Wonderful Friday!

So much I want you to learn...so little time! I appreciate everything you have shared about becoming an upstander; our discussions and class work have been fantastic. I felt as though I needed at least two hours with every class today! We began annotating our articles by choosing the powerful vocabulary related to upstanders, and we also shared our reflections from the video yesterday. We will be weaving the fictional video and non- fiction article together. We also watched "Brave" by Sara Bareilles and pulled out the vocab and concepts related to our theme. This all tied together with the Dateline segment on strategies to use to become an upstander.It surprised us how a silent gesture, such a inching closer to the victim, can curb the power of the aggressor.

I explained to all classes that next week students will be writing narrative poems that we are naming "Poems of Apology." The idea is based on the book This is Just to Say  by Joyce Sidman. So...

H/W: Come in Monday with an idea of whom you would send a poem of apology. This can be anyone: a friend, relative, or a stranger. Even though you are still a young person, I want you to think of someone who you feel deserves an apology from you for something you said, did, or thought. Please choose an event or situation that tugs at your heart. I will be sharing examples from past students with you!

Enjoy the weekend!