In the Holidays...

The magnomen have multiplied! Maybe they aren't all men?

Proud graduates!

Just kidding, I am not going to tell you about the holidays. Except that we returned and were able to get straight back into our company, pretending we'd been on glamorous, expensive, far away journeys, and continued where we had left off.
At the end of last term we had received replies to our letters that we posted to Chris Gurney. She is amazing, she replied to each letter, answering all of their questions (which was probably very repetitive for her as most of the class asked the same or similar questions) and the children were so excited to get real letters in the post!
She also emailed a powerpoint presentation that she uses in schools to show the whole process of writing a picture book. We watched it in role, and the class were very upset about how authors have no say in what the illustrations would be like when they wrote a book. Fortunately in our world we don't have that problem, we can illustrate our book however we like.
I made certificates for the University of Whatif too, and after marking and grading each assignment I was able to give nearly everyone a lovely certificate with an A, B or C grade. Nearly everyone, as a couple had not completed tasks, and one never handed hers in. I felt a bit mean, but then I thought, if it really was real... 
On Monday we called the imaginary DSIR on our imaginary phone, and they sent special containers for us to put our book bugs in. After capturing the bugs we had to call the courier to collect them. The imaginary DSIR wanted live specimens, so we sent two people into the shop to check out the damage first. They gave the all clear signal so we entered the shop and collected the bugs (which we had previously stuck around the classroom written on post it notes) and all I kept thinking throughout the process was that our new girl was probably wondering what the heck we were doing and that maybe her new teacher was a bit mental.
With the bugs gone, and an empty shop, the class were keen to start writing the collaborative book. Gianni had emailed asking what we were doing and we were keen to show him that we were onto it.
Collaborative is like cooperation, which reminds me that during the holidays I saw an original episode of Sesame Street, and Oscar was orange! And cooperation is mentioned like a million times on Sesame Street. Back on track... the class, in role, really do not want to write this book as a whole team. And they want to choose who they work with. And that would be fine if I didn't have 2 children who are consistently left out. So in the end I divided the team into three groups. Group X and Y are fabulous. Group Z are, to put it nicely, a unique group of individuals. Individuals being the operative word. Thinking Interdependently? We shall see how we go.

Brodie reads the printed out email sent from Gianni. He is wondering why we are taking so long to get back to him

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Individual letters from a real live author!

Post it note book bugs

Waiting for the imaginary DSIR to send a courier to collect the book bugs. One got squashed.

Jessica and Nahia are devastated at the destruction of our books.

Although Chris Gurney showed in her powerpoint how she begins to write a book, we thought it would be quite good to outline the story using a story board. This would be a much quicker exercise if we weren't also Striving for Accuracy in our draft copies. I did not ask them to practise this Habit of Mind for this particular task. So far we have gorgeous detailed illustrations and beautiful writing ... in felt tip on newsprint.