Saturday, February 7, 2015
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Spring is Here
The arrival of ‘Spring’ has enabled different groups of ESOL
students to think about what they see around them and notice some of the
smallest changes to their environment.
Two groups of students (years 4-6) were asked to think about the
differences that they notice in spring. We shared William Wordsworth’s poem and
discussed the impact the daffodil flower has on us when it is seen in mass. The
students used similes and adjectives to dissect the daffodil in poetic form.
The learning intention was to extend descriptive vocabulary and learn to draw a
comparison between two objects. While
ESOL students often find it difficult to use complex sentences to describe
objects, poetry allows them more flexibility.
These are the results:
Aisha (Year 4)
In spring it feels as though summer has arrived
The days stretch out
The sun shines through my bedroom window
It almost feels like a dream
It’s warm and winter’s over.
Daffodil blooms are like summer flowers
Swirling and twirling in the gentle breeze
Striving to reach the sun.
Nabin (Year 4)
Roots, so natural, yet ugly like arm pit hair
The bulb, big and plump like a pear
Stems move like water flowing in the sea
Petals so yellow like the sun.
Nisha (Year 5)
Roots that look like girl’s disgracefully messy hair
in a howling wind.
Roots that push their way down into the muddy wet ground
That bulb, that looks like a can of pumpkin soup
sitting on the supermarket shelf.
The daffodil flower looks just like a princess’s yellow floating
ball dress.
Akki (Year 5)
The daffodil’s roots are like zigzag lightning
The daffodil’s bulb is like a clowns spongy red nose
The daffodil’s leaves are like loopy straws
The daffodil’s trumpet reminds me of a cornet ice cream
The daffodil’s petals are like a five sided star
Twinkling up in the milky-way.
Arozo (Year 5)
In spring things grow quickly
The sky is often blue
In your mind’s eye, see a daffodil
Even when it is not there
Daffodils, like the sunflower
Make it sunny.
Uday (Year 6)
Roots that look like a needle’s thread moving through soft fabric
The bulb so like a mosquito’s head
The stem seems like a frog’s tongue that reaches out to catch insects
The flowers look like soft tissue paper dancing in the howling wind outside.
The inside of the daffodil flower oozes liquid that tastes like honey juice.
Aliya (Year 5)
In spring the glorious yellow daffodils grow
The roots look like messy tangled strings
The bulb is shaped like a kiwifruit
The long leaves form what looks like a bridge
The daffodil flower looks like a starfish that has seven legs
The colour of the flower is just like a hot desert.
Elena (Year 5)
The days are longer
And the sun is high in the sky
Spring is here
Daffodils poke out of the soil
Under the ground it looks like cat’s whiskers
Knotty and messy like the ones that come out of an onion
Maybe they make the daffodil cry too
The stem is long like a giraffe’s neck
Stretching all the way up to the petals
The dafffodil’s trumpets are filled with golden treasure
That the bees pick up from a yellow cup
The smell makes me think of hokey pokey icecream.
Ryota (Year 6)
Spring blows into your mind, like the view from a mountain top
Daffodils colour the park, just like the sun reflects off the snow
Daffodil roots are as important to them, as ours are to us
They need to be strong and tough
They are like the grandfathers who watch over us.
Grandfathers with their tangled white beards.
The bulb is the heart of the flower that creates a small burning
sun.
Stems race through the fresh scented air
The highway that transports fuel to the flower
Midday warmth opens the bright yellow petals
They open to signify the beginning of spring.
Trumpets poke their heads up into the sky
Each silent trumpet echoes its message across parks and fields.
We Love Poetry
These students were exposed to the elements of a storm while at
school. The weather was used as an ignition to promote a discussion about the
rain and how it makes us feel. The intention was to use an ‘Acrostic Poem’ format
to find out how the children would describe the storm and the thoughts it had provoked.
Results: This group of students have recently begun to use complete simple sentences. Many lines contain subject/verb clauses or
short phrases. It is interesting to note that the most children have not
used adjectives or adverbs to enhance their message. These poems provide evidence that next step
learning needs to focus on the use of descriptive language forms.
Reza – Year 2
RAIN
R Reza, run to your
house
A A rain cloud has
burst
I I’m getting wet
N Not happy now!
Mohit – Year 3
R Rain falls
everywhere
A All my friends go
home
I I run to my house
very fast
N Nice sound for the
thirsty trees
Alisha – Year 2
R Rain is leaking from
the cloud
A A rain cloud has
burst
I I run from the rain
N Needing to keep dry
Angel – Year 2
R Run inside
A A cloud has burst
I I come out of the
rain
N No sun in the sky
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Video footage supports poetic writing
New Zealand’s mountains while majestic,
pose dangers to skiers and climbers. A
group of ESOL students from Year 3 documented what they knew about
avalanches. A number of the group had
never heard the term. After watching the following Utube video, they recorded
again what they knew.
These were the results:
Utube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktuOCZrN2OU
·
It’s like a river of snow
·
Steam is coming off the
mountain
·
The snow has cracked in a long
line
·
The snow moves down the
mountain very quickly
·
The snow pounds its way to the
bottom and buries everything in its way
*Each idea was then developed using descriptive vocabulary.
*Each idea was then developed using descriptive vocabulary.
·
The aim of this unit was to use
video footage to promote discussion and higher levels of thinking and
understanding in students.
Oral language development: (Listening
and Speaking Stage 2)
·
Questions were used to ignite discussion (e.g Why did a layer of snow and ice crack off the
mountain? What did you see? ). SOLO Taxonomy provided the teacher with pretest and post- test information.
Reading Comprehension + vocabulary extension (Stage 2)
·
Students were scaffolded
through the learning process. Key vocabulary and actions were discussed with
the group. Questions were directed at students to confirm understanding.
Writing: Describing an event. (Stage
2) using free verse
Students explored the structure of free verse poetry
Students began to identify some of the superfluous language they included in their writing
Students were introduced to imagery and similes
Students began to identify some of the superfluous language they included in their writing
Students were introduced to imagery and similes
St
These are the results:
Avalanche
A terrifying shock to my body
I was frozen
What a noise!
Kaboom! Crack! Boom!
Tumbling down the hill
Like waves smashing onto the sand
It was going to smash down on me
It would damage everything in its way.
(Aakifah)
That
Avalanche
Crack! Bang!
I hear noise cracking from the sky like
thunder
The snow, coming down like a waterfall
Fog like powder, hanging to the ground
All the trees I see are covered in snow
(Vianca)
Avalanche
The crack terrifies me
I’m frozen with fear
I hear a rumble across the mountain
Rumble! Crack!
The edge shears off the mountain
creating a flood of ice and snow.
Forcing the flow forward
The noise is as strong as a lion's roar
It demolishes everything in its path.
Trees demolished, pieces of wood buried
People have been buried by this demon
No warning!
(Swali)
Watch
Out!
Crack! The ski field breaks up into pieces
right before my eyes.
No time to look.
Just
move out of the path of the avalanche
Thunderous noise behind me sounding like a
tornado
Snow rushing down like waves over my head
Something has happened
I’m powerless to move
Stuck!
Everything around me is demolished.
Smashed by the avalanches path.
(Avi)
An
Avalanche!
Smashing white snow
Crash!
Moving like a hydro-slide
swooshing to the bottom of the mountain.
A huge amount of snow
forcing stones, trees, huts and humans to
fall.
(Hasini)
Monday, October 6, 2014
Using poetry to foster the use of personal voice in writing
Spiders generally fascinate or frighten children. When the tables are turned, how might it feel to be a spider about to be
approached by a human? Better still, how
might you describe this experience in poetic form. After discussing this scenario as a group, the students were asked to think about the dialogue shared and use this to write a short poem from the spider's position.
Oh
To Be A Spider
Break my web would you
Aware of humans
What can I do?
It will break
I must go
But where?
Ah ha!
Under a leaf…
No, that means that I must leave my food
I must hide.
Now where can I go? (James)
Human
Threat
Help, a human is close
I see and smell them.
I'm terrified!
Go back to your houses
You threaten me
and destroy my food. (Soumadeep)
Spiders
Beware!
Spiders beware!
Feel that quivering in my web
I must hide,
leave my food behind
and run away,
quickly! (Nethasa)
Oh
Spider
A human is approaching
Will they tear my web into pieces?
How can I tell?
My web is delicate
It shakes and shivers
Each footstep I feel
Like thunder roaring across the sky
Move quickly! (Kai Ying)
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