I+Was+Raised

Borrowing Linda Christensen's idea of her lesson "Raised by Women," I want to allow my students a chance to celebrate where they are from and give thanks to what got them here. By presenting the I Was Raised By poem, I hope to have students explore who they are and begin the understanding of who they are as a person. This activity acts as a way to promote a trusting environment of peers as well and prepare them for some of the heavier lessons that are to come in the few weeks following. I believe it's important to understand yourself, in order to understand other people.

Using Kelly Norman Ellis' poem "[|Raised by Women]," as an example of how this kind of poem works, I want my students to challenge themselves and get creative with this assignment. Some brainstorming ideas that could be addressed before they write is what they want to include in their poem, which details, what focus.

The read around after they have completed their poems is the beginning step of building a community in the classroom. I want my students to know each other, share their thoughts, and have positive peer interactions. Poetry has the nice ability of bringing students together and building a community that is full of trust.

During each read around, the class will be sitting in a circle so everyone is able to see one another. When a reader reads their piece, all attention is on them. Their peers then write positive comments, take notes of what they enjoyed in their peers works, and shares these positive thoughts with them.