My students need the poet, Linden Berry, from the California Poets in the Schools Program, to teach a poetry workshop to promote the development of scientific observational skills and literacy content standards through poetry.
Each year, I work hard to build an inclusive and supportive learning community. The classroom culture that my students and I build together reflects and supports the diversity of learners in it.
The students in my classroom live in many different communities because we are a charter school.
The home and prior school experiences that students bring to the classroom and learning are very diverse. The socio-economic, cultural, and academic diversity makes teaching and learning incredibly exciting and more complex.
Experiential learning is one practice that I use to help bridge the achievement gap and engage all students in learning. The poetry workshop experience with visiting poet, Linden Berry, will enhance our learning community by providing an authentic context for all students to build confidence in content areas and in using oral and written communication skills to share their knowledge.
My Project
To look at an object both scientifically and with the eye and voice of a poet is to experience the world through a lens which exposes a special kind of beauty and that deepens students’ understanding of their physical and social environment.
With the support and instruction of professional poet, Linden Berry, from the California Poets in the Schools Program, my students will discover the power of their words and the depth of their imaginations while learning and applying many Common Core English Language standards through reading, analyzing, writing, publishing, and performing poetry.
In the poetry workshop, students will explore common natural and human-made artifacts in their school environment through their five senses as both scientists and poets. They will record their scientific observations, thoughts, feelings, and questions about observed artifacts in multiple ways - first in actual size and then under magnification with a dissecting microscope. This project will cover the cost of having Linden Berry come to our classroom on six occasions to lead the workshops.
Students will take two digital photos: one, actual size with a digital camera, and the other, magnified with a digital microscope camera. Students' poetry will be inspired by their five senses and scientific observations of artifacts as well as by their thoughts and feelings about what they observe.
With Linden's support, students will celebrate their work publicly at a Poet's Cafe event in their community.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. s. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.