1,000 Paper Cranes

One of our Units of Inquiry, this semester was Heroes. My Grade 3 class learnt about Sadako and the thousand paper cranes. Part of the PYP curriculum, is to also take some action. At the end of the unit, the Grade 3 students learnt not only about Sadako, but Anne Frank, Wangari Mathaii, Martin Luther King Jr and Jane Goodall. My class was especially touched with Sadako's story, they wanted to make 1,000 paper cranes. One of the Grade 4 parents', is heading back to Japan this summer, and offered to take the cranes to the Peace Monument in Hiroshima.

At first the students were enthusiastically folding cranes. Then, after the devastating earthquake in Japan, they became determined to show the Japanese how much they were cared for.

This last term, my classroom was open everyday during first break for anyone wanting to come fold paper cranes. To be honest, I didn't think we'd actually reach 1,000. I had visions of spending the last week of school secretly folding cranes at home every night.

I was right. We didn't make 1,000 cranes. We made 1,053 cranes.

I'm so proud of all the students at IST for their determination and commitment to completing their goal.