9-15-11 Signing my new book, The House That Witchy Built, at the LAMP Conference
Friends:
This past Thursday, I signed books at the Louisiana Association of Media Professional Conference in Metairie, Louisiana. It was my first time to sign my new book in public, The House That Witchy Built. Fun!
Boo to you!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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8-10-11 Performing the story of The Emperor's Dragon, a draw and tell tale from my book, Handmade Tales
Friends:
Yes, it has been nearly a month since this workshop! I took a break from blogging to get some writing done and to work on other projects (developing an iPad story app). I actually thought that I had posted this blog!
So last month, I had the pleasure of doing a day-long in-service for PK teachers in Lafayette Parish. It was so much fun. I began the workshop with an ice breaker in which participants had to create a self-portrait from items in their purses, bags, or wallets. I love a woman who carries chocolate in her purse!
8-10-11 A self-portrait made from items in a workshop attendee's purse. Yay for chocolate!
The morning session was dedicated to Handmade Tales. We began with a draw and tell story called Catching a Pest in 7 steps. It’s from my book, Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take, and is great for teaching numbers and sequencing.
8-10-11 Catching a Pest in 7 Steps - A draw and tell tale
Then they learned the story of “The Emperor’s Dragon,” another draw and tell tale.
8-10-11 The Emperor's Dragon drawn by a workshop participant
Then it was time for a cut and tell story. The PK teachers learned the story of “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.” They were having fun “cutting up.” LOL
8-10-11 Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, a cut and tell story
They learned how to make a Russian nesting doll just by folding paper. It’s so cute!
8-10-11 A Russian nesting doll made out of paper from my book, Handmade Tales
I showed them how to make a 6 page book out of a single sheet of paper. It’s a very versatile origami craft that can be used to showcase ABCs, used as an “About Me” book, or turn little ones into authors and illustrators.
8-10-11 The six page book from the story, The King's Advisor
The teachers learned the story of “Papa’s Teepee,” which features a coffee filter that is magically turned into a snowflake. Then the teachers created a snow blizzard. I always love this part!
8-10-11 Creating a snow blizzard out of coffee filter snowflakes from the story, Papa's Teepee
They learned another cut and tell story that resulted in a perfect 5 point star!
8-10-11 Lafayette PK Teachers are stars!
We had a blast with the story, “Bandana Man,” and I love this picture of the PK teachers becoming old women with their bandanas!
“Bandana Man” is another rendition of “The Gingerbread Man,” except he’s made out of a bandana and one hand becomes all the animals in the story (a spider, a snake and a fox). When they learned how to make Bandana Man, there were lots of oohs and ahs. He is pretty cute!
8-10-11 Bandana Man!
Then it was time to learn some string stories. I told the string story of “The Stubborn Turnip,” which has a cool magic trick in it. These PK teachers were great with their strings!
8-10-11 The string figure bowl from the string story, The Stubborn Turnip
They even learned how to make a star out of string. Talk about wowing kids!
8-10-11 Making a star out of string! Cool!
After lunch, it was time for the second half of the workshop featuring “A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Tales from A-Z” and “Picture Book Make and Takes.” “A is for Alligator” is a book with Marita Gentry published by ABC-Clio. We take every letter of the alphabet and turn them into animals using storytelling as the device. It’s really amazing and kids of ALL ages LOVE it.
8-10-11 A is for Alligator from my book of the same name illustrated by Marita Gentry
The stories from A is for Alligator are great for teaching the letters of the alphabet and the sounds that they make.
8-10-11 E is for Elephant from my book, A is for Alligator, illustrated by Marita Gentry
This is “W is for Whale.” How precious is that?! You can see how the teacher highlighted the “W” in the drawing with a different color.
8-10-11 W is for Whale from my book, A is for Alligator, illustrated by Marita Gentry
The second half of the afternoon focused on “Picture Book Make and Takes.” I showed the teachers all the cool activities that are downloadable for free from my website in the “Book Activities” section. They made a Cajun Cornbread Boy puppet and Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach story shaker.
8-10-11 The story shaker from Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach
They did a baby bear collage from Mama’s Bayou, created Ma Farmer’s Down Home Cookbook from The Gigantic Sweet Potato, and created an accordion dragon puppet from There’s a Dragon in the Library.
8-10-11 The accordion dragon from There's a Dragon in the Library
It was a great way to spend the day and I really enjoyed myself with the PK teachers of Lafayette Parish schools. A special thank you to Christine Duay for bringing me in!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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5-2-11 Kids and characters... what fun!
Friends:
This past Monday, I was the guest author at Berwick Elementary for the start of their Louisiana Week Celebration. I saw two groups, K-2 and 3-5. They were so much fun!
5-2-11 The sweet K-2 audience at Berwick Elementary
I told the story of The Cajun Cornbread, The Gigantic Sweet Potato, and Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach.
5-4-11 Gage, a 5th grader full of personality, plays Monsieur Roach, who is afraid of Madame Poulet!
I even told “The Ghost of Jean Lafitte” to the older group. Boy, did we have a blast! Afterwards, they treated me to lunch from Castellano’s, a fabulous family-owned Italian restaurant. Then it was time to sign books! They brought the students in by class…
5-2-11 Students waiting in line to get their books autographed.
The Berwick Elementary students were so well-behaved and polite!! Mr. Russo and Ms. Armato, you have done a fantastic job with these kids!!
5-2-11 Awwww! How sweet and spicy!
One little girl even asked me to autograph her maraca from Cozumel, Mexico (Yes, I have been there!). Thanks, Julie!
5-2-11 Julie asked me to sign her maraca... Ole'!
It was an amazing visit and I really loved the staff and the students of Berwick Elementary. A special thank you to Mr. Russo, Ms. Armato, Micah, Penny, Cathy, Andrea, Kitt, and all the teachers who were sooo sweet! Berwick Elementary rocks!
5-2-11 My gift from Berwick Elementary!
Happy Louisiana Week, Berwick Elementary! Enjoy your festival on Friday!
5-2-11 The awesome Louisiana quilt made by the student of Berwick Elementary
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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1-24-11 5th graders play The Hunter's Trap by fellow students
Friends:
Today was the 10th and final day of my “Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales” at Strehle Elementary in Avondale, Louisiana. It was “Gradewide Game Day” where all the students came to the cafeteria to play the games their fellow students created. The first group to come into the cafeteria first thing in the morning was 5th grade.
1-24-11 5th graders play The Troll Troubles by fellow students
The students really enjoyed playing the games and it was fun to see their reaction to the games their fellow students created. All the games were fabulous but the students had their favorites. The game that received the most acclaim was “The Three Billy Gs.”
1-24-11 The Three Billy Gs game was voted Favorite Game Overall in 5th grade
The next group to come in was 3rd grade. We had a special visitor from Jefferson Parish Public School Board: Mr. Dermady, from the Social Studies Department. He came to observe the lesson and see the students’ work. He was so enthralled by the process that he even joined the students for some fun and games!
1-24-11 Mr. Dermady from the Social Studies Department of Jefferson Parish School Board plays Makin Bacon with 3rd grade students
Again, the students were fully engaged in the Game Day, playing games created by their fellow students. I loved observing their reaction to the artwork, the game design, and the perils and triumphs of the board. The great part about this process is the success ratio. Everyone participates, everyone succeeds, and everyone has fun.
1-24-11 Six 3rd graders play Killer Foxy Loxy by fellow students
Another great element about the “Stories on Board” process is the collaborative process. The students have to work together to create their board games. One student simply cannot complete the planning, designing and coloring of the games by him/herself within the alotted time frame. It is a team effort and a team success.
1-24-11 3rd graders play The Kooky Cookie by fellow students
The last group to come to the cafeteria was 4th grade. They are a boisterous group and we had to work to settle them down. Once we passed out the board games and they started playing, they had a good time.
1-24-11 4th graders play self-created board games on Strehle Game Day
They made some really clever and inventive games. One of my personal favorites was Hen-Opoly. Reptile Road was a cleverly conceived game based on the story of “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
1-24-11 4th graders play Reptile Road, based on The Tortoise and the Hare, created by fellow students
On my last day of the residency, I always like to do something special for the teachers to show them my appreciation. I asked my mom to make pancit, a Filipino noodle dish with chicken and vegetables, similar to Chinese lo mein. I also brought two containers of macaroons for dessert. Needless to say, the teachers enjoyed the food!
1-24-11 Pancit (Filipino noodle dish) made by Dianne's mom almost gone!
I also stuffed the teacher’s in-boxes with posters from my book, The Gigantic Sweet Potato.
1-24-10 Teachers' in-boxes stuffed with The Gigantic Sweet Potato posters from Dianne de Las Casas
Last but not least, I had a bag full of goodies to raffle off to the teachers. Tina Champagne, Special Ed Teacher, was the lucky winner! Woo hoo, Tina!
1-24-11 Tina Champagne, Special Ed Teacher, wins Dianne's bag of goodies! Woo hoo!
It was a fabulous day and I loved every minute of my time at Strehle! Special thanks to Patti Waddell, Principal; Pat Runge, Special Ed Teacher and Grant Writer; and Betty Brodtmann, Librarian! Another special thank you to the Arts Council of New Orleans for providing the grant funds that made my visit possible.
1-24-11 Dianne de Las Casas with 3rd grade students on Strehle Game Day
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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1-21-11 5th grade students play their game, The Troll Troubles, based on the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Friends:
Today was Day 9 of my 10-day “Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales” residency at Strehle Elementary School in Avondale, LA. The first class I visited was Ms. Hervey’s first grade class. Because the class was on a field trip yesterday, we have to rearrange my schedule to fit them in today. I told the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and then they played the game based on the story. When I left their class, they were as quiet as can be. Great job, Ms. Hervey’s class!
1-21-11 Students in Ms. Hervey's first grade class play The Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
After Ms. Hervey’s class, I visited Ms. Giroir’s Pre-K class. The children were so excited to see me and I was bombarded with hugs from the moment I walked into the classroom. I told the story of “The Gingerbread Man” and they played the game, “The Gingerbread Jam.”
1-21-11 Students in Ms. Giroir's PK class play Gingerbread Jam
Next, I headed to fifth grade. Most of the students in this class were finished designing and coloring their boards. This particular class was assigned the story, “Little Red Riding Hood,” and they did such an amazing job with their board games! Look at this!
1-21-11 Little Red's Escape, a game created by 5th grade students, based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood
This next game is absolutely amazing. It’s called “Little Red’s Caper,” and I love the play on words and how they used Little Red’s cape as the game board. I also LOVE her adorable face! Great job on the face, Antonio!
1-21-11 Students in 5th grade play their game, Little Red's Caper, based on the story, Little Red Riding Hood
My next class was also a fifth grade class. This class was less organized than the previous class and were not as far along on their board games. They worked for most of the class plotting their spaces, outlining, and coloring their boards. They were assigned the story, “The Lion and the Mouse.” Still, many of the boards came out great although they ran out of time to play.
1-21-11 The Lion Escapes, a game created by 5th grade students, based on the story of The Lion and the Mouse
I also loved the concept of the zig zag board used in this game called “The Hunter’s Trap. It was well-executed and look like a lot of fun to play.
1-21-11 The Hunter's Trap, a game created by 5th grade students, based on the story of The Lion and the Mouse
Next, it was time to visit special ed Pre-K. We had a great time with my new book, There’s a Dragon in the Library. We made dragon roaring sounds and sang a song. It was fun and they were very responsive. I just love working with Ms. Pat, Ms. Tina, and Ms. Katie!
1-21-11 Dianne de Las Casas with Special Ed PK
My last class of the day was my final fifth grade class. The class was assigned the story, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. This class worked so well together that I had the opportunity to play a game: The Troll Troubles. We had a fantastic time and I loved seeing their games come to life!
1-21-11 5th grade students with their game, The Billy Goats Trippity Trap, based on the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff
There was so much creativity and the students were so inventive, using both the left and right sides of their brains. I truly enjoy seeing them delight in their accomplishments. I also love seeing their reaction to other students playing and enjoying their games. It’s a terrific process and I can’t wait until Monday, when we have Gradewide Game Day for all the grades. Classes in each grade will exchange games and play each others’ games.
1-21-11 5th grade students with their game, The 3 Billy G's, based on the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Monday is going to be a total blast and I can’t wait!! Fantastic job, Strehle students!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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1-20-11 Dianne de Las Casas with students from Ms. Loszczyk's first grade class
Friends:
Today was the 8th day of my “Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales” residency at Strehle Elementary in Avondale, Louisiana. First and second grades went on a field trip to the Insectarium in the morning so I had a little break. My first class started in second period. I visited Ms. Jones’ Kindergarten class for the second time. I told the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and the students enjoyed the rollicking rhythm of the story. Afterwards, they played the accompanying game, “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party.”
1-20-11 Ms. Jones' Kindergarten class plays The Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
In Ms. Royster’s third grade class, we had so much fun! The students completed their board games and were able to play. They were so excited to play the games they had created. Ms. Royster loved their collaborative work and their creativity. It was great to see their enthusiasm!
1-20-11 Students in Ms. Royster's third grade class play their game, The Ferocious Fox, board game from , based on the story of Henny Penny
My next class was PK Special Ed. Boy did we have a great time. I shared my stories, “Rockin 3 Billy Goats” and “Mama’s Bayou.” We sang songs and the kids loved it. And I did it with a child in my lap the whole time! 
Next, it was on to Ms. Badeaux’s second grade class. They had just returned from an exciting field trip to the Insectarium. I told them the story, “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.” They loved it. By Ms. Badeaux’s special request and in honor of their trip to the Insectarium, I told an excerpt of Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach (Mrs. Chicken and Mr. Roach), showing them the book. Then they began asking questions about how a book is published. I deviated from the planned lesson and embraced the “teachable moment,” sharing insider information about how a book goes from manuscript to a printed book on the shelf. They soaked up the information!
1-20-11 Ms. Badeaux's smiley second grade students!
My last class was Ms. Lojszczyk’s first grade class. It was my second and final visit to their class. We had a great time with the story, “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.” Afterward, we played “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party. It was a slice of fun!
1-20-11 Students in Ms. Lojszczyk's first grade class play The Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
Friday is my final day in the classrooms. I can’t wait to see the 5th graders finish their board games. It’s going to be a blast!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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1-19-11 A group of 5th graders work on their game, The Wolf Chase, based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood
Friends:
Today was the 7th day of my 10-day “Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales” residency at Strehle Elementary in Avondale, Louisiana. My first class began in first grade in Ms. Short’s class. It was my second and final visit to the class and I told them the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.” They were familiar with the story of “The Little Red Hen” but they really loved my remixed version. Afterward, they played “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party,” using the higher math concepts on the board. I was really impressed with Ms. Short’s first graders!
1-19-11 Students from Ms. Short's first grade class play Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
Here is a picture of yours truly in Ms. Short’s first grade class. Good morning!
1-19-11 Self-portrait in Ms. Short's first grade class
Next, it was on to 5th grade. I had three groups of 5th grade classes, back-to-back. My first group was working on the story, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Their games were turning out so cute.
1-19-11 A group of 5th graders work on their game, Troll Troubles , based on the story, The Three Billy Goats Gruff
The next group of 5th graders were creating games based on the story, “The Lion and the Mouse.” Some of the students used the concept of the Lion in creating their game, while others used the concept of the Mouse. I loved how this group used the outline of the lion to create their board.
1-19-11 A group of 5th graders work on their game, The Hungry Lion, based on the story, The Lion and the Mouse
My next group of fifth graders were assigned the story, “Little Red Riding Hood.” There were a lot of creative concepts with this group! I loved how one group created their board inside the body of a wolf (picture at the top of this blog). Little Red’s Caper is another stand-out. Look at creativity involved in this game!
1-19-11 A group of 5th graders and their game, Little Red's Caper, based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood
After lunch, I went to Ms. Hervey’s first grade class. It was my first visit to their class and they really loved my version of “The Gingerbread Jam.” The whole class fully participated in the story, losing themselves in the participation. It was so much fun to see that kind of enthusiasm. It’s contagious! Then, of course, it was time to play the game. They had fun playing again and again. Each time someone won the game, they started over. When I left the class, I settled them down and they were as quiet as church mice. Good job, Ms. Hervey’s class!
1-19-11 Students in Ms. Hervey's first grade class play The Gingerbread Jam
Next, it was time for Ms. Badeaux’s second grade class. It was my first visit to this class and again, the story of “The Gingerbread Man” was very well-received. After dividing the class into groups of four and five students, it was time to play “The Gingerbread Jam.” The volume of the class tends to go up as they play the game because they get so excited but I love seeing them cooperate, take turns, and navigate around the board.
1-19-11 Students in Ms. Badeaux's second grade class play The Gingerbread Jam
I ended my day in Ms. Royster’s third grade class. They had to continue work on their board games, based on the story of “Henny Penny.” They worked on plotting their game board spaces, creating perils and triumphs, and coloring the board. In my next class, they should be able to play their games.
1-19-11 Killer Foxy Loxy game from Ms. Royster's third grade class, based on the story of Henny Penny
It was a good day and I can’t wait to see the upper grades’ finished board games. On Friday, we should see some of the amazing results!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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1-18-11 Students from Ms. Avist's first grade class play Gingerbread Jam
Friends:
Today was Day 6 of my “Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales” residency at Strehle Elementary in Avondale, Louisiana. This will be a short blog because, like a goofball, I forgot to take pictures of my awesome fifth grade classes! I was so involved in the first part of my lesson that I totally neglected to take pictures of their works in progress.
Anyway, my day began with a second visit to Ms. Avist’s first grade class. The students were so happy to see me when I walked in the room that they started running up to hug me. After they settled down, I shared the story of “The Gingerbread Man” and taught them how to play “The Gingerbread Jam.” They really enjoyed the game.
There was a scheduling snafu and I had to do some class switching. I made my second visit to Ms. Robinson’s kindergarten room. I told them the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and they loved playing the game, “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party.” Because they were kindergarteners, they needed a little more help moving their game pieces around the pizza-shaped board and the spaces that were pizza slices. But they did a good job playing together.
1-18-11 Students from Ms. Robinson's Kindergarten class play The Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
In Ms. Robinson’s class, I found out that one of my professional books, Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill, won a 2011 Storytelling World Award. How exciting!
Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill wins a 2011 Storytelling World Award!
I visited two fifth grade classes next. It was my first visit and The classes were assigned the stories, “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Lion and the Mouse.” Some of the titles they came up with for “Little Red Riding Hood” were: “Little Red’s Caper” and “Off to Granny’s We Go.” For “The Lion and the Mouse,” some of the titles created were: “The Hunter’s Trap” and “The Lion’s Escape.”
After lunch, I visited Ms. Clausing’s Pre-K class. I told the story of “The Little Red Hen” and they learned how to play “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party.” Because of their young age, the children had to be closely coached on how to move their game pieces around the board. They did well taking turns and counting the dots on the die.
1-18-11 Ms. Clausing's Pre-K class plays The Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
I visited another 5th grade class. They were assigned the story of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” There were a lot of creative titles bandied. The winners include, “The Three Billy Goat Gs,” “The Goats’ Trippity Trap,” “Across the Bridge,” and “The Troll’s Troubles.” I was really impressed with how each group came up with inventive titles independently of the other students.
My last class of the day was Ms. Royster’s third grade class. It was my first visit to their class and they had to learn the first step of the “Stories on Board” process. After the story mapping activity, learning the game board perils and triumphs, and seeing all the game board shapes, they began work planning their games. They were assigned the story of “Henny Penny” and came up with some fun titles: “Killer Fox,” “Run to the King,” “The Sneaky Fox,” “The Ferocious Fox,” and “The Fox’s Lair.”
1-18-11 The start of a game board by students in Ms. Royster's third grade class
I can’t wait to see how this week’s board games come out! It will be fun to see them progress.
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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1-14-11 Ms. King's Kindergarten Class sings Happy Birthday to Dianne, crowned with a tiara from Ms. Robinson's class!
Friends:
Friday was the fifth day of my “Stories on Board” residency at Strehle Elementary in Avondale, Louisiana. My morning was full of kindergarten classes. First, I visited Ms. Clausing’s class for the first time. After I told the story of “The Gingerbread Man,” the students played the game, “The Gingerbread Jam.” They had fun learning how to move their game pieces around the board with addition and subtraction.
1-14-11 Ms. Clausing's Kindergarten class plays Gingerbread Jam
Next, I went to Ms. Robinson’s Kindergarten class. It was my first visit to Ms. Robinson’s class and I told them the story of “The Gingerbread Man.” I taught them how to play “The Gingerbread Jam” and they played the game, learning how to move around the board and how to count spaces. I got a birthday tiara to wear! Woo hoo!
1-14-11 Ms. Robinson's Kindergarten class plays Gingerbread Jam
Then it was time to move on to Ms. King’s class. It was my second visit to the class so I told the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.” Then I taught them how to play “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza’s Party,” on a circular board with pizza slices as the game spaces.
1-14-11 Ms. King's class plays The Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
Then I went to Special Ed Pre-K. The class was awesome. They listened to a story and three songs! The students were very participatory and having a blast.
1-14-11 Pre-K Special Ed
After lunch, I headed to Ms. Lankard’s second grade class. It was my second and final visit to the class. I told them the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and they played “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.” They were overly excited to have me in the class and Ms. Lankard had to settle them down. They had a great time playing the game.
1-14-11 Ms. Lankard's second grade class playing The Little Red Hen's Pizza Party
Then it was on to Ms. Glass’ third grade class. It was my third and final visit to the class and they had to finish their board games and play them. Their class was assigned “The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.” They had some great games!
1-14-11 Students from Ms. Glass' third grade class play their game, The Big Ravenous Wolf
I also liked the game, “Wolf on the Loose!” Very creative! I even got to eat Bavarian cream king cake in their class – it was my “birthday” cake!
1-14-11 Students from Ms. Glass' third grade play their game, The Wolf on the Loose!
My final class of the day was Ms. Landry’s fourth grade class. It was my third and final visit to the class. They finished their game boards and played their games. I had the opportunity to play “Hen-Opoly” with chance cards! It was a brilliantly executed game and tons of fun to play with the boys that created it.
1-14-11 Hen-Opoly game from Ms. Landry's fourth grade students
“Chicken Path” was also a cute game that used the same concept of the square board.
1-14-11 Chicken Path game from Ms. Landry's fourth grade students
Ms. Landry’s class sang “Happy Birthday” to me, a perfect ending to a great day at Strehle. Thank you so much for making my birthday celebration special!
Week 1 down! One more week (5 days) to go…
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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1-13-11 The Harey Situation, a game created by a group of students in Ms. Dempster's 4th grade class
Friends:
Today was the fourth day of my “Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales” residency at Strehle Elementary in Avondale. My day began in Ms. Hoadley’s PK class. I shared the story of “The Gingerbread Man” and following my story, they played the game, “The Gingerbread Jam.” Fun!
1-13-11 Students in Ms. Hoadley's PK class playing The Gingerbread Jam
Next, I visited Ms. Jones’ Kindergarten class for the first time. I told the story of “The Gingerbread Man.” The students had a substitute teacher and took some time settling down but they enjoyed the story. After the story, they played the game, “The Gingerbread Jam.” I had to work with several groups to coach them on how to move their pieces on the board and encourage them to take turns.
1-13-11 Students in Ms. Jones' K class playing The Gingerbread Jam
My next class was Ms. Guidry’s third grade class. It was my last visit to their class and they finished their games based on the story of “Sody Sallyraytus.” The games came out great! The students had a blast playing their own games and it was fun to see their hard work result in inventive board games.
1-13-11 Students in Ms. Guidry's class play their finished game, Bear Attack!
Then it was on to the Special Ed PK class. I told the story of “The Gingerbread Jam.” We had fun with the story and they really loved the animal sounds of the pig, the horse, and the cow.
1-13-11 Dianne de Las Casas and a sweet student from Special Ed PK
After lunch, it was on to Ms. Vega’s fourth grade class. It was my last visit to their class and they worked on finishing their board games based on the story, “Goldilocks.” Talk about clever! There were some AMAZING board games. I had fun rotating around playing the different games.
1-13-11 Don't Fall into the Pot 'Cause It's Too Hot, a game created by a group of students in Ms. Vega's 4th grade class
One game used a fortune teller to tell players their next move. Another game had “Bear Jail” and cards. Ms. Vega said that she LOVED the lesson plan and would definitely be using the “Stories on Board” technique again soon. That made me feel wonderful.
1-13-11 Goldilock's Escape, a game created by a group of students in Ms. Vega's 4th grade class
Next, I moved on to Ms. Landry’s class for my second visit to her class. At first, the class was overly exuberant. Once they settled down and began working on their board games, they really focused. Their class was assigned “The Little Red Hen.” I loved the title, “Don’t Be Toast,” designed around the Little Red Hen’s bread. When I visit Ms. Landry’s class on Friday, the students will finish their boards and play their games. Woo hoo!
1-13-11 Students in Ms. Landry's fourth grade class work on their game, Chicken Path, based on the story, The Little Red Hen
My last class was Ms. Dempster’s fourth grade class. I was tickled by the work they did on their board games. It was my third and final visit to the class and they finished their board and played their games. I love when I hear laughter fill the room as the students play the board games that they created.
1-13-11 Reptile Road, a game created by a group of students in Ms. Dempster's 4th grade class
I often receive gifts from the students such as notes, drawings and even beautiful artwork. As much as I enjoy their gifts, their real gift to me is the beautiful results of their efforts. I look forward to seeing more!
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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