Extension for the "Avid Reader/ Writer"

 

In the "Writing in our Diverse Schools" training we saw a writing sample of a student who created a scrapbook diary of a Buffalo Soldier.  It was truly compelling.  I am still in the process of finding the teacher's name to give her credit for this amazing idea.

The character diary can be used for nonfiction books such as Harriet Tubman, and the Freedom Train or Helen Keller.  There are small group reading sets of  both books in our very own reading room.  So this writing response would be great for a guided reading group or introducing the concept of writing biographies. The student could create a scrapbook diary through the perspective of that person as a response to reading or as part of a writing unit.  I've attached a guided reading study guide for both books.  I often times find myself frantically trying to pull books at the last minute for reading groups or spending late nights pulling out important information in the text for my Guided Reading Lessons.  I hope that the study guide gives you a head start.:)  I want to give a special shout out to Cale and Greer.  Their book room is filled with Guided Reading lessons to accompany their books.  They are all teacher created.  Only a teacher would know exactly what a fellow teacher needs. The Helen Keller Writing Prompt Focuses on understanding the world from the character's point of view.  It says, "If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would it be and why..."  To add more depth to the prompt you could require students to choose two... Click below for the printable version.
Helen Keller Writing Prompt


Special Note: You could also personify a continent, state, or planet.  If you decide to use this template for fiction, the student would create a fictional character and write from their point of view.

Building excitement with the "Aloof Writer"

Teacher-student journals help to build relationships while increasing purposeful writing time.  Ten writing prompts are also included.

Engaging the "Reluctant Writer"

Writing can be a hands on experience too!  You can stimulate the student's thinking by giving them a tangible object to use as a writing topic.  This can also be a homework activity where students bring in and write about an object that is significant to their history.  Gloria Rockhold brought an object that represents her family's history.  My students really enjoyed learning about her cultural background.  She is bilingual, and this is always a plus.  Check out the kid-friendly template I created.

Black History Museum

Check out the slide show!

Cale currently has LIFE SIZE pictures of important figures in African American history.  An extensive display like this makes such a strong statement about what the school values.  Karen Garland, Cale' s Diversity Resource Teacher, created a school wide sign up sheet.  Teachers allowed their students to walk through the building and write about what they learned through the use of graphic organizers.  Teachers chose an individual from their grade level SOLs or a minority figure that they were drawn to.

Cale teachers please leave a comment describing your students' response to this activity.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

Mrs. Jasper's Class discuss and explore this multicultural text.  Check out the student comments.

Writing as a Cultural Liason

"The root word of the word authority is author."
Jane Hansen (Director of the Central Virginia Writing Project)
Maggie Morris (Diversity Resource Teacher Crozet)

Planning Writing through the Culturally Responsive Teaching Lens
Ten Questions to Ponder

1. What are my students' strengths? Are they bilingual - That's a strength
2. Did my students have a "choice" in the assignment?
3. What supports do I need to put in place to set my student up for success?
4. Have I provided or shared reading materials that reflect the cultural experience and interests of my students?
5. Do my students need specific checklist to monitor their writing progress?
6. Have a I created a safe community for my students to share their writing?
7. When writing nonfiction pieces of writing, am I allowing the necessary time for students to become "experts" ?
8. What strategies can I use to motivate and stimulate writing?
9. When you examine your students' work, "What does the study show that the writer does not yet know?" (Maggie Morris and Jane Hansen)
10. Can students use their own language as a jump start? (Art, Music, and/ or writing in their native language?

"Where I'm From"

I am currently working on a school wide bulletin board with our student names connected to their parents' native country.  Classes will be working on the "Where I'm From" poem template during National Poetry month (April).  It's a work in progress, but I find that students are very intrigued by this working display.

MLK Student Leadership Awards

One student from each homeroom class at Woodbrook Elementary was selected for our MLK Leadership Awards.  Mrs. Molinaro and I hosted a breakfast and Award Ceremony to recognize students for the following traits:  Bravery, Courage, Empathy, Respect, Responsibility, and Assertion.  The event left me speechless.  Students were so proud of their accomplishments.  Each students had at least one parent or more supporting them in the audience.  I shared that the purpose of this event was to illuminate the best in our students while celebrating the legacy of one of America's most influential minority leaders.  Mrs. Molinaro read exerts of MLK's speech.  We will be having a school wide assembly next year where students will honor each other.