Poetry Palooza!

How does a teacher keep her 6th grade students engaged as writers during the days leading up to the winter break?  Host a Poetry Palooza, of course!  

Poetry creation rotation stations allowed the kids to move around, to share ideas, and to be their best creative-thinking, problem-solving selves all week long.  These student-centered activities allowed students to build off of their background knowledge and apply their understanding of literary devices and structural elements of poetry, while having the freedom to wholeheartedly create and enjoy the writing process. Two words: total engagement. Students created a variety of poetry, including blackout poetry, book spine poetry, paint card poetry, flip side poetry, roll-the-dice poetry, newspaper poetry, found poetry, magnetic poetry and haiku.  A culmination of the week's activities resulted in 'Open Mic Friday', where, with the help of our energetic emcees, Paige and Ross, students presented their poems orally to the class. Here are just a few examples of some of the glorious poetry that was created this week: 

Welcome, Professor Schilde!

As part of our European Migration Crisis PBL unit, we invited Dr. Kaija Schilde, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Boston University's Pardee School of Global Studies, to speak with us via Skype about the current status of this global crisis.

Students engaged in a thoughtful and productive dialogue with Dr. Schilde on issues relating to European points of entry, movement within the European Union, border patrols, migration journeys and realities and outcomes of seeking asylum in Europe.  Dr. Schilde was most impressed with the questions and depth of knowledge students had regarding this global issue. She truly seemed to enjoy the conversation with students as much as they did.  

Interested in knowing what questions the students asked Dr. Schilde?  Here are some of them:

• What happens to refugees when they arrive in Europe?
• Why are some European countries denying refugees entry into their country?
• What is the current status of refugees being able to enter Greece and Italy?
• What is the future of the economies in Syria and other conflicted regions?
• How is mass migration affecting the culture of Europe?
• How has the refugee crisis affected Europe’s economy?
• What happens when countries have so many people leaving that they no longer have enough people to perform important jobs?
• How does mass migration affect Europe’s sustainability?
• How many refugees actually go back to their home country?
• What happens at border patrol checkpoints?
• If a refugee is denied asylum, what happens to them?

We are most thankful to Dr. Schilde for her time, thoughtful analysis and commentary.  It was a wonderful experience for students to be exposed to ideas relating to this topic from the perspective of a true thought leader and an expert in the field. The opportunity not only enhanced students' learning experience, but allowed them to build a relationship with another global partner. Even better, the conversation continued long after the Skype session was over.  

The European Migration Crisis: A Project-Based Learning Unit

Students in my social studies classes have started working on a project-based learning (PBL) unit related to the European Migration Crisis. Students are investigating a variety of issues related to this topic, including:

• Why people have had to flee their homes and/or their countries
• Movement options
• Land vs. sea journeys
• Migration routes from Africa and the Middle East to Europe
• Redistribution of refugees across the European Union

The guiding question throughout their investigation is:

What effects does mass migration have on a country's culture, economy and sustainability?

Part of this PBL requires students to investigate and analyze European migration routes.  Students are creating interactive Google maps (maps imbedded with multimedia content) to apply their understanding of the various demographic groups of refugees and the unlikely routes they must take during their perilous journeys. More importantly, they have discovered some of the challenges refugees face as they seek safety, and that while their futures may be uncertain, many remain steadfast in their efforts to reach their desired European destination and begin a new life that is founded on safety, freedom and prosperity. 

The maps are a work-in-progress, but should be completed by Friday. This has been quite a transformative learning experience for students and one that they are looking forward to sharing with a wider audience. Ask your child to share their map with you at home. 

Stay tuned for more information on the final phase of this project which requires students to analyze the economies, demographics and unemployment rates of countries in the European Union and from that, determine possible solutions for redistributing refugees across the European Union.  

Creating interactive Google maps for refugee migration routes

In the spirit of giving...

Our class participated in a local community service project, supporting an initiative led by the Community Giving Tree here in Boxford.  The Community Giving Tree's mission is to help low-income families in northeastern MA raise healthy children by providing recycled clothing, baby equipment, and other basic necessities. Every year, CGT distributes these much-needed items to more than 10,000 children. One of the items they look for, particularly during the cold weather season, are new blankets.  Students decided to earn a few dollars by doing extra chores around the house and in their neighborhoods.  They then donated their earnings toward the purchase of materials needed to make no-sew fleece blankets.

Realizing that we needed lots of room for this project (given the size of each of the blankets), we gathered in the gymnasium to make the blankets.  Students worked in pairs to make a total of nine double-sided, fleece blankets. It was great fun to see how much enjoyment the children were getting out of making them, knowing the blankets would eventually make their way into grateful hands. 

Love these kids!