Stories From My Class @storiesfrommyclass-blog - Tumblr Blog

Young Geographers

#geography #teaching geography #social studies

Beautiful geography

#geography #social studies #art

Hopes and Dreams

#kids say #my class #community

The Road to Freedom, as interpreted by 5th graders

#kids say #art #social studies #social justice

First experiments with time-travel machines and role play for Social Studies. The mystery letter which started it all.

#social studies #roleplay #enactment strategies

The kids' camping trip diaries are so beautiful

#kids say #my class #outdoors #nature #writing

#kids say #my class #writing

As I head back into my second year teaching fifth grade, I give thanks to Aimee and Claire for involving me in their teaching. Now I understand.

#teachers #student teaching #inspiration #teacher love #teacher leadership

6-Room Love Poem

Just found this memory from teaching middle school writing workshop a couple of years ago. I tried a poetry lesson by the wonderful Georgia Heard called "6-Room Poems." We started by folding and creasing a piece of paper into six rooms; the idea is to try six elements of poetry (such as repetition) by dedicating a room to each element. First everyone thought about what they wanted to write about and hunched over his or her own paper. We moved through the rooms together as I led a guided visualization of each room's contents (inspired by Heard's descriptions). Students then reworked their writing to frame it into a poem. One student decided to write about his girlfriend. The 6-room frame helped him think beyond cliche and incorporate sensory details, dialogue, and repetition in a love poem about the first time they met:

1.

she have a pretty face, pretty eyes, nice hair and nice body, she got brown eyes black hair big but.

2.

The sun is brit is a good weather it was silent and I see brown. the time was 5:00 a clock

3.

her voice sound like a little girl voice so cute.

4.

Hi how are you. Where you going. I am going with you.

5.

I feel good to see you again but in a better way

6.

brown eyes brown eyes brown eyes brown eyes brown eyes brown eyes

#kids say #student writing #poetry #writing workshop #georgia heard #love poem #teaching writing #middle school

Once you admit that time past is actually infinite, being a child gradually fades out.

The Disappearance Approach (Susan howe essay after her husband dies)

#poetry

Tons of food for thought in this GLSEN webinar for educators! I loved the section on recommended practices for schools and the clips of Gender Nonconforming and Trans teens talking about their experiences (and the powerful effect of supportive educators on their life outcomes).