Ornaments

 

Yesterday I shared a Christmas story with Mrs. Barrett's class about a man who purchases the tree that no one wants and nurtures it into a beautiful Christmas tree. The main character. Mr Crockett, shares a beautiful truth - "living things need love and care".  

After our book, we made Christmas ornaments. 

Take a Code Break!

Learning at Home Challenges

I'm not talking about Morse Code, although that would be awesome too. This is coding on computers. This is learning a new language, computer language. If you need a challenge, or you are interested in computers and technology, try this site, Code.org. They are offering live lessons on Wednesdays at 1pm  - a different challenge each week. This activity is for all ages and all skill levels. I might give it a try as well!

Last Day of April

Here is my last poetry challenge! 

Copy Change Poetry

It's hard to take a great picture
of Maisie because she is almost
always moving!

Take a poem you know and love, and borrow its structure to create your own poem. 

My dog Maisie is the inspiration for my copy change poem. Maisie is the definition of unbridled enthusiasm and unconditional love. Since she is not a small dog, sometimes her energy and exuberance are overwhelming.

My Poem

I have always love "Fog" by Carl Sandburg because he captured the nature of a cat and compared it with fog so seamlessly. I used his format to compare Maisie to a storm, since we are expecting rain and windy weather all day. Now I'm not a poet, but this is still a fun poetry exercise that anyone can try. I would recommend choosing a short poem or even song lyrics and remaking them into your own. 

Poetry in April

This Prezi by Andrea Taylor (I don't know this person, but I love this quick and thorough poetry lesson) would have been a great way to start the poetry month in April. We used Prezis quite a bit back in 2014, but I haven't made one since then. Apparently, others have continued to refine the process.
I think for my final poetry challenge this month, I want students to digitize their favorite poem. It can be a poem they created, song lyrics by a favorite artist, a Bible Verse, or a favorite poem. Prezi is a great equalizer in that everyone has access to the same tools and resources in creating their work (if we were at school - at home, some of us have better internet than others). Maybe I will have some great work to post here soon!

Blackout Poetry Again

The tree image on the left is Little Branches by C.B. Wentworth. The one on the right is my first attempt in digital blackout poetry. 

A Challenge

I think the most challenging part of this project for me was finding a text digitally to use with my blackout poetry. I also struggled to find an image that I felt matched the content of my poem. I hope my students will give it a try. 

Still, an advantage of digital blackout poetry is that I didn't have to draw a guy jumping. I love how C.B. Wentworth created his little branches and trees in his poem, but I could never do anything similar. Therefore, digital offers a way for non-artist types like myself to create images to match our poems. 

Try Something New!

BlackOut Poetry

For several years we have tried blackout poetry at FOMS. We have used old books, damaged books, falling apart books to try our hand at black-out poetry. MaryBeth Thompson introduced me to this digital blackout poetry technique, and I can't wait to give it a try! 

Mrs. Thompson follows @applesand8th on Instagram - so this is another great example of educators sharing resources to positively impact our students!

Yesterday I posted a pet haiku challenge on my Media Explorations google classroom. Today, I am posting a digital blackout poetry challenge. I know our art teacher, Mrs. Bonano, is going to make something amazing and I know my students are up to the challenge! Ms. Braswell also likes blackout poetry. I can't wait to see what everyone puts together. 

Ashley Bible offers this step-by-step instructions on creating blackout poetry in google slides which also features a video. 

Haiku Anyone?

In Celebration of National Poetry Month

I am sharing my Haiku honoring my sweet dog Sally. She has been with us since 2014, and she is the most photogenic dog! With my students, I shared some tips I found for writing a haiku, and I used Sally as my topic. Isn't she precious?

Sally watching me,

Silently waiting for me

Hoping - Let’s go ride!

Here is a wonderful poem from our art teacher!