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Not every student is made to be a mentor. A common thought about gifted kids is to encourage them to mentor other students. As a teacher of gifted, I’ve seen students who work well with other students and I’ve seen those who don’t. I feel it is important to know a student well before pushing him/her to help other students.
I haven’t taught Chloe long, but I knew she would make a great mentor. She is confident without being condescending. She’s enthusiastic about whatever we are doing in class and spreads that enthusiasm. So when I asked her if she wanted to teach her regular class about color poems, she literally jumped up and down.
At NCTE I grabbed an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Polly Diamond and the Magic Book by Alice Kuipers and Diana Toledano. I also picked up a teacher’s guide which led me to the color poem pattern from Read, Write, Think. (Polly writes a color poem that her teacher loves.) Chloe wanted to write a color poem like Polly.
First she chose her favorite color, pink, and made a list of pink things. We talked about figurative language and how she could use it in her poem. Chloe wrote this poem:
Pink is cotton candy.
Pink is a horn of a unicorn.
Pink is my blanket.
Pink is a flower.
Pink tastes like bubble gum.
Pink smells like a rose.
Pink sounds like a violin.
Pink feels like a pillow.
Pink looks like my mom’s lips.
Pink makes me beautiful.
Pink is magnificent!
When Chloe shared her poem with her classmates, they were ready to write their own. Having a form helped. Her friends selected their own favorite colors and used the form to guide their writing in their writing notebooks. As she walked from group to group, Chloe checked in to see what they needed help with. She was patient and helpful. Her classmates were focused and serious about their writing. Chloe was a proud teacher.
Writing is hard work!
by second grader Kelsie.
Reflections on the Teche 