B Day Schedule– ELA Workshop

Poem Moment

Students interact with a different creative piece of work each class.  We often recite and analyze poetry but also reflect on artwork and song.  Some well-known poets we enjoy reading are Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson and Maya Angelou.  As a class we “dissect” poetry; making sense of the imagery and clarifying vocabulary that often makes poetry appear difficult to both children and adults alike.  I hope that as the year progresses, my students feel less leery toward poetry and realize the skill necessary to create works of art within limited space and words.  Poetry is a beautiful science that can be both appreciated and mastered!

ELA Writing Mini-lesson

Craft and skill instruction devoted to developing personal voice, organization, strong word choice and fluency in writing (7-10 minutes).

Individual Writing Time

Each student enjoys quiet writing workshop time to apply writing skills taught during the mini-lesson and to compose original works including: memoir, short fiction, poetry, and comparison essays.  After guided instruction in each of the writing formats, each student will spend March-June of the year composing writing of his/her choice.  This is a particularly rewarding time as the students take ownership of their work and creatively extend their ideas in writing.

Conferencing

Students will receive verbal and/or written feedback from both the teacher and peers which can positively enhance personal compositions.  All feedback is respectful, leading to growth and improvement.

Author’s Chair

Students will verbally share current writing pieces and/or lesson activities within the safe and encouraging environment of our classroom.