What can you hear? What can you feel? Did you see that? Is what you are tasting or smelling stirring a storyline?
Our fifth graders found inspiration outdoors, as they were tasked with penning what they sensed in their writer’s notebooks. Students sat in our garden and on our benches, perched in trees and on steps, enjoyed the babbling of the brook, and reflected on Mrs. Shannon’s Bridge as they documented the sensations they felt in those spaces. Some tasted luscious ripe tomatoes and wrote about that quintessentially “summery” flavor. Others watched butterflies flutter on the coneflowers, and created tales about what flight might feel like for those winged creatures.
It was a beautiful way to spend the morning – surrounded by nature and our thoughts, pencils in hand, and inspired by our senses!
On September 11th, fifth grade writing students were shown a solitary image: a gnarled, charred, and broken tree standing amidst rubble, buildings, and construction vehicles. Together we analyzed the photograph. What did we notice? How could we caption this? Using our five senses, what could we imagine sensing in this scene if we were there? If we were the tree itself, perhaps?
The writers were charged with crafting a short story in their new writers’ notebooks inspired by the image. The students took on the voice of the tree or building, detailing fantastical adventures and observations. Some wrote about the relationship between humanity and nature. Others described the juxtaposition between the wild branches and the steely stark background, and sought to bridge that gap with interesting characters.
At the end of writing time, the students learned that this tree was known as the Survivor Tree – over a month after the 9/11 attacks, it had been discovered under ash and rubble at Ground Zero. Initially thought dead, rescuers noticed bright green leaves unfurling on a branch. Nimbly, they removed and transplanted the callery pear tree and nursed it back to health. The Survivor Tree was later returned to the September 11th Memorial in New York City – over 30 feet taller, decked in the springtime with lush, white blooms. We listened to poetry about the tree, and viewed a short animated film about it.
As a class, we considered what message we should take from the Survivor Tree. We thought about what role writing new tales featuring this tree might play. Could creating a new narrative for this survivor breathe new life into it? Can writing reshape and instill hope?
This exercise was a truly peaceful and inspiring way for us to access a difficult topic, and resulted in some beautiful writing samples by our fifth graders.
We had our first weekly collaboration with our fifth grade social studies buddies on Thursday. During this time, Mr. Kayumba and I hope to explore the many nuances of cultures and diversity with our students. There will also be a weekly literature collaboration with the other section of the fifth grade class. We spent this first meeting getting to know each other. The fifth graders were asked to interview their kindergarten buddies and find out basic information like their names and hobbies as well as tell them about themselves. Then we challenged them to also share more personal information like fears and things they struggle with. It was a great opportunity to learn things we never knew about each other and break the ice. Some buddies found that despite the age difference they had lots in common. I even learned things about my former kindergartners who are now in fifth grade that were totally surprises to me!
Over 52,300 minutes
406 typed pages
16 published authors
For the past 35 days, the fifth graders have worked tirelessly to craft incredible stories for their end-of-year capstone project in our Writing Seminar. The students spun tales of space exploration and deep sea adventures, unexpected romance and evil villains set on global domination, shipwrecked explorers and globe trekkers, complex family dynamics and pet rescue, haunted houses and intrepid competitors, and the triumph over adversity – both real and virtual. Not only did our students create beautiful works of fiction, but they also designed gorgeous illustrations and learned how to bind their books. We meticulously glued, stitched, and taped each tale by hand; our authors are now able to add their very own stories to their bookshelves.
To celebrate all of this hard work, we invited families to attend our Authors & Artists Capstone Event on May 29. We sipped on lemonade and nibbled on treats as fifth graders shared excerpts from their books to a beaming and engaged audience. It was a very special morning filled with pride and accomplishment. Our year together may be coming to a close, but the skills and joy we found together will be treasured for many years to come.
In our literature course, the fifth graders have explored themes of personal responsibility, family, courage, and the process of dealing with hardship through their novel study of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. This account, written by Eleanor Corr, details the story of a brave Japanese girl after the drop of the atomic bomb. Our class explored the importance of family and the need for healthy coping mechanisms in the face of challenges. Working with Ms. Ponden in Visual Arts, the students created small emblems/totems that are unique to them. These items will serve as a source of strength and comfort during challenging times, similar to the paper cranes that offered Corr’s protagonist faith and hope while dealing with a debilitating illness. This experience allowed for our author-artists to reflect upon the ways our families and loved ones support us during life’s trials and tribulations, and how we can endeavor to be more in touch with ourselves.
In fifth grade performing arts we always start with a vocal warm up. One of the class favorites is the tongue twisting melody of Many Mumbling Mice. Students always end up putting their own movement to this bouncy song and are full of laughter and smiles! What a great way to start start class!