Day 321- Poetry Centers
As I was poking around last night looking for ideas to enrich a poetry lesson I had planned for today, I felt inspired. This led me to scratch my original plan and to stay up until midnight putting together poetry centers for the kids to work their way through today. I worked really hard to put everything together and felt as if I was at peak creativity. I really hoped that my students would reward my efforts with a day of quality learning and maybe even a little fun.
They did not let me down. YES!!
One thing I can't get enough of is overhearing my students talking about the things they're learning about when they don't even know I'm listening. As I circulated through the five centers, I heard kids discussing figurative language and reading their poetry to each other. They were helping one another with directions and following directions. Wow!
Although many of them wouldn't admit it to me, I know that a lot of them had fun. When the academic conversations they had spilled over into the hallway, I had my tell-tale sign. I got a few smiles too : ). A couple of them finally admitted to me today that they had memorized the figurative language rap I gave them last week. I win.
I had another pleasant surprise in the form of a visit from my mentor. She works outside the district for a local university and is there solely to support new teachers. She stops by from time to time to chat or sit in on my classes in order to see how everything is going. She slipped in this morning while we were in full rotation glory, and I was thrilled that someone would get to see the lesson I had labored to create. I was even more thrilled when I found little post-its she had stuck to my desk before she left. They were full of her gushing about the environment, level of engagement, and learning happening in my classroom.
Ahhh... it feels so good. I love me some positive reinforcement!
Thank you, poetry centers, you made my day.
They did not let me down. YES!!
One thing I can't get enough of is overhearing my students talking about the things they're learning about when they don't even know I'm listening. As I circulated through the five centers, I heard kids discussing figurative language and reading their poetry to each other. They were helping one another with directions and following directions. Wow!
Although many of them wouldn't admit it to me, I know that a lot of them had fun. When the academic conversations they had spilled over into the hallway, I had my tell-tale sign. I got a few smiles too : ). A couple of them finally admitted to me today that they had memorized the figurative language rap I gave them last week. I win.
I had another pleasant surprise in the form of a visit from my mentor. She works outside the district for a local university and is there solely to support new teachers. She stops by from time to time to chat or sit in on my classes in order to see how everything is going. She slipped in this morning while we were in full rotation glory, and I was thrilled that someone would get to see the lesson I had labored to create. I was even more thrilled when I found little post-its she had stuck to my desk before she left. They were full of her gushing about the environment, level of engagement, and learning happening in my classroom.
Ahhh... it feels so good. I love me some positive reinforcement!
Thank you, poetry centers, you made my day.
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