Morning, all. Sleepy Sy this morning, which means a shorter post. Sorry. Wanted to share some of our work with Elie’s speech from the past few days.

Goals

1. Set the stage for Night. We approach it from an injustice standpoint.
2. Give kids the opportunity and tools (SOAPSTone) to dig deeply into non-fiction.
3. Provide a frame for the importance of words in analysis.
4. Create collaborative opportunities for kids.
5. Emphasize contribution and commitment to our learning community.
6. Provide opportunities for kids to discover relevance in Elie’s message.
7. Give kids a chance to share their voices.

 

Celebrations

1. Kids were honest. and I was honest about “words.” Of course, I want them to be diligent “word looker uppers.” Some are. Most aren’t, citing laziness. I told them that my hope is that they came to find value in knowing–really knowing words–from their experiences with me. I won’t make them do it. I want them to commit for themselves. But I did have an angle of influence. I asked them to contribute to our community by providing a definition or synonym for the seven key terms from the speech. They got behind that.
2. Kids found and shared their voices. They constantly amaze with their insights and wisdom.
3. Kids linked Elie’s words and world to their world, pointing to Time’s “Person of the Year,” as a contemporary example of the necessity of confronting injustice.

It has been a pleasure to live and learn with my fine young people. They surprise and amaze me every day. They give me hope. They give me hope that they may indeed come to own the notion that they can, that they must contribute to their world now and later. It is their world, and it is real. And they can make a difference.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…have time to read Night.

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Friday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.