One Thousand Paper Cranes
The fifth grade class worked together to make a thousand origami cranes, while reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. The book follows a young girl, Sadako, living in post-war Hiroshima, Japan. She falls ill with leukemia due to radiation, and is told a legend that if she folds a thousand origami paper cranes she can make a wish.
Classes folded origami cranes while following the book, and discussed the meaning of peace, connecting the major themes of the book. The timing was a stroke of luck. UN International Peace Day (9/21) fell in the middle of the project. Connecting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial with International Peace Day, allowed us to deepen our understanding of the events in the book, and real world events.
Tying into the Peace Memorial, and International Peace Day is The Peace Crane Project.
The Peace Crane Project connects groups, schools, etc around the world who are folding cranes, as pen pals, but also send packages of cranes to one another. I would like to do this project again, and coordinate with another group participating in the crane project at the same time to set up an exchange.
The fifth grade class was so thoughtful, hardworking, and patient. It was no small task, and the majority of us (myself included) had never folded a crane before. Every class I taught was enthusiastic, and students would often come into the art room during lunch to hand me pocketfuls of cranes made from post-it notes.
Next time, I will take more time introducing origami, and have students start with an easier project. This allows time to practice the basic steps, and encourages students to not give up.
I can now fold cranes standing up, without looking. Reflecting on this project, I plan to improve my methods, and real world connections.
Categories Fall 2019, Student Teacher Blog