Latke Recipe

As promised, here is the Latke recipe. This was adapted from a recipe from Chow. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds Idaho, russet, or baking potatoes (about 4 large), scrubbed

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

2 large eggs, separated

3 tablespoons matzoh meal (or all purpose flour)

1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Corn, canola, or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Line a large baking sheet with two layers of paper towels; set aside.

2. Using the coarse holes on a handheld box grater or the medium coarse shredding disk of a food processor, shred the potatoes and onion together. Transfer potato onion mixture to a large colander set over a bowl.

3. Using both your hands, squeeze the potato mixture vigorously, as if you're wringing out a pair of wet socks. Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the potatoes, letting the moisture drip through the holes of the colander. Once you have finished squeezing, let mixture stand for a minute or two.

4. Lift colander out of the bowl. Pour off the watery brown liquid in the bowl, but save the layer of pale beige paste at the bottom. (This chalky looking stuff is potato starch, and you need it to help your latkes stick together.) Scrape up the paste, dump in the potato mixture, and mix together with a large spoon.

5. Mix in egg yolks, matzoh meal, 1 teaspoon of the sea salt, and a good amount of freshly ground

pepper with your hands until it is evenly incorporated.

6. Pour egg whites into a clean, dry bowl. Using a balloon whisk or a handheld electric mixer, beat egg whites until they hold stiff, shiny peaks. Using a rubber spatula or large spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the potato mixture.

7. Pour oil into a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) to a depth of 1/2 inch. (You can also try it outside.) Over medium/high heat, heat oil until a shred of potato mixture instantly sizzles when dropped in. Fry a quarter sized “test latke” first to check for seasoning, and add more salt or pepper as needed. Then, without crowding, spoon potato mixture into the oil, flattening each generous spoonful into a flat disk.

8. Let fry until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip over and continue frying until both sides are well browned, about 8 to 10 minutes for each batch. (You may need to add additional oil to fry subsequent batches.) Using a spatula, transfer latkes to the paper towel lined baking sheet. Blot any excess oil with additional towels. 

Serve immediately with sour cream and applesauce. Makes approximately 15 latkes.

Twentieth Street's Winter Concert Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the big day! Most of the students from Twentieth St. School and participants of the Parenting and Literacy Centre will be performing holiday songs that will be sure to bring a smile to everyone's faces during this festive, and often stressful, time.

Please be advised that students from Room 214 are asked to arrive no later than 6:15pm and will then immediately report to Room 214. Parents/Guardians can then make their way down to the gym as supervision will be provided to students upon arrival at their classroom. If students would like to wear something red, green, or both, that would be great too!

Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance tomorrow evening due to extenuating circumstances but I'm sure the students will shine and I am very proud of them all!

~ Mr. Smith

Thank You for the Food Donations!

This post is just to thank all those who have helped to contribute to the mountain of food room 214 has collected so far for the Holiday Food Drive here at 20th St. Our classroom has already filled one recycling bin and it's only the beginning of December! Ms. Mitchell has told us recently that we have collected more than any other classroom in the school!

This month the character education focus is on caring and kindness. This generosity helps students to see that this time of year is all about helping those in need, not the presents they want. We have discussed this many times in our classroom but please have a discussion at home about the difference between wants and needs. I think it is a good starting point to talking about presents at this time of year.

Thanks again and please keep the food donations coming!

We need to empty this bin!

A Virtual Tour of What's New in Room 214...

In the last few weeks, I have made some changes to the classroom and I thought it would be good to share some of these changes through a mini virtual tour.

The Interactive Word Wall

Students can get up close and personal with the new interactive word wall in our classroom. The reason I call it an interactive word wall is because students can actually walk right up to it and take a word to help them right from the wall. Then, when they are done with it, they can stick it right back onto the wall! This is a great practice in independence, responsibility, and makes for properly spelled words on their work. Students will also be encouraged to add their own words to the word wall to make it more enriching. Here is a picture of a small part of the word wall:

Math Wall

As we learn concepts in math, we learn new terms and symbols that will help us to show our knowledge. I now have all of these terms and symbols on our new Math Wall. Students can always look to the math wall if they need help with words and symbols. The math wall is also a place where work is posted after three part math lessons have been completed. Students can look at the math wall to get a better understanding of some of the different strategies their classmates have used to solve the same problems. Here is a picture of the math words and symbols component of our math wall:

Stayed tuned for another update on the Wonder Wall that is currently in the works!

Three Part Math Lessons

Students in room 214 have been working very hard their foundational math skills these last few weeks. They have been introduced to word problems, many of which have come in home for grade 2's in their math take home books. These word problems challenge students to think about how to apply strategies they are comfortable with to real life problems. Many of these explorations have also taken place through guided three part math lessons.

For more in depth information on three part math lesson, please CLICK HERE

Three part lessons involve three different steps. Firstly, the 'getting started' portion involves a minds on approach, helping students to get focussed and start thinking in the frame of mind required to help them solve problems. The 'working on it' phase is where the real cognitive work comes into play. Students are challenged with the problem, and spend time working on it independently or collaboratively with a partner. Grade 1's are often teamed up with Grade 2's during this phase. Pictures, words, and number are always encouraged with a focus on putting their thinking onto paper. The last part is the 'consolidation' phase that involves discussions, new learning, and introductions to questions that need still need answering. This is also the point when students are asked to talk about their strategies and learn from each other which ones might be the most efficient.

Mr. Hochberg helping students with addition concepts

Mr. Hochberg, our Principal at 20th, has taken time out of his day a few times to co-teach some of these three part lessons with me. Students are always excited to have Mr. Hochberg in the room and his encouragement has really helped many students.

Thanks Mr. Hochberg