I have finally begun the John Adams book. I read his statement to his son about how if you have a poem in your pocket, you are never alone. I walked my 5th grade students across town to read the fairy tales they had written and illustrated, to the class of 1st graders we have been writing to all year. When we arrived at their class, they recited the poem " If There is a Poem in Your Pocket." Their recitation made me smile. Later when we returned to our class I read the short section from the book and we had a great discussion. I love that my being better informed leads my students to a broader view of their world. Making connections with meaning is powerful.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thanks for your ideas. I am in the middle of a poetry unit and am sad I missed April 29 - 'A poem in your pocket day'. I read to my students a poem by that title and the selection from the book about John Quincy needing to read poetry on pg.260 . We also had a good discussion about poetry, John Quincy's age and need to study the classics and where my 14 year old students fit into this 'scheme of things.' After reading the poem, we wrote and shared journal writings of "What Do I think about right before I go to sleep at night?" It was fun to hear if they have a poem or picture in their heads. Fun lesson for me.
ReplyDeleteYou got it right when you said, "Being better informed leads my students to a broader view of the world. Making connections with meaning is powerful." I have to say that is true for me as well as my students.
ReplyDelete