Ms. Glass' 3rd grade class creates a wonderful wintry wonderland bulletin board
Friends:
Today marked Day 2 of my Tangram Tales Residency at Strehle Elementary. My morning began with a good laugh in the teacher’s lounge followed by such a heartwarming compliment from Mr. Choppa, who said that I had “value” and that everyone was glad to see me back at Strehle. Now that is what I call a cup of sunshine in the morning! 
I began with Ms. Barry’s 5th grade class. They were remarkably well-behaved. It was such a joy to work with them.
5th graders assemble 2 Tangram dancers - 1-13-09
From there, I went to my second 5th grade class. All the students were eager and excited about working with Tangrams. In fact, many of them invented their own Tangrams.
5th Grader inventing their own Tangrams - 1-13-09
Some of the students were very creative. I love this young lady’s imagination.
5th Grader invents man & woman holding hands Tangram - 1-13-09
My 3rd through 5th grade classes will be performing Tangram Tales Story Theater. Each class is assigned a story, with the parts of storytellers, tangram artists, and chorus members assigned to students. Ms. Barry’s class will be performing “The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal,” a story from India. Ms. Walker’s class will be performing “The Hodja’s Bet,” a tale from Turkey. This is another 5th grade Tangram invention:
5th grader invents boy and girl on a see-saw Tangram - 1-13-09
After 5th grade, I visited Ms. Landry’s 3rd grade class. They were a high energy class with many of the students talking over each other. Ms. Landry was out so this may have accounted for their overzealousness. Still, they enjoyed working with the Tangrams as well. Their class will be performing “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” a Norwegian tale.
Ms. Creecy’s 4th grade class rounded out my morning. It was a pleasure to walk into her classroom. Not only were all the scripts passed out, the students were sitting quietly waiting for my arrival. Ms. Creecy’s class was enthusiastic and brimming with creativity. They produced some of the most inventive Tangrams I have seen. This is one of my favorites, a man holding an umbrella.
4th grader invents man with umbrella Tangram
Here’s another great creation from Ms. Creecy’s class.
4th grade girl invents man in hat Tangram - 1-13-09
And here is my favorite Tangram invention of the day – a rocket ship soaring to outerspace.
4th grader from Ms. Creecy's class invents a rocket ship soaring to the moon Tangram. Love that creativity!
After lunch, I visited Ms. Badeaux’s second grade class. I told the story of “The Old Woman and Her Pig” and they loved it. They really enjoyed guessing what each Tangram was going to be. Here they are, working on their Tangrams.
Ms. Badeaux's 2nd graders working on Tangrams - 1-13-09
Some of the 2nd graders were even inspired to create their own Tangrams. Ms. Badeaux loved the Tangram Tales so much that she even bought my book! Thank you, Ms. Badeaux!
2nd grader invents a squirrel Tangram - 1-13-09
After 2nd grade, I headed to Ms. Glass’ 3rd grade class (they created the bulletin board at the top). A class of very mixed reading levels, they enthusiastically received the Tangram Tales method. What I love about Tangram Tales is that the visual element of the picture puzzle allows the students to connect story imagery with something tangible. The Tangrams allow them to process the story because of its simple illustrations.
2nd grader assembles a Tangram House - 1-13-09
My last class was Ms. Short’s first grade class. These students really rocked the chorus of “The Old Woman and Her Pig.” They sang, jiggled, and clapped. It was fun telling the story to them.
Dianne tells The Old Woman and Her Pig to First Graders - 1-13-09
I demonstrated some Tangrams on the board, which they reproduced as well as working on the Tangrams in the provided handout.
Dianne assembles horse and rider for 1st graders - 1-13-09
Here is a 1st grade student who recreated the horse and rider Tangram.
1st grader recreates horse and rider Tangram - 1-13-09
It was a full, fun day. See y’all tomorrow!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
