Phase 2 Has Began At Last!

This blog started because over two years ago because an adventure was happening around the Perkins School.  Part of Old Colony, the oldest housing development in Boston, was being renovated.  Our students watched many of its old buildings come down.  Then they had a front row seat for the countless stages of construction that put the new ones in place.  They learned about architecture and building and many jobs they might want in the future.  Then there were all those trucks and cranes and front-end loaders!


Watching the buildings grow was pretty exciting.  




The finished product was too.  Kids have nice sidewalks to ride their bikes on and a new playground.  They have been to the Tierney Community Center to see great programs since the Perkins doesn't have its own auditorium.  The kids aren't the only people who think Phase 1 was a good idea.  Readers of Affordable Housing Finance magazine picked it over about 140 other projects as the year's Best Urban Project.

 
And, guess what?  It's starting to happen all over again.  

Politicians, city planners and developers, and builders came together to get the project started last week.  They made some speeches that basically said it takes a lot of work to do this kind of project--and, it's worth it.  It's good because it gives people from the neighborhood jobs and gives people from Old Colony a better place to live and makes South Boston a nicer community.  

Then came the fun part.  The first chunk of the building came down!

Now a new adventure begins.

A Photographic Tour of "New" Old Colony-12

Photographer Kate Schulinn has spent a few days on the site capturing its people and machinery at work. We had started with her first session from late March and are now moving to the one she did in July. A picture a day. (You didn't think we'd leave you hanging all summer, did you?) The workers have made a lot of progress, haven't they?

You can see more of Kate's work (and a greater variety of subject matter) at her web site: http://momentsmatterphotography.com.

The Construction Book Still Continues...

Perhaps you know that Ms. Murphy's second grade class is working on a book about our construction workers. If you don't, or would like to refresh your memory, here is the first post about it and then the most recent.

Like all writers, the second graders are finding that there are a lot of commitments that can get in the way of finishing a project--everything from April vacation to things like math and spelling. But they are back!

They had already done a lot of research, interviewing workers and watching them work. But it never hurts to do some more, especially on a beautiful sunny day when the workers were putting up the wood townhouses directly across from our school's front door. So off they went!



















The second graders have learned that observation, or looking at things very closely, is a very important part of research. The kids immediately saw that THREE cranes were very hard at work. Since the bodies of the cranes were blocked from view, they wondered which one was the Big Giraffe. Andrea looked carefully at the walls going up--inside and out. She commented that the insides look like hay.



















Then one student asked why two of the buildings have walls (actually frames) built with steel while all the other buildings have wooden ones. Good observation. The kids talked about this for a while and finally thought of the story, The Three Pigs, in which three piglets build three houses--one out of straw, one out of sticks, and one out of bricks. They wondered if steel would make a stronger building compared to wood.

Nice question, Ms. Murphy's class, you aren't the only ones wondering about it. Luckily we have the answer for you in our last Ask The Expert post. Take a look!
Meanwhile be certain that no Big Bad Wolf can blow ANY of these houses down!

At Last--We Named That Crane!

If you've been following this story, the kindergarteners were invited to name the crane on the construction site across the street. And in doing so, they learned about voting in a democratic election. Then they had to learn that it can take a while for what you've chosen to actually happen.




In the few weeks between the election and our naming ceremony, the kids still stayed busy. They decorated their corner of the hallway.










They drew pictures of their crane, complete with its new name:

THE BIG GIRAFFE.

Isn't it a beauty?

















Meanwhile, on April 4th, in the construction site, the newly named crane was waiting for them!

THE BIG GIRAFFE!

Isn't it a beauty?









The kids certainly thought so.

They watched the crane slowly swing its boom (or its neck!)around to say hello.

Or to say thanks.

Who knows?






The kids celebrated with a song, including Yasmeen in the pinky-purple jacket. She is the one who first came up with the name, The Big Giraffe.






Then the rain started to come down harder. It was time for the kids to go in for lunch.

It was time for The Big Giraffe to get to work!

Name That Crane Ceremony Postponed Until Monday!

It's storming on our ceremony and that's no April Fools Joke.




Luckily it's supposed to get better and we'll have the ceremony on Monday at 11 a.m.

Name that Crane: And the Adventure Continues...

Okay, we're got the name for our beautiful orange crane that is working so hard at the construction site across the street.












The kindergarteners voted and the winning name was The Big Giraffe!





The adventure is not over. On April 1st (April Fools' Day, and we're not fooling), there will be a naming ceremony. Wait until you see the sign that will go on the crane and how the kindergarteners will celebrate. That's just the beginning...

Name that Crane: And the Winner is...

Friday was the big day. Election Day. The nominations and campaigning were over. It was time for the kindergarteners in Ms. Breneus's class (Ward B) and Ms. Smith's class (Ward S) to cast their votes for the name of the 400-ton crane on the construction site across the street.

Clifford the Crane or The Big Giraffe--which would win?









Turnout was strong. And once the kids understood the process, they lined up to take take their turns BEHIND the green line...









...because when you vote, it's secret. You can choose whatever you want, or whoever you want, without feeling any pressure. You can tell who you voted for--or not--that's how it works.










To keep it secret, voters folded their ballots one, twice...



















...and dropped them in the ballot bag.



















After both classes had finished voting, Principal Brawer showed them that he stapled the Ballot Bag shut--all the way across. "I'm going to lock this in the office during lunch and recess," he said. "No one can tamper (that means 'mess with') your votes or your choice."








Finally it was time to find out who won. The two classes came together.

"Did everyone have a chance to vote?" an adult asked.

All hands shot up.

"Did you vote for the name that you really wanted?"

All heads nodded.

"Then no matter what happens, no matter what name wins, this is what we call a fair election. Everyone was able to say what they wanted and--may the best name win!"



The Ballot Bag was opened. The ballots were taken out one at a time and announced and tallied. One vote, one check mark. By the middle of the count, it seemed as if The Big Giraffe was ahead, but the grownups reminded the kids that you never know what will win until the very end.







It turns out that The Big Giraffe was the winner after all!

The kindergarteners had chosen with a vote of 22 to 14.








Most of them were happy, but some kids were sad.

A teacher reminded them that the Red Sox don't win all the time either!





They say that "time heals all wounds." On April 5th, we will be having our Crane Naming Ceremony, where that big orange beauty will get a new name right on its door. We bet everyone will be happy then.

See How They Run: The Crane Campaign

Our last post chronicled our two kindergarten classes each selecting their nominee for the name of the 400-ton crane across the street that is dominating the construction site. And now the campaign begins.

"We have a big job to do," says Ms. Breneus to her class (Ward B!). "We want to convince people to vote for our name. So think, think, think why Clifford is a good name."

"Clifford the Dog is really big."

"And so is the crane!"

These sounded like good reasons. So, one by one, the students came up to write their campaign poster until it was done and ready to post in the wall.

One question the kids came up with is: What will happen if we end up with a tie? Lilah suggested that one student from each class compete in a game--maybe cards--and whoever won would determine the winning name. Hmmm, we will have to check the rules on this one.











































Here's the poster that Ward S, Ms. Smith's classroom came up with to convince us that Big Giraffe is the best name for the crane. They also added some pictures to the mix.



















































The kids will be thinking about their choices over their day off on Thursday and ready to vote when they return. Friday is Voting Day! And, Pizza Day, someone from Ward B added. So it will be a great day all around.

And the Nominees are...

"Who is the president of the United States right now?" asks Ms. Smith.
"BARACK OBAMA!!" yells out her kindergarten class.
"And how did he become president? What do the people have to do to get a new president?" asks Ms. Smith.
"They vote," the kids replied.

For the last week the kids in Ms. Smith's classroom (now known as Ward S), have been learning about voting--and the process that leads up to it. They are going to vote on the best name for the huge crane that's putting up the steel for the brand new buildings of Old Colony. Each student has come up with his or her idea of what the crane should be called.






There are so many: Long Neck and Santa Maria, Abby and Big Guy.

The kids of Ward S narrow down the nominees to six so they can vote on their candidate for the crane's new name.

















The voting begins.

Each kindergartener comes up and puts a check by his or her choice.

















It's hard to get the checks up so high to vote for Dinosaur Machine! And that makes it a little tough to count up the votes afterwards.

It's very close.

But Big Giraffe is the winner in Ward S!








Meanwhile in Ms Breneus's classroom (now known as Ward B) the same process is going on.







It's Circle Time and the kids each suggest their favorite crane names.

Some of them want names of people they know.

Daud has known his idea for over a week. It's Lifty!














Here are all the nominees.

The kids work together to pick the six names they will vote on for THEIR candidate.

They decide to pick the ones that make the most "sense."
















At first it looks like Dyna-Mike is going to have a landslide victory!










But that's the thing about democracy, when all the people can vote for what they want, you never know what will happen!

Lifty gets a lot of votes...

Then Clifford pulls through and wins!



So now we know the two candidates.

Will the crane be named Big Giraffe?

Or will it be Clifford the Crane?

Who knows--for now, at least. Tomorrow the campaign begins. And on Friday, using secret ballots, the voters will choose!

Name That Crane--The Election Process Begins!

Today our kindergarteners are caucussing, gathering their nominations for the name of the 400-ton crane on the construction site next door. The suggestions are flying hot and heavy.

Lifty

Big Red

Beautiful One

Luckily this isn't a backroom operation. It's an open democratic process where the kids are suggesting candidates and then narrowing the field to three possible names from each class. It will all happen today and you'll learn about it tomorrow. Then the campaign begins, culminating in the vote on Friday.

Stay tuned!

Kindergarten Adventure: Name that Crane, Part 3

Our last post reported on the kindergarteners' trip to visit the new crane, the one they will name by voting in a democratic election within the next few weeks.

Today's post will tell you what happened after the kids returned from their outing.


First, lunch.
Then, in Ms. Breneus's classroom, the kids had some free time to play. Over on the rug, lots of kids started a construction site of their own. When asked what he was working on, Daud said, "A crane, of course." Then he stretched its boom up high.


The kids started talking about possible names for the crane on the construction site.
"I want to call it Super Crane," said one boy.
"I want to call it Beautiful," a girl replied.
"Me," said Daud, "I like the name Lifty."

*****
Later that afternoon, the kids turned to writing about their day.

Here is a description from Ms. Breneus's class:



Here's what the kids in Ms. Smith's class had to say. They wrote it as a class, using the interactive writing method described in a past blog.

Kindergarten Adventure: NAME THAT CRANE Part 2

You may remember that our kindergarten classes read the classic, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. Then they found out that the big machines across the street don't have names like Mike's Mary Anne. BUT they also learned that they were going to be able to name the 400-ton crane that would soon arrive on the construction site.

They waited and waited and waited. Now the crane is here!

The day before February vacation, the kids took a field trip to see the crane in action.

Off they go!

A peek into the site along the way.

Joseph P. gets to sit in a front end loader!

There it is...


Our crane is helping put up the steel!

Three pieces at once--that's called a Christmas tree.

Pete, a construction worker, gave everyone a gift to take home.

Pete told the kids they got something called a Crosby clip. On the way back to the school, some of them wondered what it was. Looks like it's time to Ask the Expert again.

Other kids wondered what the crane's name should be. Did they have any ideas? Hang on--you'll find out in NAME THAT CRANE Part 3.