Example Project...You'll need to write five of these

Mr. Melgarejo
January 12, 2010
The Many Hats We Wear

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Cousin/Nephew/Grandson

There is a hat that we all wear from time to time, but we are uncertain of how to wear it. It feels uncomfortable at forced meetings that occur on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. We often complain about the relatives we do not want to see and also look forward to our favorite aunts and uncles that we do not get to see too often. These uncles make us laugh and smile with stories of their youth or stories of our parents getting in to mischief in their younger years.

Most recently I have just learned how to wear this hat. I never felt a connection to my extended family. The only relative I really looked forward to seeing was my older cousin David. He was goofy and usually made me laugh. He also had a collection of Sega and Nintendo games which kept me entertained for the hours we spent at his parent’s house in Elk Grove Village. I never felt a connection to these foreign like relatives.

It was not until most recently that I learned how to wear this hat. Last year I was in search of the unknown family from my father’s side. During this great adventure I traveled over 18,000 miles by taking trips to Peru and New York. This all lead to the door step of my Great Uncle Alberto. When we met I no longer had that uncomfortable feeling of being with family. Instead I had a feeling of connectivity. I had that connection with all my lost family. A connection forged in a hand shake, an embrace, or even just a smile. I now wear my family hat with pride as I go on to search for more family.

Inquiry Project Outline

Paragraph Outline

I. Define the Hat you’re writing about
a. Who wears this hat?
b. When/where is this hat worn?
c. How does it affect us when it is worn?
d. How do we feel when its worn
II. You and the Hat (Past)
a. When did you first wear this hat?
b. Explain that story
III. Conclusion: You and the Hat (Present)
a. What made you change your mind (Personal story)
b. How have you grown and changed?

Complete this is you missed school Friday

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Name:_______________________ Date:_______

Name that hat!

Directions: After finishing the reading, please categorize each “hat” along with the author’s definition. Then add your own personal experience of wearing the hat. Also, create a hat on your own.

“Hat”	Author’s Definition	Your Personal Example

The Many Hats We Wear

The Many Hats We Wear
~by Lucinda Schersing

How many times have you felt that you were simply spread too thinly over too many situations? It is not surprising that we often feel that way. We each wear many hats within one day.

There is the hat of the child-like qualities of innocence and joy. This is the hat we wear when we look at the world around us and enjoy each moment, watching the dew on the grass as it is kissed by the sun; or listening to the sound of birds singing or flying across the sky. It is this hat that we wear when we take a moment and watch with interest as a butterfly flits from one flower to another or watch as a bug scurries along keeping whatever appointments a bug keeps.

The hat of worry and sorrow is probably the heaviest hat to wear. This is when we become hopelessly lost in the problems of the moment or deep despair or the sorrow of loss.
The hat of the teacher is one that we all wear. Whether that is our profession or we are teaching our children. We also wear this hat when we demonstrate or teach a skill to adults. Sometimes this hat feels far too large as we begin to realize that what we are teaching can affect many lives in many ways for many years.

The hat of compassion, empathy, sensitivity, love and kindness looks very much like the hat of the teacher and yet, in some ways resembles the hat of child-like qualities. Each time we offer a small act of kindness - what we might consider 'the right thing to do' - we are wearing this hat.

There is the hat of creativity which is the hat of the poet, writer, painter, craftsperson, photographer. This hat expresses feelings through the arts and crafts and touches all our hearts and lives.

What does your hat look like? Is it well balanced so that a gust from the Winds of Surprise will not knock it off? Do you change your hat often? There is nothing so forlorn as a hat that is battered and rumpled because it has become unbalanced from being worn too long or a hat that simply sat on the shelf, unworn.