A Patchwork of Places and Poetry

Kay  Little
Grade 2

Lindo Park School - Lakeside, California
 

Marci McGowan has completed her third Communities Project, with
"A Patchwork of Places and Poetry."

                                          

 
 

Our Class Quilt

 
 

Description of the Project

As part of our Social Studies Family Unit, students researched what countries their ancestors came from.  They asked parent and grandparents for information, then checked out books at the school library.  After finding information about the country their ancestors came from, students used Margaret Wise Brown's book, The Important Book, as a pattern for the poems they wrote about their country. 

     
 

 

 

Poems
 

The important thing about Germany
is that my aunt came from there.
The capital is Berlin.
It is in central Europe.
It is 137,800 square miles.
But the important thing about Germany
is that my aunt came from there.

Jason 


The important thing about Honduras is that my dad
is from there.
Bananas grow there on plantations.
It is hot in Honduras,
and they play soccer there.
But the important thing about Honduras
is that my dad is from there. 

DaVonte
 

The important thing about Germany
is that my ancestors came from there.
They speak different in Germany.
It snows there.
One of my teachers came from there.
But the important thing about Germany
is that my ancestors came from there.

Josh

 

The important thing about Finland
is that my family used to live there.
They speak a different language.
My mom is from there.
It is in Northern Europe.
The capital is Helsinki
They have moose there.
But the important thing about Finland
is that my family used to live there.

Melissa

 

The important thing about Nevada
is that my grandma lives there.
My grandma lets me ride on her four wheeler.
But the important thing about Nevada
is that my grandma lives there.

Christian
 

The important thing about Ice Land
is that my great-great grandfather lived there.
It has more than one hundred volcanoes,
and has huge rivers of ice called glaciers.
My great-great grandfather came from Ice Land to Ellis Island.
But the important thing about Ice Land
is that my great-great-grandfather lived there.

Alissa 

 

The important thing about Mexico
is that my grandma came from there.
It is a cool place.
It is a far away place.
Mexico is a hot place.
We have been to Mexico,
and there are hotels there.
But the important thing about Mexico
is that my grandma came from there.

Nathan


The important thing about Nevada
is that my grandpa lives there.
He has two horses.
We ride on JR.We always get fireworks.
But the important thing about Nevada
is that my grandpa lives there.

Makayla 

 

The important thing about Ireland
is that my ancestors lived there.
It has a big castle and big towers.
It has beautiful castles and dark houses,
and people live in the houses.
But the important thing about Ireland
is that my ancestors lived there.

Alekza
 

The important thing about France
is that Grandpa owned a castle there.
The capital is Paris,
and it is very big.
France has pretty castles.
They ride horses,
and they drive cars.
But the important thing about France
is that Grandpa owned a castle there.

Abby
 

The important thing about France
is that my ancestors lived there.
France is very big,
and the capital of France is Paris.
They don’t wear what we do or speak like we do.
France has pretty castles.
They ride horses there.
But the important thing about France
is that my ancestors lived there.

Victoria
 

The important thing about Poland
is that my great-grandma came here
on a boat from there.
They speak Polish.The capital is Warsaw.
Their flag is red and white,
and I like Poland.
But the important thing about Poland
is that my great-grandma came here
on a boat from there.

Justin
 

The important thing about Ireland
is that my ancestors lived there.
It has a big castle.
The customhouse is white.
They have Irish music.
But the important thing about Ireland
is that my ancestors lived there.

Jessica
 

The important thing about Mexico
is that my family came from there.
The capital is Mexico City.
The coast is a favorite place for tourists.
But the important thing about Mexico
is that my family came from there.

Nachito

 

The important thing about Spain
is that my great-great-grandma came from Spain.
It is next to France.
They play chess there,
and they have bullfights.
But the important thing about Spain
is that my great-great-grandma came from Spain.

Blade

 

The important thing about Romania
is that my family came from there.
In the winter it snows.
They have good food.
People grow vegetables there.
It is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon,
and the capital is Bucharest.
But the important thing about Romania
is that my family came from there.

Anka
 

The important thing about Germany
is that my ancestors lived there.
They have good food. They have good places.
They have many castles. They have many people.
But the important thing about Germany
is that my ancestors lived there.

Gabe
 

The important thing about the Barona Reservation
is that my whole family lives there.
It has healthy water, and the grass is so green.
It has apple trees and apple seeds,
and I like it.
But the important thing about the Barona Reservation
is that my whole family lives there.

Rochelle
 

The important thing about Slovakia
is that some of my family lives there. 
It is in Eastern Europe, and the capital is Bratislava.
It is smaller than the state of Oregon,
and 6 – 7 million people live there.
People grow vegetables, and they have farms and good food.
There are a lot of mountains,
and in the winter it snows and is freezing.
But the important thing about Slovakia
is that some of my family lives there.

Anka

 

Art Work for the Quilt
The art work for the quilt was done with water color crayons and water color colored pencils.  After drawing their picture, the students painted over their pictures with water, to blend the colors.  After the paintings were dry, they outlined them with a permanent black marker.
The pictures were then scanned, and saved into Power Point.  Next, the student poems were typed, and added to their pictures.  When the poems and pictures were all put together, muslin fabric was cut, and spray glued to 8 1/2 by 11 pieces of copy paper.  The fabric and paper were fed through the printer, and printed for our quilt.  (Since it will be used as a wall hanging - this works.  Don't try it if you need to wash the quilt, or the colors will run together!)
 
Mrs. Little's friend, Mrs. Aguiar, also a second grade teacher at Lindo Park School, spent Veteran's Day helping Mrs. Little cut and sew the pieces together.  The hardest part was waiting in line at the store to purchase the fabric!  The next day, students tied the quilt using embroidery floss.  It was a lot of fun!
 
 

 
 

Mrs. Aguiar

  
 
 

Additional Learning Activities
Students attended an assembly called "Why I'm Me".  The assembly was provided by a group from Old Town in San Diego, was all about immigration. 

 

In math, students made patterns out of paper quilt squares.

Math activity with patterns

Beautiful quilt patterns

 

In Social Studies, students made Family Trees, as well as their
family shield (Coat of Arms).

 

During literacy centers, students used computers to make a Kidspiration graphic organizer to help them with their writing.

                                                                                 

Quilt Books Used

The Keeping Quilt
by Patricia Polacco		 Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet by Ann Whitford Paul The Quilt Story
by Tomie DePaola
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson The Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy
The Josephina Story Quilt
by Elizabeth Coerr		 The Tortilla Quilt
by Jane Tenorio-Coscarelli

Family Books
When I First Came to This Land
by Harriet Ziefert		 Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers
by Mary Ann Hoberman
Who Came Down That Road
by George Ella Lyon		 The Important Book
by Margaret Wise Brown

 

Standards Addressed

California Content Standards in Social Studies
1.0 Students differentiate between things that happened long ago and things that happened yesterday.
1.1 Trace the history of a family through the use of primary and secondary sources, including artifacts, photographs, interviews, and documents.
1.2 Compare and contrast their daily lives with those of their parents, grandparents, and/or guardians.
2.3 Locate on a map where their ancestors lived, telling when the family moved to the local community and how and why they made the trip.
 
California Language Arts Standards

WRITING
1.0 Writing Strategies - Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing successive versions).
National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS)

Use technology communications tools:
 Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Objectives of the Internet Project:
  • Students will learn about places in the world and communicate with other classes using the Internet.
  • Write a description of significant features about their special place in poetry form.
  • Read and/or listen to books about quilting.
  • Contribute to any form of a class quilt related to their special places.
  • View participating class entries on the project webpage.

Mrs. Little's Home Page
Lindo Park School Home Page
 A Patchwork of Places and Poetry Home Page

 The quilt star and background came from:
 Pat's Web Graphics
 


Mrs. Little with comments or questions.