Showcase: Watson’s Winners Work!

CAUTION: THINKERS AT WORK!

We hope you enjoy reading our pieces and seeing “scenes” from our classroom lives!

OUR CLASS HALLOWEEN STORY, 2019-20 — Night Terrors, WW 19-20

(Each person reads just a bit and then adds on to the story in their own special way.)

 

SMALL MOMENTS ARE THE “STUFF OF LIFE!”

The purpose of the Small Moment is to learn specific techniques and writing strategies that effectively pause the plot and stretch the moment, as well as to learn how to embed a life lesson into the heart of a story. Some of these techniques include the use of: FLASHBACKING, INTERNAL THINKING, FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE, SENSORY-DESCRIPTION, and PRECISE VOCABULARY.

Read this collection of life’s little moments made bigger…

In SCIENCE we are really getting into our unit on EARTH and SPACE SYSTEMS. Students are aware of how everything that takes up space – all matter — occurs within either the GEO- (rock), BIO (living), HYDRO- (water) and ATMO– (air) spheres – the four spheres of earth’s interactive systems.

BELOW ARE STUDENT MODELS OF EARTH SYSTEMS:

 

These ARCHIVES FROM 2018-2019

Show What is Ahead

for 2019-2020

WORLD PREMIER on the Blog:

Totally AMAZING LITERARY ESSAYS about the classic baseball story poem

“Casey at the Bat.” 

(Attached below is the poem “Casey at the Bat” for your enjoyment (and there are a couple of other famous ones included as well).

Casey at the Bat, Stopping by Woods, Travel

While learning about elements of rhyming poetry (such as stanza, rhyme scheme, inversion, cadence and repetition), we methodically studied this poem as a story – complete with plot, characterization, dialogue, theme/lesson, mood, etc. We then gathered many Big Ideas and Life Lessons, and each student ultimately chose one to be the basis of his or her stance, or thesis.

Students have “put to bed” their newspaper columns from the 1890s, which capture their accounts of Mighty Casey and The Mudville Nine, mimicking both the style and voice of the poet and era, and written with a “slant” that promotes their chosen thesis or stance. This project not only teaches kids the elements of poetry, literary essay and journalism, but also teaches about being savvy consumers of media – that what could be presented as “news” might really be a bit biased, as the facts of the event may be manipulated to emphasize the author’s main ideas.

The kids really enjoyed writing these, and we hope you enjoy reading them as well!

MY MOVE TO THE COLONIES!  

Letters from Colonial America

Students wrote these “essays in disguise” — Letters from the personas of specific Europeans moving from their homeland to The Perfect Colony for them. These were Comparative Persuasive pieces, in which they had to write a (fake) loved one to compare and defend their choice of colony against a different, less suitable colony. They are FANTASTIC — CHECKETH THEM OUT!

 

MOLECULE MANIA!

 

Below are some pics highlighting one (of just many) experiments we have been executing and documenting in our Investigations in Matter and Its Interactions Unit. Here, students are exploring the QUESTion, How does temperature affect the movement of molecules? They are using hot and cold water and food coloring to “SEE” how molecules move differently in hot vs. cold temperatures. Some expected terminology in this experiment include: molecule, solid, liquid, gas, properties, physical change; chemical change; condensation; evaporation; solubility, temperature, agitation.

 

These FEATURE ARTICLES will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!

The students worked INCREDIBLY hard to research, write and publish these outstanding articles that serve to INFORM, ENGAGE, and INSPIRE readers on an impressive variety of real-world issues. Get ready to learn a lot!

 

And here are some pictures of the AMAZING WATSON’S WINNERS presenting to each other during our FEATURE ARTICLE GALLERY WALK! Enjoy your own walk through their learning lives…

 

THE ROADS THAT LED TO AMERICA!

As you know, our over-arching theme in social studies and science is “Force Causes Motion, and Motion Causes Change.” We began our study of American History with the Middle Ages in Europe and Asia, simply as a way for the students to understand how history is an ongoing cycle of cause and effect. Example: The religious forces of the Crusades caused a massive movement of people, goods and ideas, which in turn created great change ~~ the death of the feudal system and advent of The Renaissance. As the intellectual and economic forces in that era grew stronger, a movement of explorers in search of trade routes led to the discovery of the Americas (massive change). More religious and economic forces caused settlement and colonization, which then led to the War for Independence, and the rest is history!

The “Picture Books” below all tell that story with some similarities, but also in unique and different ways. ENJOY!

Watson’s Winners 2018-19: A DAY AT THE IMPROV!

To prepare for our Day at The Improv Historical Performances, students honed in on the life of one historical character from the eras above (Middle Ages through Crusades, Renaissance, Exploration, Settlement) and investigated that character’s life through the lenses of particular questions (see project guidelines:  A Day at the Improv!).

They then wrote a first-person “Faux Autobiography” (narrative nonfiction) in the voice of this person, again focusing on the big picture ideas that they researched.  Once they “had become their characters” by writing and re-reading their pieces, we conducted a two-part event (with props, costumes and accents) called “A Day at the Improv,” in which by turns two seemingly random people from history were be picked out of my Tiffany Bag and had to hold an improvisational conversation in front of the audience – with the goal of finding out more about each other, but also finding the connections, similarities and differences and historical impacts that they each possess ~~ and seeing the cause and effect aspect of history.  Audience members participated after each performance. After all performances were complete, we hosted a post-performance “Mocktail Reception,” at which students mingled in character and held more conversations with each other, all while enjoying some post-performance FESTIVATIONS! Below are just some of the swarming Paparazzi Pics of our Day at the Improv Event!

On Wednesday, November 21, The Company of Watson’s Winners performed the

Readers’ Theater production of:

MAYFLOWER COMPACT, 1620!

Click on the link below (or copy the URL) to view this performance!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bXYVH2dAT0QfhsI5JZmyUFTp4kxo3gamwmD_zH9uJbk/edit?usp=sharing

OUR CLASS HALLOWEEN STORY, 2018-19 — Night Terrors 18-19

(Each person reads just a bit and then adds on to the story in their own special way.)

SMALL MOMENTS ARE THE “STUFF OF LIFE!”

Read this collection of life’s little moments made bigger…

And look below to see pics from our

SMALL MOMENT BUDDY SHARING CELEBRATION!

(Our 2nd Grade Buddies in Mrs. Frawley’s class shared their Small Moments first, and then we did the same. Obviously, a grand time was had by all…)

 

These ARCHIVES FROM 2017/18

Show What is Ahead

for 2018/19

 

MY MOVE TO THE COLONIES!  

Letters from Colonial America

Students wrote these “essays in disguise” — Letters from the personas of specific Europeans moving from their homeland to The Perfect Colony for them. These were Comparative Persuasive pieces, in which they had to write a (fake) loved one to compare and defend their choice of colony against a different, less suitable colony. They are FANTASTIC — CHECKETH THEM OUT!

AND FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF A COLONIAL SLAVE: Days In The Life Of A Colonial Slave

These FEATURE ARTICLES will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!

Students in Mrs. Watson’s class worked incredibly hard to research, write and publish these outstanding articles that serve to both inform and impassion readers on an impressive variety of real-world issues. Get ready to learn a lot!

FEATURE ARTICLE POWERPOINT TEMPLATE –click here!

FEATURE ARTICLE pdf TEMPLATE — click here!

OUR CLASS HALLOWEEN STORY, 2017 — Night Terrors

(Each person reads just a bit and then adds on to the story in their own special way.)

 

THE ROADS THAT LED TO AMERICA!

As you know, our over-arching theme in social studies and science is “Force Causes Motion, and Motion Causes Change.” We began our study of American History with the Middle Ages in Europe and Asia, simply as a way for the students to understand how history is an ongoing cycle of cause and effect. Example: The religious forces of the Crusades caused a massive movement of people, goods and ideas, which in turn created great change ~~ the death of the feudal system and advent of The Renaissance. As the intellectual and economic forces in that era grew stronger, a movement of explorers in search of trade routes led to the discovery of the Americas (massive change). More religious and economic forces caused settlement and colonization, which then led to the War for Independence, and the rest is history!

The “Picture Books” below all tell that story with some similarities, but also in unique and different ways. ENJOY!

 

SCIENCE-Y STUFF!

In exciting Science news, below you will find pics of our science partners and some of their work in action. The kids are holding their flat models of how Earth’s systems interact in a setting, delineating between the geosphere, the biosphere, the hydrosphere and the atmosphere. They are also holding their “Beanie Babies,” the beans they resurrected from the Ox Ridge garden while testing whether or not the beans had died or were just dormant. In the background are their Science Journals which contain the scientific processes for the QUESTS and INVESTigations we are involved in this year.

In the fall we went on several field studies – we searched for signs of life; we examined how earth’s systems interact cyclically in the Ox Ridge garden, and we learned to document observations of plant growth with and without the presence of dirt (the geosphere). We learned about variables and controls (or constants), as well as direct vs. inverse proportionate relationships.

 

Watson’s Winners 2017-18: A DAY AT THE IMPROV!

To prepare for our Day at The Improv Historical Performances, students honed in on the life of one historical character from the eras above (Middle Ages through Crusades, Renaissance, Exploration, Settlement) and investigated that character’s life through the lenses of particular questions (see project guidelines:  ). They then wrote a first-person “Faux Autobiography” (narrative nonfiction) in the voice of this person, again focusing on the big picture ideas that they researched.  Once they “had become their characters” by writing and re-reading their pieces, we conducted a two-part event (with props, costumes and accents) called “A Day at the Improv,” in which by turns two seemingly random people from history were be picked out of my Tiffany Bag and had to hold an improvisational conversation in front of the audience – with the goal of finding out more about each other, but also finding the connections, similarities and differences and historical impacts that they each possess ~~ and seeing the cause and effect aspect of history.  Audience members participated after each performance. After all performances were complete, we hosted a post-performance “Mocktail Reception,” at which students mingled in character and held more conversations with each other, all while enjoying some post-performance FESTIVATIONS! Below are just some of the swarming Paparazzi Pics of our Day at the Improv Event!

 

ARCHIVES FROM 2016/17 Show What is Ahead for 2017/18

WE ARE FANTASY WRITERS!

Below, please enjoy the Fantasy stories written either as individuals or in pairs, by Watson’s Winners this Spring of 2017. Some are still works in progress, but all of them show terrific imagination!

We’ve been learning about the very formulaic elements of fantasy stories, such as traditional, anti-,and/or reluctant  heroes, who join their sidekicks or mentors on one or more QUESTS in a strange and often magical setting, fighting evil elements and solving multiple problems in order to return to life as normal. ENJOY!

 

On Tue. 11/22/16, The Company of Watson’s Winners held an in-class  Readers’ Theater performance of:

THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT, 1620

(Here’s the Script! Readers’ Theater: THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT )

Click on the LINK below to view the Story of the Separatists, scene-by-scene:

https://sites.google.com/a/darienps.org/the-watson-s-winners-site/watson-s-winners-work-zone

SOUND CHALLENGE THEATER!  The Paparazzi were EVERYWHERE, capturing the kids in action during their Sound Challenge Presentations. Check out some shots below:

avery ayla connor dean ella finley gaurav gavin jack kelly leyton mercedes nic sadie scarlett sean

 

STORY POEMS ARE A HOOT TO WRITE…AND ARE GOOD FOR US TOO!

As a fun, challenging and effective writing exercise, students were asked to generate seeds for simple stories , and then to tell these stories in a rhyming verse poetic style. Some of the results are below. Enjoy!

6 thoughts on “Showcase: Watson’s Winners Work!”

  1. Jonathan,
    I think your story was great! I liked how you did the flash back and put good punctuation. I also liked your joke. Overall I think that your story is great and it is really funny!

    Reply

  2. Jonathan,
    I like how you added comedy in your story, it made me want to read it more. I was mad when it ended. One thing I thought was weird was that you didn’t say what you were distracted by. It didn’t add up. I also really liked that you added that joke, it was good that you did that. It was funny.

    Reply

  3. Connor G,
    Aloha Connor! You had a great story, but it needed more meat or detail of what happened in the block party. The story was a little too short, and more description would make it longer. The story Ding Dong Ditch was a great story, but next time add more detail! 😈👑😝

    Reply

  4. Jonathan,
    You had a great story. You also had a great sense of humor.😂😂. I love how you said, “It’s getting closer, closer, closer okay pause.” I thought your joke was hilarious.

    Reply

  5. Ellie A,
    Your story was GREAT! I love how you flashed back into when you first met your dog and all that started just by you coming down the stairs seeing your dog on his
    birthday! You gave so much detail. One thing I was confused about was whether this was at school or at home. I think maybe you should explain what your dog really looked like. “His golden fluff.” You did not really explain what he looked like. Overall this is an AMAZING story. Great job.

    Reply

  6. Raam,
    I think that you did a very good job with your story.😃 For example, you really showed your emotions.😦 In addition, you flashed back, which is a good technique. Next time you can add more at the part when you arrived but then immediately got to the stage. I think you can add more evidence to prove your life lesson, because it could come across stronger. But overall this was a great story!😁

    Reply

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