This week, the 4th graders worked to calculate, measure, and cut their crankie scrolls. They had to measure the scroll's height based on their shoe box frame and calculate the number of feet of scroll needed to accommodate each of their story's scenes based on the width of their box and the number of sceen changes. It was like a story problem come to life, and I loved seeing the students problem solve and work out how to ensure their measurements were correct. We also had to practice flexible thinking when the parchment paper I picked up turned out to be unbleached brown paper, which we were not the biggest fans of. We brainstormed and tested a couple alternatives and settled on using butcher paper from the school craft supply stash.

For the rest of the work period, students started measuring out and drawing their crankie scroll backgrounds. I loved seeing their stories start to come to life and to see the perseverance and commitment to make their story scrolls look their best.