Introducing the Newest Contestants on Cupcake Wars!

Just try to keep yourself from drooling when you take a peak at my little one's tasty submissions for The Food Network's sinfully delicious show, Cupcake Wars!  We've been hard at work since mid March, trying to sneak in any time we can find in the "kitchen."  How I wish I could actually bring my little one's cupcake creations to fruition :)  For now, we'll just have to settle on our crafty representations.  Or, maybe I'll just have to sneak in a special treat. Shhh!

Please keep in mind that this is a work in progress. I intended to have each student supply at least one comment for a peer's cupcake, but time has gotten the best of us.  Not to worry!  We will revisit our Voice Thread ASAP, and practice how to give appropriate feedback, such as providing a compliment, asking a question, or offering constructive feedback (i.e. a suggestion).

For now, I am thrilled that we've completed at least the initial phase of this digitally based project.  Anything involving food (and sweet treats, at that!) gives my littles the perfect opportunity to try their hand at descriptive writing, chock full of sensory details. With all of this CMT testing, complete with structured narrative writing, they need an opportunity to spice things up a bit!  You'll notice that some of us will benefit from a review of transition words and sensory vocabulary.  Yep, that's on the agenda too :)

Lucky for us teachers, instruction and assessment go hand-in-hand, with one driving the other.  

Cupcake Wars: A Competition in Progress

I seem to have a thing for baked goods, or maybe just a really big sweet tooth.  I know, we're supposed  to encourage healthy, balanced eating in the classroom, but I've got to infuse a little sweetness into our day.  Plus, it's the perfect platform to discuss descriptive writing and sensory details.  No, I did not bring in cupcakes for my kiddos to sample :(  I try to stick to our healthy snack policy, but I may have to slightly bend the rules when it comes time to celebrate the culmination of this project.  Shhhh, don't tell!

I'm sure you're all wondering, What exactly is she doing for her literacy project? Well, I took some inspiration from The Food Network's hit show, "Cupcake Wars."  I already gave a shout out to TLC's "Cake Boss" in my digital story, so why not give some attention to one of my other guilty pleasures?!  The show is all about four different bakers competing to design the best tasting and most attractive cupcake.  They are provided with a theme and a list of required ingredients to work with.  After sharing several short clips from this series, I asked my kiddos to imagine themselves as bakers, faced with the task of designing a cupcake to fit a particular theme:

• Saint Patrick's Day (We started back in March, so the theme fit at the time!)
• Spring has Sprung!
• A 9 year-old's Birthday Party (I figured this would open up many possibilities...)

Currently, we're in the midst of writing a detailed description of our cupcake.  Then, we're going to get crafty and design a visual representation of our tasty  oh-so-decadent treat.  Finally, I'm going to post our cupcakes onto Voice Thread, and let the kiddos narrate their cupcake creation, just as the contestants do on the show.  Yep, their peers will have a chance to respond!  I can't wait to share the finished product :)  Keep your fingers crossed for me that all goes well!


photo credit: yvestown via photopin cc