Banana trees in Chicago? You might be thinking, "Has Mo lost her mind? Bananas don't grow in Beard's garden or do they?" No...the bananas for today's recipe did NOT come from the school garden, but in the form of a donation from our behavior therapist. Not willing to pass up bunches of ripening bananas, I shifted gears and decided to make pancakes with Tonia's students.
Pancakes from scratch are quite a novel concept for me, but turns out that the recipe is nice and easy...and a full sensory experience for the blossoming chefs in Room 108. Students explored the texture and taste of salt and sugar, squished the bananas in ziplock bags (a potato masher would be an alternative method), cracked an egg and stirred the lumpy batter. Eye contact was frequent and sustained while the pancakes sizzled on the hot griddle...Javaid grinned happily and clapped as I successfully flipped the first pancake without dropping it on the ground! Language, both verbal and gestural, surfaced as the pancakes made their way from the griddle to the table...it's incredible to see the level of communication increase in direct correlation with students' motivation!
Mo: Your banana pancake activity was sensational! You are so well-prepared and you address every possible safety issue, such as hiding away hot applicances. The level of student engagement is absolutely amazing!
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