at the Excellence Punta Cana. (THANKS, MOM & DAD RICHARDSON!) It was absurd to be waited on hand and foot, and I felt just silly that these workers were doing everything for me.  We had no real-life problems or thoughts. It was a welcome break amid all the stress of moving and wedding planning, and a wonderful way to celebrate our marriage!  Well, except for the travel days. David was sick on the way out which made for a miserable flight and we both had food poisoning (?) or some other kind of incredibly unpleasant sickness on the way back.  The good thing about this is that we were really excited to be back home instead of still on vacation. Back in the good old U. S. of A. where you can understand the prices of items and read pharmacy directions in English. ;)

July 2: Worst travel day of my life. We drove back down to Georgia and I was pretty much incoherent and dry heaving the entire time.  But we made it!

July 3-6: Still recovering from being sick. Due to extreme lack of sleep, I was feeling anxious about anything and everything! So listen, if you ever go to the Dominican, use bottled water to brush your teeth. And visit a doctor beforehand and take various typical medicines with you! 

July 7: David got us free tickets to Six Flags through the "Salute to Heroes" program before we went on our honeymoon, so we used them when we thought I was better. Turns out, I was too paranoid to really go on the rides. We went on two and then had a nice time walking around. 

July 8 - 21: I got a few texts from coworkers saying they were working in their classrooms. Of course at this point I thought, "Hmmm, I'm not sure if I'm ready to be back in the classroom just yet!" But I went and am so glad I did. I had my work cut out for me. I own too much junk  stuff. Not only that, but going in so much over the summer helped me meet many of my new coworkers! They all seem amazing and I'm excited to be a part of their team.

Here's a sneak peek at how my room came together. I still need to do a few last minute touches.

Yes, that $40 spent on fabric was well worth every penny.

July 22: But let's be honest, I needed ONE REAL DAY OF NOTHING BUT SITTING AT HOME for summer break. So that's what I did on this day.

July 23: The contracted hours began! And so starts another year.

Hm. That was a really long one and I don't expect anyone actually read it all except for family members. (You guys better have! I'm shaking my fist at you if you didn't!) 

OWLS!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. My favorite thing to teach, of course! And since it's the second to last week of school, we finally have a little more liberty when it comes to planning artsy, creative activities.

Check out some of my favorite owl books and the accompanying art projects.  As I've said all throughout this year, it's amazing to me that kindergartners produced this work.  The custodian came in my room this afternoon and said "YOUR CLASS DID THAT? It looks like a much older grade!"

Here are a few of my favorite owl books, along with the publisher synopsis for each:

 When the sky grows dark and the moon glows bright,

everyone goes to sleep . . .
except for the watchful owl!

With a spare, soothing text and beautifully rich and textured illustrations of a starry night, this is the perfect “book of sleep.” Join the owl on his moonlit journey as he watches all the other animals settle in for the night: some sleep standing up, while some sleep on the move! Some sleep peacefully alone, while others sleep all together, huddled close.

Il Sung Na makes his American debut with this gorgeous bedtime offering. While each animal rests in its own special way, little ones will also drift off to a cozy sleep.

It's evening in the forest and Little Owl wakes up from his day-long sleep to watch his friends enjoying the night. Hedgehog sniffs for mushrooms, Skunk nibbles at berries, Frog croaks, and Cricket sings. A full moon rises and Little Owl can't understand why anyone would want to miss it. Could the daytime be nearly as wonderful? Mama Owl begins to describe it to him, but as the sun comes up, Little Owl falls fast asleep.  Putting a twist on the bedtime book, Little Owl's Night is sure to comfort any child with a curiosity about the night.

Owls are supposed to be wise, but young Spotty Owl doesn't want to be wise. He wants to be silly! Father Owl, who is truly wise, wonders when Spotty will finally grow up and use his wisdom to help the other forest animals. When Father Owl has to go off to help another animal, and must leave Spotty on his own, Spotty decides: "I'll just pretend to be wise. Nobody will know I'm not." Soon he's visited by Suzy Squirrel. She has lost her acorns and wants Spotty to help her find them. He sings a song, pretending that it holds the answer to her problem. More animals come to him, each with a new problem, and he greets each animal with a new song. Is it possible that Spotty's silly songs might hold the answers to each visiting animal's problem? Every page of this amusing little fable is enhanced with delightfully funny illustrations by the popular artist Hans Wilhelm.

It's not fair! All Little Owl wants is to go to bed at a reasonable hour, like his friends do. But no . . . Mama and Papa say little owls have to stay up late and play. So Little Owl spends all night jumping on his bed, playing on the jungle gym, and doing tricks on his skateboardbut he's hooting mad about it ! Children who have a hard time going to bed will love this fun twist on the universal dilemma.

Little owl would love to learn to fly in time for her grandma's birthday. But flying is scary, especially when your brothers won't stop teasing you. Will anyone be able to help Little Owl face her fears? A warm and reassuring story.

Uh-oh! Little Owl has fallen from his nest and landed with a whump on the ground. Now he is lost, and his mommy is nowhere to be seen! With the earnest help of his new friend Squirrel, Little Owl goes in search of animals that fit his description of Mommy Owl. But while some are big (like a bear) or have pointy ears (like a bunny) or prominent eyes (like a frog), none of them have all the features that make up his mommy. Where could she be? A cast of adorable forest critters in neon-bright hues will engage little readers right up to the story’s comforting, gently wry conclusion.

"I want my mommy!" Three baby owls awake one night to find their mother gone, and they can’t help but wonder where she is. What is she doing? When will she be back? What scary things move all around them? Stunning illustrations from striking perspectives capture the anxious little owls as they worry. Not surprisingly, joyous flapping and dancing and bouncing greet the mother’s return, lending a celebratory tone to the ending of this comforting tale. Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mother been so simply told or so beautifully rendered.

Owl Baby Paintings

Materials: 8.5"x11" black paper (background), 2 inch strips of brown construction paper (branch and eyes), small green squares of construction paper (leaves), white tempera paint, cotton balls (paintbrushes), brown, orange and white crayon (beak and words on back)

Directions: Success of this project is highly dependent on modeling! Show students how to cut a tree branch out of the brown paper and cut leaves out of the green paper. Glue branch and leaves and the bottom of the black page.  Show students how to dip the cotton balls in white paint and dab them on the paper in a circle to make fluffy owl babies. When the paint is dry, have students add brown eyes with the leftover brown construction paper from the branch, draw an orange beak and write a sentence or two about their owls on the back.

Construction Paper Owls

Materials: 8.5"x11" black paper (background), 1 inch strips of construction paper in various colors (feathers), small rectangle scraps of construction paper (eyes), white crayon (name/words on back)

Directions: Success of this project is highly dependent on modeling! Draw an upside down triangle on your paper in white crayon.  Take 1" strips and show students how to cut diagonally up the strip to make triangles.  Begin by putting one triangle scrap right side up on the bottom tip of the drawn triangle. (This step isn't pictured; I didn't realize it looked slightly off until we'd finished ours.)  Slowly layer upside down triangles from left to right up to the top of the drawn triangle.  Cut three different circle pairs out of the small rectangle scraps for the eyes. Use triangle scraps for ears and beak.

Mixed Media: Watercolor & Construction Paper Owls

Materials: 8.5"x11" black paper (background), 2 inch strips of brown construction paper (branch), small yellow squares of construction paper (moon), white crayon (stars/name on back), 5.5" x 8.5" white cardstock (owl), watercolor paint (or tempera paint with 1:3 parts paint to water), q-tips (for paintbrushes), sharpie markers (outlining)

Directions: Success of this project is highly dependent on modeling! Begin by creating the background. Show students how to cut the brown paper to look like a branch and the yellow paper to look like a circular moon.  Instruct students to glue these on their black paper and then draw several stars with white crayon.  

Collect background pages and give students half sheet of cardstock.  Do a guided drawing to show them step-by-step how to draw an owl.  As you say each step aloud, draw it on the board. (1. Draw a strawberry shape in the middle of your paper.  2. Add two triangle ears. 3. Add two curved lines to make wings. 4. Add W's with an extra U to make feet.  5. Draw two large circles for eyes.  6. Add a beak with a V or an upside down triangle.  7. Add U's to the belly in rows of 4-5 to make feathers.  8. Add wave-like lines (or continuous w's) to the wings for the look of feathers.  9. Add eyeballs looking up, down, left, right or straight ahead.)

Once students have drawn their owls in pencil, allow them to trace over their pictures with black sharpie or similar permanent marker.  This will make the lines stick out through the paint.  Then allow students to add color using watercolor paints, painting carefully and deliberately.

Once the owls have been painted and dried (we let them sit on the drying rack through lunch and recess), cut the owl out and glue them on the background.

I think this one is my favorite. It looks like it could 

be a comic strip character that you'd grow to love, right?

Maybe I just like him because he looks like he skipped his morning coffee.

Note that EACH project placed emphasis on the importance of modeling. You HAVE to do the project with your students step-by-step before they begin or as they go or you cannot expect good results!

Let me know how these go if you do them in your class! I hope your kiddos enjoy them as much as mine did.