“Students must feel that there is something of value in the assignment beyond simply completing a series of tasks.”
-Graham, Fitzgerald & MacArthur
-Graham, Fitzgerald & MacArthur
Where I'm From Poems
Rationale
As is the case with many elementary school students, several of the boys and girls in my class did not enjoy writing. Most of them were very good at it, and yet for many, it was their least favorite part of the day. Motivation waned as 12:45 approached. In order to try and alter this circumstance, I decided to implement a new writing unit I had just been introduced to by a group of N.C. State professors leading a cohort of local teachers, of which I was a member, in a Finnish cultural connections and immersion program.
"Where are you from?" At first this seems like a pretty innocuous question. Most people respond with a location, a city or state or country, giving a very brief, one word answer. But that does not really answer the question because to really understand where a person is from, one has to understand the small things, the people and places and events that shaped them into who they are. This unit allowed my students to explore that very question "Where are you from?"
Project
I started by giving my students 3 minutes to jot down as many notes as possible about a series of 8 different prompts. I encouraged them to write down anything that came to mind for each prompt, because the more notes they had, the easier it would be to turn those notes into future stanzas of their poem. My students scribbled furiously over the next 24 minutes. I then showed them some examples of "Where I'm From" poems by famous poets and then some examples by everyday people, including one I wrote myself. I introduced the structure they would follow and then gave them time to simply write. Over the next two writing periods they wrote, erasing ideas they didn't like and adding additional thoughts in the margins while trying to explain to an outsider where they were from and what shaped them into the 8 or 9 year old they were today. As I met with my students to conference about their writing, I utilized some of the techniques Donald Graves spoke about when conferring with students about their writing. One question that I used frequently as I met with students was, "How can I support you?" These poems were writing pieces my students were proud of and felt passionate about. They wanted to perfect the vision they had for their autobiographical poem and so I let them take the lead during our one-on-one conferences and the result was fantastic.
Outcome
What resulted were some of the neatest poems I have ever had students create in my 11 years of teaching. I felt like I got to know my students on a deeper level from this unit. They were so proud of their work and as an added bonus, they were excited for writing each day.! After they worked through the writing process, revising and editing their poem, they were given the choice to publish using the digital tool, Prezi or to publish by creating a PowerPoint presentation. The finished products were amazing, but my favorite part was when each student stood up and presented his/her published poem to the rest of the class. This was a day my students learned something new about every single classmate. That day they learned about some of the things that each student held most dear, some of the most influential sayings or events of each student's life. My students weren't the only ones that learned a great deal that day. I did too.
As is the case with many elementary school students, several of the boys and girls in my class did not enjoy writing. Most of them were very good at it, and yet for many, it was their least favorite part of the day. Motivation waned as 12:45 approached. In order to try and alter this circumstance, I decided to implement a new writing unit I had just been introduced to by a group of N.C. State professors leading a cohort of local teachers, of which I was a member, in a Finnish cultural connections and immersion program.
"Where are you from?" At first this seems like a pretty innocuous question. Most people respond with a location, a city or state or country, giving a very brief, one word answer. But that does not really answer the question because to really understand where a person is from, one has to understand the small things, the people and places and events that shaped them into who they are. This unit allowed my students to explore that very question "Where are you from?"
Project
I started by giving my students 3 minutes to jot down as many notes as possible about a series of 8 different prompts. I encouraged them to write down anything that came to mind for each prompt, because the more notes they had, the easier it would be to turn those notes into future stanzas of their poem. My students scribbled furiously over the next 24 minutes. I then showed them some examples of "Where I'm From" poems by famous poets and then some examples by everyday people, including one I wrote myself. I introduced the structure they would follow and then gave them time to simply write. Over the next two writing periods they wrote, erasing ideas they didn't like and adding additional thoughts in the margins while trying to explain to an outsider where they were from and what shaped them into the 8 or 9 year old they were today. As I met with my students to conference about their writing, I utilized some of the techniques Donald Graves spoke about when conferring with students about their writing. One question that I used frequently as I met with students was, "How can I support you?" These poems were writing pieces my students were proud of and felt passionate about. They wanted to perfect the vision they had for their autobiographical poem and so I let them take the lead during our one-on-one conferences and the result was fantastic.
Outcome
What resulted were some of the neatest poems I have ever had students create in my 11 years of teaching. I felt like I got to know my students on a deeper level from this unit. They were so proud of their work and as an added bonus, they were excited for writing each day.! After they worked through the writing process, revising and editing their poem, they were given the choice to publish using the digital tool, Prezi or to publish by creating a PowerPoint presentation. The finished products were amazing, but my favorite part was when each student stood up and presented his/her published poem to the rest of the class. This was a day my students learned something new about every single classmate. That day they learned about some of the things that each student held most dear, some of the most influential sayings or events of each student's life. My students weren't the only ones that learned a great deal that day. I did too.
Note Taking |
Rough Drafts |
Sample Prezi's & PowerPoint Presentations
|
|
|
|
Standards Addressed:
W3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
W3.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
W3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
W3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
3.TT.1.3 Use technology tools to present data and information (multimedia, audio and visual recording, online collaboration tools, etc.).
W3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
W3.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
W3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
W3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
3.TT.1.3 Use technology tools to present data and information (multimedia, audio and visual recording, online collaboration tools, etc.).
Graham, S. MacArthur, C.A. & Fitzgerald, J. (2013). Best practices in writing instruction. New York: Guilford Press.