Make Your World a Little Bigger

I'm watching the inauguration and marvelling at the poetry of seeing President Obama sworn in for a second term as he looks out on the crowd, and just beyond, the new MLK Jr monument and hears the beautiful invocation of Myrlie Evers-Williams, wife of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

...and of course I'm scrolling through Facebook while I watch :)  Once again, my buddy Cynthia Lord nails the sentiment of a day like today by sharing this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Every stretch, every risk, every new experience changes you. I encourage you all to try something new with me this week in honor of MLK. To take that first step on the staircase, even if you don't see where it leads. To risk reaching out to people and experiences outside your usual comfort zone.

As Cynthia put it, "To make the whole world a little smaller.  And your own world a little bigger."

Martin's Big Words

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr, Day!

To celebrate this amazing man, ATP and I created a lesson integrating primary sources and the text Martin's Big Words.

We started with reading the book My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris.  This sweet book details MLK's childhood and tells about a time white friends in his neighborhood suddenly decided not to play with him.

Then we shared images from The Library of Congress.  We also shared a shortened clip of the "I Have a Dream Speech."  Students had a copy of the text to follow along with and added their own thinking and questions as we watched.

 

After discussion, we read Martin's Big Words.  The students each selected one quote from the book to analyze and reflect on.  [By the way, if you want to hear the text of the book, check out this video. The quality isn't great, but it is the full text and images.]

 

These reflections will become part of a display in our wing with a timeline of important African American figures.  It's a great way to talk not only about this time period, but how we can continue living out the 'big words' of MLK.

I really enjoyed teaching this powerful lesson on a important topic.  What are you doing to keep the dream alive?

When is Enough Enough?

I get so much inspiration from other teachers...typically the ones I work with day to day, but also the ones I meet in workshops, at conferences, or even those I have never met.

On her blog, Read, Write, and Reflect, Katherine Sokolowski shared her recent thoughts on how overworked teachers often feel, especially at this time of the year.

She said of the test-driven culture,

Do we just want to point at our schools and say they are failing? Seriously? The teachers I know work HARD, they give up time with their families, their own salary to buy items for their classrooms, care about their students, and try hard to help their students become the best they can be. So much of what we do cannot be measured on a test.

Read the full text of her powerful post here.  And teachers, be proud of all the immeasurable work you do! 

Grace to be a Beginner

My buddy (and Newbery Winner!) Cynthia Lord shared this quote on facebook recently. 

The grace to be a beginner is always the best prayer for an artist. The beginner’s humility and openness lead to exploration. Exploration leads to accomplishment. All of it begins at the beginning, with the first small and scary step.
--Julia Cameron

Lovely, eh?! Have you started any teaching-related resolutions? Remember it always takes humilty and openness. And grace for when we stumble.

We're gearing up for the official start of Girls Being Girls.  I'm a tad nervous to take on one more thing, but pumped for a chance to pour into our girls in a way that will hopefully make an impact.  Check out more here.  And best wishes for your own new projects and goals.

Classroom Tour pt 10- The Finale! (and total hodge podge)

My tour is coming to a close today.  I have just two more features to share with you.

 

We're in the midst of our reading workshop unit on nonfiction.  One component of the unit is allowing students access to topically-organized mentor texts.  I ordered these "Basic Stack Baskets" from the Container Store to keep them looking neat but also easy to borrow.  I used lables from Scholastic (they were free a few months ago with a book club order) and attached them with book rings.

 

I also wanted to share my collection of former team t-shirts.  Read more about how I created these here.

 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my classroom and maybe got an idea or two to use in your own space.

Classroom Tour pt 9- Writing Quotes

Once upon a time I got my masters in writing instruction.  My research focused on journaling and growing passion and ownership for writing through choice.  And while I've been happy to see many students do just this, others look at me with a questioning look when I ask, "Why write?"  Some even answer with, "Because you make me."

And no teacher wants to hear that!  We want our students to love what we teach and see the utmost value in practicing a given skill.  So I decided to offer the words of great writers to fill them with reasons to write.

 

I created this board to share many wonderful reasons to journal.  I switch out the quote weekly.  When I first developed the board I searched for quotes online, but since have enjoyed finding them organically.  (I even wrote one down while watching "E True Hollywood Story: Taylor Swift" once!  She got her start through a teacher who shared poetry with a passion!). 

I've even had students share their own reasons and write those with the dry erase marker (sorry for the picture quality--it's showing a former dry erase quote).

It's a great way to encourage students and helps fight off the "because you make me" answers!

How about you readers, why do you write?  Leave me a comment and maybe you'll make the inspiration board! (I'm sure students would love it as much as T. Swift!)

Classroom Tour pt 8- Poetry Hall of Fame

Each month I organize a poetry competition for students.  It's completely voluntary, but a great way to extend my readers and writers.

 

For poetry slams, students write an original work of poetry, memorize, and perform it for the team and judges (the teachers).  For readings, students do the same with published poetry.  It's great to see a new side of students- from those that are astounding talents, to students who awe us just by the courage they show in stepping out of their comfort zone.

 

Of course, there are handsome prizes for all who enter (certificates and candy!).  The winner recieves a trophy and fame and glory.  For a lucky few, they get to enter the "Hall of Fame."  This special honor belongs to students who win three competitions during the year.  These students then have to retire from competition and become one of the judges. 

 

So far only four have achieved this honor!  We may have another winner this year!  Ms. G has already won twice and gunning for another win!