LOL Librarian

As a former classroom teacher, I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that one of the things to get bumped out of our schedule during a hectic week was the read aloud. I know, it's the last thing that should go but in the rush to complete, reflect, post, it was often done. I'm not alone in this and that's why having a good old 'Drop, Everything, And Read' session to celebrate International Litearcy Day worked.  It was heartening to see the number of classes who participated, and enjoyed doing it. Teachers and students alike kicked back, relaxed and read. DEAR sessions have their place in the world, and this is the 5th country in which I've tried it. An important component for teachers participating is to model, either by reading aloud or reading along side the students.  The students need freedom to enjoy as well, and should be able to read whatever genre or format they wish. Too much structure destroys the joy of these sessions. The video below shows us loving l...

People use poetry to share ideas and feelings. This is the idea that is central to the students poetry inquiry this month. Students are exploring forms, how they connect to poetry and why people write poetry.   Although poetry is not officially found in the common core standards, students are expected to explore a variety of genres and have an understanding of figurative language. Poetry is the perfect avenue to do this. Personally, poetry isn't my favourite genre. It is one that I chose to read for my own reading pleasure. However, I do appreciate and can value it as a form of expression. Keeping in mind this quote by Leonardo Da Vinci I introduced students to some powerful poetry. For older students this included Frida's works, which include her famous portraits as well as her lesser known verses. I help the students connect with her by explaining she is of mixed heritage, like many of them, her parents were Mexican and Jewish Hungarian.  Since we are in Eastern Europe I als...