From sap to syrup!

An adventure just outside the school's doors

When the time was just right—warmer days but nights still dipping down below freezing—Jackie Kovatch’s kindergarten class head outside with George Mikell, the school’s head custodian, and tapped the maple trees on Meadow Pond Elementary’s campus.

Over the next few days, with Mr. Mikell’s help, they poured the sap from the trees’ buckets into large pots. Together, they observed the liquid boiling on hot plates outside of the school, removing the water. Mrs. Kovatch finished up the job at home.

When asked how he knew how to make maple syrup, Mr. Mikell shrugged and said, “I’m no expert—the children are!”

hands-on learning with sweet rewards

Building a Writers Workshop around an authentic and exciting experience

The students recapped their knowledge by writing a how-to document together. “The children became experts and learned how to construct procedural texts with clarity and purpose for an audience, skills that are emphasized in TCRWPs How-To unit of study,” said Alison Porcelli, staff developer for the Katonah-Lewisboro’s elementary schools.

The class and Mr. Mikell celebrated their work with a pancake breakfast using homemade maple syrup! The students also gave bottles of their syrup to the special people that work with them at school.