Candy Sushi!

As a reward for working so diligently on the Writing CST Test, students practiced their technical direction writing and teamwork skills to work in a group to figure out how to make and teach someone else to make candy sushi!  Since we are currently studying Japan's geography--specifically the effects of natural resources on the country--in World Geography and analyzing/writing technical directions in Language Arts, what a perfect way to blend the curriculum and have some sweet fun too! :)  Students working in teams will:

1. Research history/creation of sushi on web sites on ThinkQuest.org.
2. Observe photos of candy sushi.
3. Draft a plan to create the candy sushi.
4. Begin constructing the candy sushi step-by-step.
5. Use their electronic camera (e-cam) on their netbooks to take photos of each step.
6. Create a PowerPoint presentation of technical directions including: Title slide, List of materials slide, Steps in order (each with a written direction and e-cam photo), Conclusion slide(s) explaining how and why Japan uses its natural resources to create sushi.
7. Create an advertisement with the purpose of selling the candy sushi.
8. Reflect on this activity on message boards on ThinkQuest.org (roles, what went well, what could have been improved).
9. Enjoy a sweet sushi treat! :)

Catch the students in action here--constructing sushi, writing technical directions, & creating advertisements:

EXAMPLE TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS POWERPOINT:

 

Reminiscing about Response to Literature...

Students practiced for the BIG state Writing CST in which they show off their writing skills in one of the following writing genres:  narrative, response to literature, persuasive, or summary.  So, to prepare, students rehearsed their skills in response to literature writing.  First, students read and annotated a Japanese folktale (Yes, keeping it cross-curricular with World Geography!), and then wrote a response to literature essay within a two-period block, practicing for the timed--yet un-timed--test (students are given extra time in one sitting if needed).  Enjoy the in-depth analysis below!

Here are two examples of annotated stories and response to literature essays:

Japan Feudalism Interactive PowerPoints

Students created interactive PowerPoints of the five main levels of society in feudal Japan.  Each picture on the pyramid links to a slide where that figure in society gives a first person account of his/her role, including job, description, thoughts/feelings, etc.  Enjoy a couple student examples below:

Student Example #1:

Student Example #2:

Student Example #3: