As I've discussed previously, we journal almost every day. Some days, we do the typical one paragraph to a page on a certain subject, but other days, I like to switch up the activities with a more creative journal. In this particular journal, we started class discussing poetry. I asked the students to write two words that come to mind when they hear the word "poetry". We then read through the posted notes of their poetic thoughts. While some students seemed to describe poetry by referencing "deep thoughts" or "figurative language," other students responded with "boring" or "blah". These answers were not surprising from 14 to 15 year-old boys. The following activity is how I tried to make poetry less "boring" and more outside the norm. Rather than force them to write a lot of poetry, which we focus on in the other freshman English class, this activity allows them to be creative without the daunting task of being told to just sit down and manufacture a poem. Some people may have seen pictures of "black-out poetry" or "found poems" on Pinterest or other websites. Basically, a poem can be made by taking an already finished piece of writing, and using the given words to make your own poem from the piece. First, I printed out three screen shots of book pages that I found easily when I googled "book page." One page was from Harry Potter fan fiction entitled Vader vs. Voldemort, one was from a book about WWII, and the last page was from from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. I wanted the students to be able to pick which piece of literature they might enjoy to make their poem from. For my example (pictured on the right in blue), I picked Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. From the page of his book, I found my own poem: "I wish time waited patiently, she was frightened by change." I gave students an ample amount of time to find their poems and decorate their pages. The next day, we all shared our poems. Some turned out silly (especially thanks to a hookah reference during Alice's adventures), while others were much more serious. |
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Vianney has a unique 4x4 schedule. Students are on a block schedule (85 minute classes), but only take four classes a semester. They are able to concentrate on these few classes, rather than having an alternating block schedule with 8 classes. They finish what is normally seen as a year-long class in just five months. This means that I have all new students this semester!
I try to base the first day of classes off of the theme of my room: "You are the author of your own story!" After playing a game of Student Bingo (if anyone is interested in hearing more about this, let me know), I introduce myself through a short Prezi. Not only do I talk about my degrees and education, but I let them know about my personal life. I'm open about the fact that my mom passed away when I was in 8th grade and my dad is one of my best friends because I want them to feel comfortable writing and sharing personal experiences, no matter how uncomfortable or sad the situation might seem. While I can't force my room to be a "safe space", sharing my life with them seems to create an environment where they aren't nervous to also share hardships and triumphs. Next, I give them each a sticky note. The following directions are put on the board: If your life was a story… 1). Who would be two of the main characters (besides yourself)? 2). Where would the story take place? (does not have to be your house! what about a sports field or club?) 3). What are three major plot points so far? After they fill out their sticky note with those details, they each stick their note onto the board. Finally, I read each note and we try to guess whose life the sticky describes. I ask questions to each student to expand on at least one of their answers. This activity is not only an easy way to get to know my students quickly, but also a great way to start creating an environment of friendly competition and open discussions. Next, I put a large piece of chart paper on my white board. Together, we make class expectations. Even though the democracy of the classroom makes these rules, they normally end up similar: be respectful (to people, the classroom, and ourselves). This year, I was surprised when one of my classes decided on two new rules: be creative and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Finally, students have their first journal of the semester. Students write about a page on the following questions. 1). What are your goals for this semester? (More than just grades! What do you want to learn? Accomplish in sports? Clubs? With friends and family?) 2). What do you want to accomplish in this class? I like asking them to make goals that are more than just getting good grades. I've read journals about a student wishing his family gets back together, because he was sad spending so much time alone, to another student wanting to try harder this semester, because he felt he wasted his parents money (he didn't do well first semester), to someone wanting to achieve a personal best in his sport. I always take the time to write back to journals, especially since they were courageous enough to share a piece of themselves with me. And this was all just the first day of class. These are our stories! What do you remember about the first day of school?
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AuthorSecond-year teacher at an all-boys school. Archives
January 2016
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