Week of May 22-26

Our third graders explored self-image poetry this week. We started by analyzing George Ella Lyon's famous poem, "Where I'm From." Then, we brainstormed ideas about what makes us who we are. After this brainstorming session, we will write our own self-image poems, using the poetic techniques we have been learning about during this cycle.
Here is a poster showing some of the info we learned on our field trip to Ohmsett:

This week, the 4th graders took turns directing the first scene of "Macbeth." Watch how the decisions made by the directors affected how the scenes turned out!

In 5th grade, we began outlining the bodies of our TED Talks. I'm really excited about how they are taking shape! We are focusing on making sure to support our main points with research and that it all ties back to our thesis statements.

Week of May 15-19

This week, the 3rd graders went on an awesome field trip to Ohmsett, an oil spill response research and renewable energy test facility (http://ohmsett.com/). We got to see real oil spill equipment, like booms and skimmers, in action! We learned that people from all over the country come to Ohmsett to test their oil spill cleanup equipment and to be trained on how to respond to an oil spill.

In 4th grade, we shared the sonnets we worked on over the course of the week. You can see an example below. We also started to discuss the role of a director in plays and movies. The students will take turns directing their classmates in the first scene of Macbeth. It will be interesting to see how the same scene can turn out differently depending on decisions made by the director.

Sonnet by Angelina

The 5th graders delivered their intro to their TED Talks and received feeback from their classmates on how to make it the best it can be. Next, we are working on the body of our speech, using our research to teach our audience about our topics.

Week of May 1-5

This week, the 3rd grade poets continued to explore figurative language, and wrote poems using figurative language. I was thrilled with their willingness to try new things and their ability to create meaningful poems using figurative language!

In 4th grade, we learned about sonnets by looking at some Shakespearean sonnets and identifying attributes they all possessed (14 lines, iambic pentameter, specific rhyme scheme, etc.). Then we analyzed his famous Sonnet 18 and tried our hand at writing our own sonnets. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Teach your parents what this sonnet means!

In 5th grade, we finalized our thesis statements and learned ways to open our talk to really hook our audience. Things like a jaw-dropping statistic, a personal anecdote, and audience engagement are all great ways to capture the listeners' attention right away!

Week of April 24-28

This week, the third graders continued to explore various aspects of poetry like consonance, assonance, hyperbole, personification, and more. We've been trying to incorporate some of these techniques into our writing to make it stronger and more powerful. I'm very impressed with my students' ability to apply these techniques in creative ways to their own poems!

In 4th grade, we 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!

The 5th graders continued gathering research on their TED Talk topics and adding to their mind maps. This important work will help us tremendously when we start to write our speeches next week!

Week of April 18-21

This week, my 3rd grade poets explored aspects of poetry like repetition, lists, surprising/descriptive language, and wonderings. 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 had fun translating some modern conversations into Elizabethan speak using this website:
http://www.shmoop.com/shakespeare-translator/

In 5th grade, we have chosen our topics for our TED talks, and we spent this week doing research and mind mapping our topics to gather as much information as possible in order to become experts. Our next step will be to figure out the point we are trying to make and to decide which branches of our mind map to include in our speeches.

Week of April 3-7

This week, the 3rd graders continued to read and respond to poetry by participating in poetry stations. We painted the images poems created in our minds. We found the rhythm in poems and put them to music using percussive instruments. We also hunted for poetic techniques we've been learning about in the books scattered across the room. We really started to see how poetry is an art form; instead of paints, poets use words to make pictures or evoke feelings in their readers.

In 4th grade, we learned about Shakespeare's use of puns to entertain his audience. We explored the meanings of modern day puns and puns from some of Shakespeare's plays. The best part was coming up with our own puns! I was very impressed by how "punny" my students are!

The 5th graders brainstormed possible topics for their TED Talks, and some students began mind mapping their topic to see where it might take them. See an example below!

Weeks of March 20-24 and March 27-31

This Wednesday, I was finally able to begin our ELA cycle! The 3rd graders were immersed in poetry. We read and discussed a wide variety of poems, looking at poetic techniques and meanings/messages of the poems. We learned ways to respond to poetry and took a try at it. We had many interesting discussions, like how something as simple as where words are placed on the page can convey so much about the meaning of the poem.

Students respond to poetry.

In 4th grade, students were transported back to the Globe Theatre during the Elizabethan Era. We explored the life and times of William Shakespeare and learned a lot about what life was like back then. The girls were not happy about the fact that girls back then did not go to school and could not act in plays! We discussed how the themes of Shakespeare's plays are still relevant today, which explains why he is still so well known!

Students learn what life was like in Elizabethan England.

In 5th grade, we began our unit on TED Talks by exploring what a TED Talk is and what attributes make for a good talk. We also learned that our words are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to public speaking. Our nonverbal cues can make or break a speech. While giving minispeeches to introduce ourselves, we did things like twirl our hair, sway back and forth, turn our backs to the audience, etc., and we realized just how distracting these things are when listening to a talk!