Poetry

April is National Poetry Month and we have been reading loads of poetry. Last week the children began writing their own poems and as always I was blown away with their ability to choose words that relay meaning and include creative design and emotion. The first thing we learn about poems is that they break all the rules of writing that we have been studying . . . boy do they love that! It's truly a beautiful thing to watch a child share a newly written poem and ask others to help bring it to life. Bringing a poem to life involves creating line breaks and moving words or phrases around to sound better. This week the children will be posting some of their work on their own blogs.

Every Friday afternoon we have a team meeting. As always the meeting ends with "recognitions". Recognitions are when one student recognizes another for something they did that was safe, kind, or responsible. This past Friday a second graders recognition brought the adults to tears. It went as follows, "I would like to recognize Jamie for helping me get better at jump roping. He told me that all I needed was to be more confident. I believed in myself and now I am really good. It's nice to know that other kids are looking out for me." Amazing!

Little Bird Tales

The children have learned how to use a fantastic web based publishing site called Little Bird Tales. First everyone had to register within the site using their school email address. After having completed a story (a very short story so that we can get right to publishing for a larger audience) the task of creating art work and typing in the text began. Finally, reading and recording the story for all to hear. Saving our work was the biggest stumbling stone! Some pages required 2 saves while others only one. Everyone seems to have it down after a bit of trial and error and we are beginning to publish the stories on the sidebar of the blog as well as their own individual blogs (we really need to get back into those and publish more of our work). Enjoy listening to their sweet voices . . . it's really a treat!

Here's a tutorial if you would like to know more about Little Bird Tales. Given that this tool is web based the children can access their accounts from anywhere! Little Bird Tales