Cookies and Cream Rice Krispies

My 8th graders earned a class treat. Since there are only four of them, I needed to find something to make that I could easily control how much was made. I thought it would be nice to NOT use the oven for a change. I had a bag of marshmallows in my pantry that were screaming to be used. (Did you catch that personification? My students would love it!)  

Immediately, I thought of rice krispies treats. Then while browsing through Pinterest, I found a blog called Glorious Treats and a recipe called Cookies and Cream Rice Krispies Treats. They are made like regular rice krispies treats adding crushed oreos to the rice krispies. 

Oreos - LOVE them! Rice Krispies Treats - LOVE them! Put them together??? YUMMO!! 

The recipe published on Glorious Treats doesn't have the frosting on top, but it was suggested to try. I also prefer to use the stove top instead of the microwave to melt the butter and marshmallows. I made a simple powdered sugar and milk frosting to put over the bars and then sprinkled them with big pieces of crushed oreos. Next time, I'll use more marshmallows and less cookies and cereal. 

Characteristics of Christ Poems

Isaac, Grade 7

 Well, this post has been a while coming. These poems were written way back in January, but I'm just getting around to writing about them now. A contest came across my desk in January in which the theme was "Jesus is Reflected in Me." We were strongly encouraged to have our students enter the contest. About the same time a bit of divine intervention came across my Facebook feed! Scholastic had a post about poems using all five senses. You can find that post here. The poems had the students write a poem about an abstract feeling or characteristic using all five senses.

I found the a website that listed the characteristics of Christ. Suddenly I had a MAJOR BRAINSTORM!! What if had the students explain how the characteristics of Christ are reflected in them in the form of a poem? The poems could then be entered into the contest that had just landed on my desk and the students would have a taste of abstract nouns and explore the characteristics of Christ more in depth.

Rebecca, Grade 8

 Every student in grades 3-8 wrote a poem which was displayed during Catholic Schools Week. After writing a first draft of their poems, each student either carefully printed poem on Celtic border stationary I found at teacherfiles.com. The older students were given the opportunity to type the poem. Either way, the students decorated their poems any way they wanted.

 The 3rd and 4th grade class was the first to write their poems.They started off by brainstorming traits that Jesus possessed. They came up with LOVE, KINDNESS, FAITH, PEACE, JOY, and HOPE. (I'm going to take a small moment to brag -- those are the very traits I thought they would name!!)

We wrote a poem together using HAPPINESS -- I used a characteristic they couldn't choose so there wouldn't be any temptation. I had them think about things that reminded them of being happy. Then I had them think about things they could feel, taste, smell, see, and hear that reminded them of being happy. I also reminded them to use a lot of wonderful adjectives. This is the poem we wrote as a class...

 Happiness

Feels like snuggling with a furry dog

Tastes like warm pizza

Smells like fresh roses and burning candles

Looks like the smile from a friend

Sounds like jingling coins 

Jesus' happiness is reflected in me.

The students had some trouble writing with such figurative language, but they did a wonderful job in the end!

Kindness
Feels like soft blankets made of sheep wool
Tastes like cookies freshly baked
Smells like spring roses just picked
Looks like people giving money to the church
Sounds like people having a good time.
Jesus' kindness is reflected in me.
~Will, Grade 5

Creation
Feels like cattle with soft fur
Tastes like corn with a sweet crunch
Smells like flowers with a sweet smell
Looks like fall leaves that bring a great color to the world
Sounds like the wind that blows the leaves showing its power from God
Jesus' creation is reflected in me.
~Patrick, Grade 7

Love
Feels like a hug with my mom
Tastes like fresh baked cookies
Smells like fresh brownies
Looks like people hugging
Sounds like someone saying, "I love you"
Jesus' love is reflected in me.
~Gavin, Grade 4

Patience
Feels like a soft, fuzzy blanket that took awhile to sew
Tastes like Grandma's cinnamon bread that has been baking all day in the oven
Smells like flowers' beautiful scents as they are finally blooming in the spring
Looks like babies that take nine months to form in the mother's womb
Sounds like music solos that the performer has been practicing for months
Jesus' patience is reflected in me.
~Olivia, Grade 8

Love
Feels like a furry cat's chin
Tastes like my mom's cooking
Smells like fresh air from the woods
Looks like cute baby kittens
 Sounds like birds singing in the spring
Jesus' love is reflected in me
~Seth, Grade 3

Humbleness
Feels like a hug after an argument
Tastes like humble pie
Smells like an "I'm Sorry" bouquet
Looks like a handshake
Sounds like saying "I'm sorry"
Jesus' humbleness is reflected in me
~Olivia, Grade 6

 Love
Feels like holy water that we bless ourselves with
Taswtes like hosts that we receive during Holy Communion
Smells like the sweet roses on a summer day
Looks like the crucifix about the altar in church
Sounds like God's wonderful nature
Jesus' love is reflected in me
~Daniel, Grade 7

Gentleness
Feels like  the peaceful, calm winds during a warm spring day
Tastes like warm, delicious cookies you have for a snack
Smells like fresh, red roses from the rose bush by my house
Looks like the colorful, beautiful sunsets at the end of each day
Sounds like the kind and generous words that people say to one another each day
Jesus' gentleness is reflected in me.
~Anna, Grade 8

St. Mary's Celebrates Miss Duwe!

Today our school had the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of a wonderful teacher at our school! Miss Duwe teaches religion for grades 1-8 and science in the upper grades and was named the Outstanding Catholic Educator for the month of April! I sneaked around her room this afternoon to mark evidence of her wonderful classroom.  

Last supper dioramas made out of egg cartons!

Miss Duwe is one of those teacher who is the last to leave school and the first to arrive the next day. She must have a house full of toilet paper rolls and egg cartons because it seems like they are never in short supply when she is around. 



Every year the third and fourth graders look forward to putting on the living stations of the cross the week before Holy Week. I can't even imagine the hours of planning and preparation that go into pulling this off. 

These are just a few examples of what makes Miss Duwe a wonderful teacher. I feel so lucky to have her as a colleague and friend!

Song Parody

To kick off the poetry unit for the fifth and sixth graders, my students worked in groups to write song parodies.

I started off by singing some of the songs from Take Me Out of the Bathtub and its companion, I'm Still Here in This Bathtub, by Alan Katz. These silly dilly songs are great! (There is also a Christmas themed booked titled Where Did They Hide My Presents? Also, while looking for the covers to these books I have now discovered there is a school themed book of silly dilly songs and one of morning songs -- both of which I MUST now have.) My favorite songs are "I'm Filthy, I'm Dirty" to the tune of "It's Raining, It's Pouring" and "Stinky, Stinky Diaper Change" to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." I swear this man is a genius! But I digress...

I made my students hum the tune of the original songs while I sang the new lyrics. I'm a pretty comfortable singer in front of groups, so this was acceptable for me. In the past, I have used a document camera attached to my projector, but the words are still really small sometimes and difficult for some of the students to read. Regardless of how you share the songs, the students will love them as well as the wonderful illustrations by David Catrow.

The music teacher helped with this project as well by showing them a parody of  "Dynamite" using the words of Pope John Paul II on YouTube. I also showed them an example of a parody written by an actual student that was on YouTube - a parody of "Single Ladies" called "Scholar Ladies."

Next I split the students into groups to choose songs and write parodies. 

I am amazed by the wonderful parodies they came up with. They came up with some wonderful lyrics:

Two of my girls came up with a parody of "Stay" by Rhianna. It was about food... guess where these lyrics go:

food mmm ya food mmm ya food mmm ya food you know. 

It was hilarious to hear such funny lyrics in such a serious melody! 

A group of boys chose to parody "I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas." I had never heard this song before they chose it, but now I just can't get "I'm Getting Kicked Out of Walmart" out of my head! Read this stanza --

I  ate all the candy in the candy aisle,

Somebody told on me. 

I made a fort of all the toys, 

Somebody told on me. 

I rode all the bikes around the store, 

The tires don't have air no more, 

The cashier I hit is gonna be sore, 

Why'd she tell on me? 

Two more of my girls lamented about their pile of homework with a parody of "Call Me Maybe" called "I Hate Homework." 

I'm throwing tantrums.

Ripping up my papers. 

Mom is yelling at me: "Whatcha think you're doing honey?"

Hey!  This work is hard! 

Can anyone help me? 

I'm going crazy: 

I hate homework! 

A particularly outdoorsy group of boys took "Everybody Talks" and turned it into "Everybody Shoots"

It started with a grunt call

then that was when I shot it,

It made the deer run, 

I could hear the twigs crack, 

Take me to the deer shack, 

The deers always got a back trail, 

When everybody shoots deer. 

Hey deer, you could be on my plate

You could be my new protein meal,

and too much could make me too strong, 

all this food is making me stuffed. 

Oh my deer, 

everybody shoots, 

everybody shoots, 

everybody shoots deer.

I am absolutely tickled with their creativity.