For four days this week, I soaked in academia life in a wonder space that I created for five passionate teacher/grad students at Molloy College's ELA Summer Institute. While people around us were basking in the warmth of summer days, we were heating up our conversations and igniting sparks in our wonder space.
As a tight-knit community of practitioners, we noticed, wondered, explored, and discovered new pathways to develop lifelong readers and writers who wonder and create, 21st-century style. Sparks flew and relationships grew each day. A community of connected educators formed as we engaged in critical thinking, creating, collaborating, and communicating. From collective commitment, perseverance and a good amount of grit and risktaking, authentic, standards-based learning experiences developed in our creativity playground. The teachers moved beyond their comfort zone many times to don the role of curriculum designers, ready to start September off with the motto #StartStrong.
As a tight-knit community of practitioners, we noticed, wondered, explored, and discovered new pathways to develop lifelong readers and writers who wonder and create, 21st-century style. Sparks flew and relationships grew each day. A community of connected educators formed as we engaged in critical thinking, creating, collaborating, and communicating. From collective commitment, perseverance and a good amount of grit and risktaking, authentic, standards-based learning experiences developed in our creativity playground. The teachers moved beyond their comfort zone many times to don the role of curriculum designers, ready to start September off with the motto #StartStrong.
Below is a compilation of image poems created on the Bunnee platform by the secondary teachers who studied with me from five different districts on Long Island and in Brooklyn: Cindy Chambers, Christine Gallehugh, Jeanne Glynn, Melanie Picchioni, and Sari Schulman.
Click on the Show Pages button to see the work. You can go to
https://app.edu.buncee.com/buncee/029132ef0e6743028d1ccdcf48b344e5 to see the larger version.
This is one sample of the work that was created at the ELA Summer Institute. From a vulnerable stance, each teacher designed her image poem and subsequently presented her work. An additional surprise followed this activity when Christine replicated the mini-lesson with her five-year-old daughter, Lucy. With her mother's help, Lucy dictated a poem and chose an appropriate image. Lucy's poem will also appear on Twitter under the hashtag, #SpringSplendorGallery. In the future, I will design that global gallery of artistic expressions and send it out globally.
Now, I'm off to be immersed in more poetic goodness at the Poetry Friday Roundup at the blogsite of this week's gracious host, poet/photographer educator, Jone Rush MacCulloch. Jone is sharing a poetry fortune cookie swap sent to her from Tabatha Yeatts, the creator of the Summer Poetry Swap.
*It will be appreciated if you leave a comment for the teachers and Lucy so they can add it to their glow and grow statements. They are newbies to the connected colleague world.
Wow! All those poems are stunning, but Lucy's poem, in it's simple elegance takes the cake for me. Thanks for sharing these.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheriee, for commenting. I appreciate it. Lucy is going to be pleased that you sent a comment about his poem.
DeleteCarol, these poems are wonderful! I love how Buncee makes them look so professional. Each poet had golden lines..."just a minute," "sixty more days," "humming with heart" wonderful collection. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCarol, I meant to add more to my comment...My Seneca Village by Marilyn Nelson is a wonderful way to learn more about Seneca Village which existed on the site of Central Park.
DeleteThank you, Linda, for stopping by to comment. Buncee is a good tool for both educators and students to explore their creativity. Thanks for the additional note about My Seneca Village.
DeleteIt must have been a delight to create together, Carol. These are lovely. I imagine we'll be hearing more about Lucy in the future, that girl who finds poems in daisies.
ReplyDeleteThis week flew by so quickly as my grad students entered the wonder space. I was totally blown away by Lucy's image poem. I do expect her to grow into a wonderful writer because she is an imaginative thinker from what we see.
DeleteLovely!
ReplyDeleteRuth, thank you for commenting. I hope your summer memories linger on in the Haitian heat.
DeleteI love that the roundup begins with Michelle's leadership in creativity and ends with yours. The perfect bookends for a PF roundup! Lucky teachers to have learned alongside you!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, what a lovely comment on teaching students to indulge in their creativity. After the 4-day institute, I felt that I was lucky to have witnessed so many spark of creativity from teachers who will go back into their classrooms to bring the power of poetry, wonder, and creativity.
DeleteIt sounds like a phenomenal week.Those were some lucky teachers to spend it with you.
ReplyDeleteKay, as I just commented to Mary Lee, I not only felt creative during the week but received an enormous amount of energy from my creative grad student teachers.
DeleteI love the poem inside the daisy by Lucy, what a wonderful imagination she has, and great place for a poem to nest. Looks like it was an enriching workshop, thanks for sharing it with us Carol!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle, for stopping by and commenting on Lucy's work. I am still thinking about the institute and what a remarkable experience it was for me to have students in the creativity zone.
DeleteMichelle, thank you for stopping by and commenting on Lucy's image poem. I also thought it was quite creative of her to find a poem inside the daisy. I truly enjoyed my experience with the students last week.
DeleteWhat treasures were created during your four days together! Each image and poem combine seamlessly to create a richer whole. Christine Gallahugh's giraffe poem was a favorite of mine, and the others were impressive as well! Way to go, Lucy! Thanks for sharing all of these!
ReplyDeleteMolly, thank you for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it.
DeleteSuch stunning poems. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJone, I appreciate your stopping by to comment on the teachers' and Lucy's work.
DeleteI definitely enjoy every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
ReplyDelete12x18 playhouse window