The Power of Words
Throughout our year-long Expedition titled Weaving Our Way With Words, we continue to address our three guiding questions:
Upon returning back from winter break, students had the opportunity to create an informational book to teach their first grade Y/O buddy about a topic of their choice. Our crew closely examined nonfiction text features found within informational books, analyzing how these features enhance a reader's understanding of a particular topic. We also practiced reading like writers, analyzing how authors crafted specific text features in various informational books. We used our findings from our in-depth analysis of our mentor texts to create our own informational book.
Once we entered our final publishing phase, students were able to read their books with their first grade Y/O buddies and teach them how to use the various nonfiction text features found in their books. It was an exciting time for all!
Here are some reflections from our crew:
As we wrapped up our close study on nonfiction text features and informational books, we began our next case study with a very different genre as our focus... poetry! Students are investigating the question, "What makes a poem a poem?" by immersing themselves in the world of poetry.
To kick off our case study, we were lucky to learn from an expert in our own Fox Creek community, Dale Fredrickson. Dale is a published poet and came to share his expertise with us. He shared three questions that readers should ask themselves when they read or hear a poem:
1. What do I notice about this poem?
2. What is odd, quirky, or peculiar about this poem?
3. What challenged me about the poem?
He then shared a wonderful analogy of what every poet needs in their toolkit as they are writing poetry and what the process looks like. Some of the items included: water which represented ideas, a sponge to absorb the ideas, a bucket to dump all of our ideas into, and fancy glasses to pour and shape our ideas in different ways. Students noticed that the process was messy and required a lot of revision (eg. going back with the sponge to get more water, pouring some water from the fancy glasses back into the bucket, etc.). Students were able to connect this to the process of a writer.
Learning from Dale made it easy to dive right into the exciting world of poetry. Students have been reading, writing, and enjoying poetry every day, enhancing their understanding of what makes a poem a poem. One of the poems we've been reading each day is called "My People" by Langston Hughes.
Students listened to, read, acted out, and illustrated their interpretation of the poem. They also brought in an artifact to show their personal response or connection to the poem. It was exciting to see the diverse interpretations and connections that students had, which added to the beauty of this poem.
Before our final reading of "My People," students had the opportunity to learn about Langston Hughes. Our crew was amazed by how he used his writing to tell the world what it was like to be an African American during the 1920s. We read quite a few other poems by Langston Hughes and had a powerful discussion about racism, segregation, and equal rights. This then lead to a discussion on why writers write poetry.
As students have been engaging in their poetry centers, they are continuing to develop confidence as readers and writers of poetry. Whether they are responding to current events in an attempt to bring about change or are noticing and using language in new and unusual ways, students truly are poets!
- How do we unlock the magic of writing and uncover the power of communication?
- How does genre impact how and what writers write?
- Who am I as a reader, writer, and communicator?
Upon returning back from winter break, students had the opportunity to create an informational book to teach their first grade Y/O buddy about a topic of their choice. Our crew closely examined nonfiction text features found within informational books, analyzing how these features enhance a reader's understanding of a particular topic. We also practiced reading like writers, analyzing how authors crafted specific text features in various informational books. We used our findings from our in-depth analysis of our mentor texts to create our own informational book.
Once we entered our final publishing phase, students were able to read their books with their first grade Y/O buddies and teach them how to use the various nonfiction text features found in their books. It was an exciting time for all!
Here are some reflections from our crew:
- "I worked really hard doing research and stuff and I am really proud!"
- "I had a lot of fun putting it all together and seeing how it turned out at the very end. I love my book!"
- "It is an amazing experience to write a book."
- "I would recommend doing this with students next year because it was one of the funnest things I have EVER done!"
- "Making this book was one of my greatest accomplishments!"
As we wrapped up our close study on nonfiction text features and informational books, we began our next case study with a very different genre as our focus... poetry! Students are investigating the question, "What makes a poem a poem?" by immersing themselves in the world of poetry.
To kick off our case study, we were lucky to learn from an expert in our own Fox Creek community, Dale Fredrickson. Dale is a published poet and came to share his expertise with us. He shared three questions that readers should ask themselves when they read or hear a poem:
1. What do I notice about this poem?
2. What is odd, quirky, or peculiar about this poem?
3. What challenged me about the poem?
He then shared a wonderful analogy of what every poet needs in their toolkit as they are writing poetry and what the process looks like. Some of the items included: water which represented ideas, a sponge to absorb the ideas, a bucket to dump all of our ideas into, and fancy glasses to pour and shape our ideas in different ways. Students noticed that the process was messy and required a lot of revision (eg. going back with the sponge to get more water, pouring some water from the fancy glasses back into the bucket, etc.). Students were able to connect this to the process of a writer.
Learning from Dale made it easy to dive right into the exciting world of poetry. Students have been reading, writing, and enjoying poetry every day, enhancing their understanding of what makes a poem a poem. One of the poems we've been reading each day is called "My People" by Langston Hughes.
My People
By: Langston Hughes
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.
Before our final reading of "My People," students had the opportunity to learn about Langston Hughes. Our crew was amazed by how he used his writing to tell the world what it was like to be an African American during the 1920s. We read quite a few other poems by Langston Hughes and had a powerful discussion about racism, segregation, and equal rights. This then lead to a discussion on why writers write poetry.
As students have been engaging in their poetry centers, they are continuing to develop confidence as readers and writers of poetry. Whether they are responding to current events in an attempt to bring about change or are noticing and using language in new and unusual ways, students truly are poets!
Students are just continuing their journey of unlocking the magic of writing and uncovering the power of words. I cannot wait to see what their future holds!
