Creating origami chopstick holders.

Creating origami chopstick holders. On my visits to Japan, I have received many gifts of chopsticks inbeautiful holders. Some of the holders were incredibly elaborate, withfolded origami The code name for Microsoft's Ultra-Mobile PC. See Ultra-Mobile PC. decorations. Others, given to me by children in theschools I visited as part of the Fulbright Memorial Fund TeachersProgram, were more simply decorated, often with seasonal folded-paperdecorations at the bottom. For example, folded paper acorns in orangeand brown decorated a set of chopstick holders given to me in a singlepackage. Recently, a Japanese houseguest brought me handmade chopstickholders decorated with pressed flowers, each different, which she toldme had been designed by her mother. All of the gifts I received werealways wrapped in cellophane cellophane,thin, transparent sheet or tube of regenerated cellulose. Cellophane is used in packaging and as a membrane for dialysis. It is sometimes dyed and can be moisture-proofed by a thin coating of pyroxylin. paper and were beautifully set off withcolored paper behind them. Unwrapping the chopstick holders and examining the level of foldinginvolved, I decided that the project was easy enough for elementarystudents to do. The project could also be adapted for older students byhaving them create more elaborate decorations for the basic holders. Thefolding is simple, so it is the level of decoration that woulddifferentiate the project. Chopsticks, which are needed for the project, can be located inAsian grocery markets. I needed to remove mine from the wrappings theycame in prior to beginning the project so students would not see them.Many students had never had the opportunity to eat with chopsticks, so Iknew that just receiving them would create excitement. Since I was teaching poetry to a class, I used the chopstick-holderproject as a means to motivate students to write freestyle The code name for the MCE version of Windows. See Media Center Edition. haiku haiku(hī`k), an unrhymed Japanese poem recording the essence of a moment keenly perceived, in which nature is linked to human nature. . Ishowed students the chopstick holders I had received and told them thatthey would be making similar holders, only theirs would be decorated bywriting their poetry on the front and by adding marker drawings. Seeing the beautiful chopstick holders from Japan created quite abit of excitement and students were anxious to write a freestyle haikuthat would be suitable for their own artistic masterpieces. I have foundin the past that pairing poetry with an art project has been extremelysuccessful, since then the writing has a real purpose in the eyes of thestudents. After each student had written and selected one haiku that I hadapproved, we worked together as a class to fold the chopstick holders. Ihad prepared the paper beforehand by cutting it to measure 8 1/2" x7 1/2". Next, I had students fold the paper into the desired shape(see diagram). I had also pre-prepared the cellophane wrappers In data mining and treatment learning, wrappers were used by Ron Kohavi and George John. Their idea was to wrap their treatments learners in a preprocessor that would search to make subsets from the current set of attributes. thatwould eventually hold the finished products, but with more time allotted al��lot?tr.v. al��lot��ted, al��lot��ting, al��lots1. To parcel out; distribute or apportion: allotting land to homesteaders; allot blame.2. for the project, students could do this step themselves. I cut posterboard in a variety of colors to serve as the backboard back��boardn.1. A board placed under or behind something to provide firmness or support.2. A board placed beneath the body of a person with an injury to the neck or back, used especially in transporting the person in such a way for thecellophane. This colored contrast makes for an attractive presentationfor the finished chopstick holders. I was teaching both the writing and the chopstick-holder portion ofthe lesson and had a limited amount of time to accomplish both portionsof the lesson. Ideally, an art teacher and classroom teacher could pairto do a quality job with both objectives of the lesson. At the middle-or high-school level, the project could be done with or without thepoetry, and the focus could be on the decorative aspects of thechopstick holders. For example, using origami decorations at the bottomof the holder or creating a dried-flower arrangement as the focus of theholder would be most appropriate. This lesson can also be used as a complement to reading Ina R.Friedman's How My Parents Learned to Eat (Houghton Mifflin Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational publisher in the United States. The company's headquarters is located in Boston's Back Bay. It publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers Co.,1987), or Allen Say's Grandfather's Journey (Houghton MifflinCo., 1993), both of which discuss Japanese culture. This is an easy multicultural lesson, that results in a productthat is actually made and given as gifts by the Japanese themselves.This makes it both meaningful and authentic, giving the project culturalvalidity.STUDENTS' FREESTYLE HAIKU A newborn on the apple tree Soon, a flower Cold, salty water laps up to tickle my toes Summer night finally dark except for fireflies Cold night last leaf blowing on a never ending journey Crispy leaves crunch as I hurry home night falls Hot and sticky No spray Mosquito bite! Broken shells Icy sand Lonely pail Empty slide and swings Cold hands, dark falling Rushing home Blowing leaves Empty playground School bell ringing MATERIALS * White construction paper cut into 7 1/2" x 8 1/2"pieces * Fine-line markers for writing haiku * Markers or crayons * Glue and small scraps of paper for decorations (optional) * Chopsticks--one set per student For display envelope (optional): * Colored poster board cut into pieces * Cellophane for wrapping finished piece LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will ... * learn how to fold paper to make a holder for chopsticks. * write a freestyle haiku. * decorate chopstick holders. * understand that these are gifts which are given in Japan. * understand the practical use for chopsticks. Denise B. Geier, Ed.D. is a curriculum director in MiddletownTownship, New Jersey Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census had a total population of 66,327. Middletown is one of the oldest sites of European settlement in New Jersey. , and can be reached at dbgeier@hotmail.com.