Seedfolks Vignette

Following the reading of Paul Fleishman's, Seedfolks, students composed a vignette as an additional chapter to the novel. Students were asked to write a narrative similar to the writing style of Paul Fleishman. In the comments section of this blog post you will find students' vignettes. Even if you have not had the pleasure of reading Seedfolks, we gaurantee you will enjoy our writing.

Below you will find a brief synopsis of the novel, Seedfolks, as a prelude to the Seedfolks Vignettes created by sixth grade students.

A vacant lot, rat-infested and filled with garbage, looked like no place for a garden. Especially to a neighborhood of strangers where no one seems to care. Until one day, a young girl clears a small space and digs into the hard-packed soil to plant her precious bean seeds. Suddenly, the soil holds promise: To Curtis, who believes he can win back Lateesha's heart with a harvest of tomatoes; to Virgil's dad, who sees a fortune to be made from growing lettuce; and even to Maricela, sixteen and pregnant, wishing she were dead.
Thirteen very different voices -- old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful -- tell one amazing story about a garden that transforms a neighborhood.



How an Invasive Species Can Affect the Ecosystem of the Great Lakes

Sixth grade students recently began a study of the Great Lakes Ecosystems. They have completed a web quest titled, "How an Invasive Species Can Affect the Ecosystems of the Great Lakes". The web quest involves students reading and discussing six proposed solutions to the invasion of Asian Carp. They have to respond to the following:

1.  Indicate which solution (out of the 6 listed) you feel would be the best choice for keeping Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes. 

2.  Explain why you chose that particular solution.  Consider public safety, economic impact, cost of implementation, etc. when explaining your choice.

View students responses by reading the comments to this blog post.