Quilt One arrived in Mt. Pleasant, NC, near Charlotte, in early December where it spent time with the sixth grade Cheetahs Team at Mt. Pleasant Middle School. Arriving just in time for the team’s walking field trip to our local public library and museum, Quilt walked with us and saw the Christmas trees the students decorated with sled dogs and sleds. After Quilt’s field trip, it hung in our display case near the library for the school to enjoy.
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In early January, the students studied word processing skills for three days in the computer lab. Afterwards, students observed Quilt and recorded their observations using an activity sheet provided. Students reflected on their favorite quilt squares, quotes written on Quilt, analyzed Gary Paulsen’s quote, “Read like a wolf eats”, and described what a quilt square would look like that they designed. After writing a paragraph based on their observations, students returned to the computer lab to format their work, applying their word processing skills learned the previous week. The activity sheet and formatting directions, as well as photographs, are attached.
Just before Quilt left for California, it traveled with me to Kinston, NC in eastern North Carolina to the elementary school where my sister teaches. Quilt and I presented two sessions for the five fifth grade classes there about Iditarod and perseverance. Students there asked many questions about the dogs, the race, and Quilt’s beautiful squares.
Students at both schools felt that “Read like a wolf eats” means to read a lot, to read everything, not just some things, and to read as if you were as hungry as a wolf. Students related perseverance to their own lives, understanding that if sometimes their Reading Counts work or Accelerated Reader or Accelerated Math work is challenging, they can remember to stick with it until they achieve their goal.
Martha Dobson
Sixth Grade, English/Language Arts
Mt. Pleasant Middle School
Mt. Pleasant, NC
Instructions for Formatting the Quilt Paragraph
1. Set the font size to 14. Left justify your first and last names at the top of the document. Press ENTER once and type your block number. Press ENTER once and type today’s date.
2. Press ENTER once. Center this title: My Quilt Paragraph. Change the font size to 16 and make it bold.
3. Press ENTER twice. Change the font size to 14 and turn off the bold button. Set it to left justify. Type the paragraph below. It should be the first paragraph on this document. Indent the paragraph.
Quilt arrived in December at our school. It had been at schools in Florida and Arizona. The Cheetahs Team took Quilt to the museum and the library on our walking field trip. When Quilt finishes visiting Mt. Pleasant Middle School, it will go to a California school.
4. After you finish entering the paragraph above, start typing the paragraph you wrote. Continue to use size 14 font and no boldface. Indent your paragraph.
5. Indent your description of the quilt square you would make if we were making a quilt.
6. Run spell check and grammar check. The green underlining shows grammar mistakes, and the computer will show you choices to correct it, just like it shows choices to correct spelling.
7. Raise your hand. After I look at your work, save your document. Print one copy of the document.
Quilt Activity
Answer these questions or respond to these statements while we are working with Quilt. You will go in the computer lab to type your information. I will give you a paper with instructions and helpful hints to help you do this.
1. How many quilt squares are there? ____________________
2. What is on the center square? ______________________________________________________________
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3. Look at all the squares. Choose one you really like. Describe it so that someone who hasn’t seen Quilt can identify the square you really like.
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4. Why do you like that square so much? ________________________________________________________
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5. Quilt has encouraging quotes written on it. Choose one of the sayings that you like. Write it here, copying it carefully.
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Turn paper over
6. People often choose sayings because they have a special meaning for them. What does the saying you copied mean to you? __________________________________________________________________
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7. Although it is light and difficult to read, there is a quote by Gary Paulsen on Quilt which says, “Read like a wolf eats.”
What two unlike things is Gary comparing in this quote? _____________________________________________
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How does a wolf eat? _____________________________________________________________________
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How does Gary mean that you should read books? _________________________________________________
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8. If our team made a quilt and each square had a saying on it, what would you write on your square?
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9. Below, create a miniature quilt square that you’d design for a quilt.
