Haiku? Rhyme? Diamante? This year, our class really focused on free verse poetry. We found that it is difficult with no boundaries, no limits, no rules. However, as this year’s poetry unit comes to a close and our Anthology’s are handed in, there is really a lot to celebrate! Way to go!
One of our inspirations for writing poetry was to get inspiration from the outdoors. Everyone grabbed a clipboard, blank paper and pencil, and found a quiet spot to observe, listen, reflect on the sights and sounds and anything else that inspired the students to write. After we constructed the poem, we created some artwork using plasticine and an empty CD case from which to display the art. The art, along with the student’s poem, will hang on the bulletin board outside the classroom.
We took a lot of direction for our plasticine work from Canadian author, illustrator, Barbara Reid. We watched segments of the videos she has posted on her website. Here is one of the 3 we watched parts of:
Our class today did a 45 minute lesson on staying safe online. This was a very important lesson that led us to watch 2 youtube videos about cyberbullying and posting online. We took a close look at each video, watching each all the way through, then pressing pause throughout the second time watching it, to analyze and discuss what was going on. The 2 videos are shown below.
Tips for Staying Safe Online:
1. Before you publish a post, re-read and check for appropriateness and politeness.
2. Ask your parents or an adult to check your work over before you publish
3. Be true to who you are.
4. When posting a picture, be sure it’s one that you don’t mind being “out there”, or don’t post one at all.
5. Don’t post personal information such as last names, addresses, email, phone number, etc.
6. Be cautious of chat rooms and people who may contact you.
7. If your parents were sitting next to you, what would they say before you posted something?
8. Protect your passwords and change them every so often.
9. Be kind to everyone.
10. Only post things you would say or do to a person’s face.
