Over the past couple of weeks, my 3rd grade poets explored aspects of poetry like repetition, lists, and surprising/descriptive language. We then tried to incorporate some of these things into our own poems. We discussed the importance of seeing the extraordinary in ordinary objects and seeing the world through a poet's eyes. I am so impressed with the sophisticated and thoughtful poems my students have been writing!
In 4th grade, we explored the language of Shakespeare and discussed his contribution to modern English. People back in Elizabethan times definitely spoke very differently than we do today, but after learning about verbs, pronouns, and some common terms from back then, we were able to start to make sense of it all! We also explored Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. After reading an abridged version, some students were surprised at how depressing this play actually is! We then focused on translating some of the balcony scene into modern day language by having Rome and Juliet text each other. I was shocked at how quickly many students were able to make sense of Elizabethan English and pick up on the gist of what was going on!
Our 5th grade debaters have been busy preparing for their first formal debate. They are making sure to have clear reasons to support their assertions and a lot of evidence to back up their ideas. The week after PARCC, we will hold the debates and evaluate how we did so we can make necessary improvements for the next one!
