O.R.E.O. Project--So much more than Cookies!
A few weeks ago, I was looking through tweets on my Twitter account and came across something that looked fun and interesting. Several clicks later and I found my way to the O.R.E.O. Project. O.R.E.O. stands for Our Really Exciting Online Project.
This project, developed 15 years ago by teacher Jennifer Wagner, involves a simple bag of original Oreo cookies. Students are asked to make a predication of how many Oreos he/she can stack with out making adjustments before the stack tumbles. Sounds simple enough, right?
My fourth graders made predictions, tallied their stacks, and we graphed our results. I was proud to our learning community that was cheering each other on as their stacks grew higher and higher. The students were engaged and smiling! But, that was only part of the project. Upon completing the project in our classroom, we posted our results in a Google Form, viewed a map of the world that highlighted where others had participated in the same project across the globe, and received a certificate of participation. And, at this point, we still weren't finished.
The last part of the O.R.E.O. project was to use the cookies from the stacks to make a sculpture. Yes, a sculpture out of the cookies and cream. Quite honestly, I wasn't so sure where this part of the project was going to go. But in the end, I was so impressed!
My 9-10 year olds made amazing sculptures--someone made a panda, several made mountains, several connected to sports. They were problem solving, being creative and…PLAYING WITH THEIR FOOD! This project will continue into this coming week as we follow the results of other classrooms. We were part of a global project! How great is that!
You can find more information at http://op2015.weebly.com/index.html.
So what did I learn? So much--the power of Twitter and what one can find from a simple tweet, the power of fun at school, and the power of playing with your food! I walked away from school on Friday with such a love of teaching! I had a smile on my face and a pep in my step! I hope my students did, too! It is days like this that reinforce why I love my job and why I can't imagine doing anything else!
**You can see more of our sculptures on our class Twitter account @FourthGradeHZN! Follow us as we continue to connect with others doing really exciting online projects!
We are signed up for the Global Read Aloud that starts September 30 and we will be participating in Jen Wagner's Holiday Card Exchange in November and December.
Jamee Smith is a 4th grade teacher at Hilliard Horizon Elementary.
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