2nd Grade Studies Technology Over Time Through "A Fine Dessert"

by guest blogger Mrs. Young

Second grade students recently studied how technology has changed over the years.  We continued what they were learning in the classroom during our time in the library. In our first lesson, we observed and discussed changes in transportation, communication and recreation technology.  In our next lesson, we read the book A Fine Dessert, which shows families cooking the same dessert, blackberry fool, over four centuries!  We compared and contrasted the technology of making this dessert through that time.  A major ingredient of the dessert was whipped cream, so for our final lesson we divided into groups and used different kitchen tools that were used by the families in the book to make whipped cream.  We compared our results with those in the book, got a little exercise, and finally, got to try some blackberry fool ourselves.  We all agreed that it was a fine dessert.

Sophie Blackall Writes Us Back!

You may remember an earlier post about a special book study on A Fine Dessert by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, that we talked about last month.  

Today, I received the most special package in the mail!  Sophie Blackall sent us some fine things to look at after our Skype session with her back in March.

1. a beautiful painted letter
2. 5 bookplates - one signed to Forest North (already put it in our FNE library copy), two with just her signature (put it in two copies I'm going to give away to two lucky 2nd graders!), and one with my name on it to put in my special home copy.
3. seeds from her latest book, The Baby Tree. 
4. an amazing envelope to hold it all- cool stickers and handwriting all over it!

I also included in the collage an absolutely gorgeous "Library Appreciation Week" note from Tiffany that says "Thank you for showing me how to make a fine dessert."  It was so beautiful, I had to include it in this collage!

Sophie Blackall, you are so cool!  We are your biggest fans!  Thanks for supporting us!

A Fine Dessert - 2nd Grade Book Club

Have you ever read a book and been absolutely captivated by it?  I was recently when I read this book - A Fine Dessert by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.  I immediately took it to 2nd grade because it reminded me of their TEKS - comparing technology from the past and present, and how it affects our lives.  We follow the history of a dessert through time as four families make it in 1710, 1810, 1910 and 2010. 

Check out these photos of the art that show some of the book.

Sophie Blackall, illustrator, had a fascinating note at the back about how she researched for A Fine Dessert, the questions she had, and steps she took to make sure the art in this book was accurate.  She also used older forms of technology to make the dessert to experience it just as her characters did in 1710.

To get the same experiences, we rented a truck of 100+ years old items from the Williamson Museum. We looked at the 1810 whisk at the top right, and the 1910 mechanical whisk at the bottom right, and compared and contrasted them.  We also noticed how some items like the colander haven't really changed much in the past hundred years. 

We have big plans in 2nd grade- next, we're going to skype with the awesome Sophie Blackall, and also will make blackberry fool using different implements to see how hard it really is to whip cream by hand.  It's going to be delicious!