Create a Plate…Again!

ISL DIXON, 1st grade | Cut-out Collage, Giving thanks, Learning Food Words In French 

Paul Malbrough Jr

Last year I did a project with my Kinder French classes where they made cutout collages of foods that they enjoy eating for Thanksgiving. At the beginning of the project I instructed the students to choose a person that was important to them and to make their plate of food for that person. Almost every student chose a parent, sibling, or grandparent. This year I have the pleasure of having most of those students again as 1st graders. I did the same Create a Plate project again and took notes on what changes the students made this time around. There were definitely improvements in the students’ ability to create food that had better textures and more detailed shapes, but the change that impressed me the most was WHO the students decided to make plates for. Nearly half of the students chose other students in the class as their plate recipients! To me this shows growth in the students' perception of the community. As opposed to thinking about familial bonds, they are forming bonds with their fellow classmates. It is amazing seeing how much emotional growth these students are showing year to year!