English class is off to a wonderful start. So far, I have enjoyed getting to know each of your students on personal and academic bases. It has been easy to do this because of the work we have been doing in class. The students have been writing poems focused on what makes them unique individuals. As a model, they read “Where I'm From” by George Ella Lyon. Then the students brainstormed about themselves, focusing on memories, family, vacations, favorite foods, and other topics. Utilizing a repeating line for rhythm and descriptive and figurative language for elaboration, the students incorporated some of their ideas into a poem. This writing process yielded unique, descriptive poems that are reflections of the students’ individuality.
For our next unit of study, the students will be reading argumentative essays about kids and screen time. This pairs nicely with the work the students will be doing in Writing, which focuses on argumentative essays about plastic surgery. I expect that both will be fun and rigorous units.