• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

January 1, 2014 Classroom Management

Where I'm From: New Year, New Understanding Using Poetry

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Lori H Rice

Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading as well as kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade since 1996. She has a passion for creativity, learning, questioning and the whole child. Her classroom is a place of acceptance and celebrating differences.
  • Bringing Project Based Learning to our Classroom - August 12, 2018
  • Keep the Engagement Alive: Start the Year with Purpose - August 5, 2018
  • It's Our Fault: A Teacher's Confession - March 18, 2018
  • Keeping Your Teaching Real: A Teacher's Role - March 11, 2018
  • Sketch Notes in the Elementary Classroom - February 15, 2017
  • Teach From the Heart - February 9, 2017
  • Who is the Teacher: School or Family? - January 11, 2017
  • Dear President Elect Trump, From Your Teachers - November 17, 2016
  • Let them Be Children - October 21, 2016
  • Print Resources: Great Tools for Kids - October 17, 2016

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]

courtesy epikardia.com

courtesy epikardia.com

I remember watching "Gremlins" in the 80's.  When Randall is sold the Mogwai he is given three specific instructions: never expose it to bright light,  never get it wet and never, ever feed it after midnight.  Accidents happen, life continues with the normal stress it brings, the rules are not always followed and havoc breaks loose.  But, Mogwai came with instructions.  The family knew what needed to be done.  They had a guide.

In the classroom we have 20 plus individuals with their own rules.  Rules we are not given a guide for.  As educators, we know about classroom management and child development.  We understand pedagogy and teaching methods.  But each child is unique and should be respected as such.  If we take the time to learn about our kids as individuals we will better understand their specific instructions.  This will help decrease havoc in the classroom and help when stress, life, and accidents happen.

In a professional development activity last month we read "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon.  This poem tells the history of the writer, the things that have happened and memory she has that make her who she is today.  We listed our own memories and created poems of our own.  I am from generations of  family and love.  Those are the things I circled back to.  It helped me understand myself at a new level.  "What power this would have in a classroom!", I thought.  "What a wonderful way to start the new year."

Start with memories.  This activity could easily be done from Kindergarten through high school level.  Have students use pictures, words, phrases, or sentences to list memories in these areas: PEOPLE (family, friends, classmates, teachers), PLACES, TRADITIONS (holidays and celebrations), SENSES (food, smells), WORDS (sayings, phrases).  Encourage students to work quietly and list as many things as they can remember.  Memories will bring about other memories.  After a quiet time for working, invite volunteers to share anything they have done.  This may spark more memories for others.  They should continue to add to their list.

Then share the poem"Where I'm From"  by Geroge Ella Lyon or your own personal copy with your students.  The next step if for them to use the format to write a free form poem about themselves.  It is about their memories.  It should include what is important to them.  This will give them insight into what makes them the person they are.  Younger kids can be given a fill in the blank format:

Where I"m From

I am from ________________________ (PERSON).

From _____________ and __________________.

I am from ________________________ (PLACE).

From _____________ and __________________.

I am from ________________________ (TRADITION).

From _____________ and __________________.

I am from ________________________ (SENSE).

From _____________ and __________________.

I am from ________________________ (SAYING).

From _____________ and __________________.

Allow students to edit and work through the process of writing with this piece.  For upper grades, students could categorize their brainstorm list before they start.  What are the most important memories and least important.  How can the memories be categorized together?  Encourage students to look for similarities as they begin writing so they can form stanzas build around these connections.

When I wrote my poem I found myself organizing by big ideas.  Many memories overlapped in each category and became stanzas together.  There was a common theme which I used to create my final copy.

Where I'm From by Lori Rice 

I am from family, From only child to big sister.

I am from siblings and stompers, banana seat bikes and music.

Singing to the piano and playing records.

Bickering and laughing and love.

I am from Grandma's kitchen.

Homemade noodles and pie crust cookies.

Rolling everything out on the table,

Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar,

Cookie dough on a spoon, warmth of baking.

I am from togetherness.

Hog roast reunions, cousins, frogs, dirt and sleepovers.

Melted chocolate in the stockings, waiting, the angel on top, Christmas.

Milk carton baskets, penny eggs, and a grand prize dollar.

I am from unconditional love.  Passed around, along, through me.

Working through the process and discovering who they are is the important part for students.  Learning what they value and how students see themselves is the important part for you.  Students may feel comfortable sharing, invite them to read their poem.  Listen to what they find important and where they are from.  This information gives you insight to motivation, interests, connections, and building relationships that will take you through the remainder of the school year.  

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default Thumbnail"I'm Done!" - Challenging Students Who Finish Early Default ThumbnailThe Museum Trip - The Other Side Default ThumbnailTried and True Resources for Curriculum Reinforcement Celebrate National Poetry Month - Summarize With a Poem
« Different Ways of Educating
Adventures in Coaching: Sometimes You Just Have to Teach »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.