Favorite Poem...

My favorite poem is one I had to memorize in elementary school. We got to pick any poem we wanted to memorize so I chose to memorize “Sick” by Shel Silverstein...

"I cannot go to school today,"

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

"I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I'm going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I've counted sixteen chicken pox

And there's one more--that's seventeen,

And don't you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--

It might be instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I'm sure that my left leg is broke--

My hip hurts when I move my chin,

My belly button's caving in,

My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,

My 'pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb.

I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?

What's that? What's that you say?

You say today is. . .Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

I loved this poem and really enjoyed memorizing it because of its flow and I always thought it was funny. I think in my future classroom I could incorporate a similar lesson by giving the children a chance to pick a poem of their choosing and memorize it. They could also take a poem and instead of memorizing it, maybe they would write “what the next part” of the poem could be. For example, with my poem “Sick” I would have to write the next stanzas about what happens to Peggy Ann McKay since she faked being sick because she thought she could stay home from school, or what she chose to do outside on her Saturday since she really didn’t have school. Another extension could be having the students write a poem on a time they faked sick or were really sick and what happened to them. Did they stay home from school? Where they really sick? What did they do on their “sick day?”

"Magic Talk"

In class we used the technique “magic talk.” This was a new experience for me that I had never heard of before and obviously had never done before either. I really liked this technique and can see why it would be so useful in the classroom. I liked it for a few different reasons. It is a great way to allow students to think about their reaction(s) to a statement and then write their response. It also means that this student will not only be tied to what he or she said because they have written it on the board. I also liked this method because ever student would get a chance to think up and write up their opinion without having to raise his or her hand and wait to be called on. This technique is also great for those who do not like to speak out very often or maybe can’t speak.

This activity was definitely challenging for me. I felt like there were at times multiple discussions and thoughts being put on the board. I see this as a positive aspect of the activity but it was challenging for me to keep up. I also was consumed with what everyone was writing and really thinking about what they were writing about and how it related to the statement on the board. I have always been a visual leaner and I thought this activity was great for those who are more visual. I can definitely see myself using this in my classroom. It is great because it can be used at all ages and grades!

Conferencing with Peers...

I felt that the conferencing session with my peers was overall helpful. I thought it was helpful because I was comfortable enough with my peers to allow them to read my paper and give me positive and negative feedback. I usually do not have anyone read or review papers that I write. I felt this experience will encourage me to do so in the future though for a couple different reasons. First of all, my peers were able to make suggestions that I myself would not have thought to do. Secondly, they were able to spot errors that I probably would not have caught and provide suggestions to make my paper stronger.

I remember doing peer editing and peer revising in the classroom in middle school and upper elementary school. I think it is a good practice for the classroom because it takes the child out of their comfort zone and allows the peer to provide the writer with a new perspective. I think a con of this practice would be the student not feeling comfortable having someone else read his or her work. I remember when I was in elementary and middle school always worrying that who ever was going to read my paper would think it was horrible! I feel that it is harder for some children to share their work but providing them with the opportunities to do so will allow them to become more comfortable over time and better readers and writers.