November | 2015 | Reflections on the Teche

Archive for November, 2015

DigiLit Sunday: Wild-eyed Wonder

Posted in Digital Learning, Gifted Education, tagged Tara Smith, Two Writing Teachers, Wonder Wednesday, Wonderopolis on November 8, 2015| 2 Comments »

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My students are wild with wonder. They don’t really know it, but when I see their eyes light up and their attention focus, I know it’s there. Inspired by Tara Smith of Two Writing Teachers, this year I instituted a new tradition, Wonder Wednesdays. The process is really very simple.

What do you wonder about? Create a question.
What do you already know about this question?
Research your question. (Use Wonderopolis.)
Write a paragraph including at least 5 new facts and 2-3 wonder words.
Burning question: What more do you want to know?

I give my students the option to turn a Wonder into a Wonder Presentation. For me, this option works well because I don’t end up with every student in the class having to do a presentation. Since we blog, presentations can be posted for others to see as well. This week I had 3 students choose this option, so we had a presentation day. Presentation requirements vary somewhat from the Wonder response.

Main idea: Thesis statement
Support with evidence.
Graphics support the topic.
Your opinion is included.

Emily was inspired by a popular song to research Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii.

Having Wonder Wednesday as a regular occurrence each week inspires my students to question and wonder all the time. On Two Writing Teachers today, Tara writes, “I am a true Wonderopolis believer, and I know that our Wednesdays lead my kids to think deeply about science, geography, and the way things work.” Encouraging students to wonder every week makes inquiry a natural ingredient in the ELA classroom.

One of my new students jumped right in to wondering and blogging. He wondered about cells in the human body. As Noah (4th grade) and Vannisa (6th grade) walked back to class on Wednesday, they discussed cells. Really? The wonder spills out of the classroom all the way down the hall.

If you are wondering and writing about Digital Literacy, please link up.

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Gratitiude

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gifted Education, Gratitude, Writing, tagged art lessons, Kimberley Griffiths Little, One Little Word, teaching gifted on November 7, 2015| 7 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

On this gloomy Saturday morning, I was drinking my coffee and reading blog posts. Each one added wisdom to my thinking. And I still wasn’t sure what to write today. One blog post suggested that I just open up the page and begin. Another suggested using the month of November to think about gratitude. So here I am, opening the window of a post and writing what I am grateful for this week.

New students: I was apprehensive, as always, to receive new students. This happens in my class around this time of year because the evaluators have finished testing young referrals. This week, I welcomed 4 new gifted students. These new kiddos are so excited to be in the gifted class that they are eager and ready. They love that we blog. They each wrote their first post. “And what? We can read whatever we want!” One new guy read 4 Seymour Simon books this week!

My other students have embraced the new ones, and, so far, so good, we are becoming a new community of learners.

Authors: I love authors, and meeting them face to face is such a thrill. Last weekend I attended the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge. Right before the tornado warning closed down the festival, I met Kimberley Griffiths Little. We had a great conversation. She signed a card for one of my students who loves her books. We talked about connections and writing and hugged as friends.

Student authors: Also at the Book Festival, I had the privilege of leading an awards ceremony for the winners of the Louisiana Letters about Literature and our state writing contest LA Writes! Seeing wide-eyed proud writers dressed in their best, listening to their little voices read their winning pieces, and sharing in the love of reading and writing filled me with joy and gratitude.

Jacob with his award

Two of my students placed first in their divisions, Vannisa and Jacob. Neither of them could attend the ceremony because of the weather, so I gave them their packets at school.

Art Lessons and Reaching: My One Little Word for this year is Reach. I’ve dabbled in art for years. When my mother gave me a nice check for my birthday, I decided to reach and commit to a series of art lessons. We meet once a week for an hour. (I always wish for more time.) At first I was very frustrated. I was not feeling successful. This was a huge learning curve as well as a good lesson for me as a teacher. Finally, after eight lessons, I received some wonderful feedback from my instructor. He said he sees a unique style emerging. Wow! That’s so cool! I celebrate Reaching and becoming the artist I want to be. As in writing, I am discovering you must practice, practice, practice to improve. There is No. Other. Way.

Blue heron

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Life Lessons from Elementary Poets

Posted in Gifted Education, Poetry Friday, tagged Naomi Shihab Nye, Poets and Writers, student poems, William Stafford on November 6, 2015| 7 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up at Write, Sketch, Repeat.

From The Time is Now weekly writing prompt:

Poetry Prompt
This week, listen to a poem new to you–by a contemporary poet or a bygone poet–and jot down the words, phrases, and images that are most striking or memorable to you. Then write your own poem inspired by this list of words. How do you transform someone else’s poetic intuition and choices into a work that demonstrates your personal idiosyncrasies and specific aesthetic sense?

The word Listen caught my attention in this prompt. How does listening change your perspective? Reading and collecting words is easy. Would listening work as well?

One of my favorite poets is Naomi Shihab Nye. I’ve had the privilege of seeing her live and meeting her in a workshop setting. But this is a new school year, and I hadn’t brought her voice into the room yet. I selected a video from the Dodge Poetry Festival, one I had actually attended, so I could tell the kids, “I was there!” If you haven’t heard this poem, it is hilarious and much more so from the actual voice of Naomi Shihab Nye. She wrote things her 2-3 year-old-son actually said.

I instructed my students to collect words while they listened. Some lists were long. Others had nothing. So I asked the ones who wrote to share their words. “If you don’t have any words, you can steal these.”

I love this kind of writing prompt because you never know where the words will take you. A few of the students wrote their own random poems, a list of nonsensical sentences. This was OK with me because the intent of the experience was to hear poetry and play with language. We don’t play enough with words. Poetry is playing. You can read all of the poems on this padlet.

I want to share a few here also. My poem is written for that student who constantly sings aloud in the classroom. You know the ones who have a beat to their step.

Music leaps into her ears
down to her toes.
Tap, tap!
Her feet gallop across the floor.
Bit-a-bit-bit!

Notes fill the cup,
spill over her lips
like dictionaries for songs.

I would miss her singing.
I would miss her jumping feet.
I would miss loving her.
–Margaret Simon

Erin is only in 4th grade. When I read her poem, which she wrote covering two white boards, I told her she had the wisdom of a 65 year old. I also told her that she created a question/ answer form in her poem.

What is love?

Love is when you want a person to be your Valentine
so bad you want to gallop away with them.

What is love like?
Love is like a swing.
It can bring you up
or take you down.

Is love hard?
Love is like a peanut,
hard on the outside
but sweet on the inside.

What can love do to you?
Love can make you talk gibberish.
Love can make you dance the night away to soulful music.

What can love feel like?
Love can feel hard like a pecan cookie
or be soft like an ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookie.

What can love make you feel like?
Love can make you feel
like you are close by your
Valentine when you are truly
one thousand miles apart.

Love can be the best
or worst thing in the world.

–Erin, 4th grade

Emily is also one who is wise beyond her years. She picked up on Naomi’s opening when she said that we are all born poets, just some of us keep it up.

Life

It is hard being a person
But, living is a gift that is given,
and all metal was liquid first,
and all people have to find their way to be.

Everyone is born with poetry,
but not all people stick with it.

You know when you find your thing
when you have music in your legs
and jazz in your toes.

–Emily, 5th grade

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Healing Music

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged Cajun music, Cowboy Jazz, Healin' Song, Jo-El Sonnier on November 5, 2015| 4 Comments »

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

Holly invites us to reflect on our spiritual journey every Thursday. This week I’ve been thinking about healing.

Music is such a healing medicine. One of my favorite bands in our area is Stop the Clock Cowboy Jazz. The group includes 10, sometimes more, musicians. Ever since the Lafayette shooting, Kelly sings “Smile.” No matter what, this song stirs something in me. I could replace the word smile with hope. Hope though your heart is aching. God’s love offers hope, no matter what.

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky
you’ll get by.

If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
For you.

Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever so near

That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying.
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile-
If you just smile.

Read more: Charlie Chaplin – Smile Lyrics | MetroLyrics

I saw this video posted on Facebook. The song was written by Jo-El Sonnier, a Cajun musician, and performed by a number of local musicians. The Healin’ Song was originally written in 2001 after 9/11, but was not recorded until after the shooting at the Grand Theater in Lafayette. Whenever musicians get together and share their love of music and culture and place, healing can happen. The Acadiana community has bonded and become a stronghold for us.

Turning to music in times of grief is nothing new. The Psalms are just that, songs written for healing.

Sacred words,
words in verse,
words in song
carry a rhythm into your heart,
a beat that can bring life back
to the darkest places
and let light shine through
to warm,
to soothe,
to heal
and make new.

Joanne Shih lettering

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Mother of the Bride Serial 2

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Magic Mike, Michael Doucet, mother-of-the-bride, wedding on November 3, 2015| 20 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for Tuesdays Slice of Life Challenge.

I continue to be the worst mother-of-the-bride. This time I laughed until I cried.

My daughter Katherine is planning to get married next fall. She has put me in charge of music. She wanted her father and me to choose a band that we would enjoy dancing to. This is very thoughtful of her because she appreciates that we are Zydeco/ Cajun band ~~snobs~~ experts.

I, too, love classical music and especially the violin. My grandmother for whom I was named was a violinist. Even though I never met her or heard her play, I feel a chill on my spine when I hear a violin solo.

In both the Cajun and Zydeco traditions, the violin, called the fiddle, is a prominent instrument. One of my favorite Cajun musicians is Michael Doucet of Beau Soliel. He is also one of my favorite people ever since I taught his son 18 or so years ago.

borrowed from Facebook

Michael Doucet is fairly famous in the music world. He’s won a few grammies. He’s recorded umpteen albums. He performs at local festivals, but also on stages all over the world. Garrison Keillor has dubbed Beau Soliel “the best Cajun band in the world.”

I decided on a whim to send Michael Doucet a Facebook message expressing my sincere wish that he would be available to play for the ceremony. Even though I feel he is a friend, I was nervous about asking such a famous musician to play for our little wedding.

A day or so later, I got a response, “Well you have certainly given me enough notice.” Hmm, I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He hadn’t said yes or no. I just didn’t respond.

The other night on the way home from the movie, I checked my Facebook messenger on my phone. Still feeling weird about his response, I decided to look at it again. It was then that I realized I had messaged Michael Dardant, not Michael Doucet.

You know how FB predicts who you are writing a message to? I’m sure that’s what happened. I typed in Michael D and clicked on the first name that came up. Duh! (head thump!)

Michael Dardant may be planning what he will do for Katherine’s wedding. Apparently he has done a wedding before. I have written about him here on this blog. He’s Magic Mike, the world famous MAGICIAN!

I sent Katherine a text, “How would you feel about having a magician at your wedding?”

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GRA and Random Acts of Kindness

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Digital Learning, Gratitude, Writing, tagged #GRAFIAT, #GRARAC, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Fish in a Tree, Global Read Aloud, kindness on November 1, 2015| 3 Comments »

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Participating in the Global Read Aloud has changed the tone in my classroom. As I’ve mentioned before, we are reading Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. The story is realistic and takes place in a 6th grade classroom where there are all types of kids, the cut-up, the bully, the follower, the smart one, and Ally who believes she is dumb. My students are getting a good long look at these characters. They talk about them as if they know them. We are starting to even use them as labels, “Don’t be a Shay.” (Shay is the smart-aleck bully.)

This week was Global Read Aloud Random Acts of Kindness week. We watched a video from Amy Krouse Rosenthall, an author whose book is also part of Global Read Aloud. In her video, she does kindness pranks by leaving a box of Ding Dongs at random houses, ringing the doorbell, and running away. My kids loved this idea. They wanted to do it to the teachers, Teacher Pranks.

One student brought in two containers of rocks from Walmart. Her idea came from Cynthia Lord, to write a word message on each rock. They wrote words like love, brave, kindness, etc. on each rock. I brought in brown lunch bags, and with the help of the art teacher, they decorated them. We also had candy and made a batch of lavender bath salts using Epsom Salt. Would you like to get a gift bag like this? My kids made their Halloween party into a Kindness party. They even managed to be sneaky without being crazy.

Bath salts: Epsom salt, food coloring, and lavender scent.

Kindness rocks

Last week we wrote Fib poems. I posted about them here. I invite any class reading Fish in a Tree to write Fib poems about the characters and add it to our padlet.

If you have written a recent Digital Literacy post, please leave a link.

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