Berry

=**Poetry to enjoy and appreciate!**=
 * < ===__**Embroidery**__===

**by Jane Yolen**

 * On this green loom,**
 * In this wet place,**
 * The ocean makes**
 * Fine water lace.**
 * Each patterned wave**
 * Lays down a thread**
 * Upon the ground**
 * Of ocean bed.**
 * Enduring**
 * It shall never be,**
 * This water lace**
 * Embroidery.** || ............... ||< ===__**I'm Glad I'm Me**__===

**by Jack Prelutsky**

 * I'm glad I'm me, I'm glad I'm me.**
 * there's no one else I want to be.**
 * I'm happy I'm the person who**
 * can do the things that Ican do.**
 * If I were someone else, then I**
 * would feel so strange I'd wonder why.**
 * I'm positive that I'd be sad-**
 * but I am mek and I am glad.** || ............... ||< ===__**A Fox Has Caught the Chickens**__===

**by Jack Prelutsky**

 * A fox has caught the chickens,**
 * but the chickens fixed the fox.**
 * That fox is skipping dinner,**
 * for they gave him chicken pox.** ||

**Driving Questions**:
What is poetry? Do you appreciate poetry? Do you recognize the computer as a tool to enjoy poetry?

**Project description**:
The theme is poetry of all types and nature. The purpose of this project is to expose students to various forms of poetry, their poets, and to build a love of poetry. This will be done through the use of web sites, and other various forms of technology.

**Work Samples**:
We filled out a poetry survey. [|Poetry Survey.pdf] We also responded to second graders reading their own poetry on Voice Threads:

with comments shared by some children from other classes.
 * Here are a few samples of student work in Voicethread,

// If you click on the samples and then "mouse over" them // // they will grow larger. // || media type="custom" key="9062472"  ||
 * media type="custom" key="9062576" || media type="custom" key="9062604" ||

The most important aspect of my driving question was to keep the students and myself focused and refocused on the topic at hand instead of straying off on various tangents. I have not totally finished based on the time frame that I have with my students. However, the two students who have been focusing on poetry in their small group are engrossed in what they are learning and embracing the idea of poetry appreciation. The unexpected learning has come from those same two students who could really listen to and read the 2nd grade poems and respond to them with such depth and enjoyment. See Voice Threads above.
 * Reflection:** Poetry Awareness

My students have been thoroughly engaged while using the technology. They seemed to be enthralled to listen to other students or poets read poetry to them. Then, when they were able to respond with their own thoughts and ideas about what they were listening to, they took it so seriously and worked so diligently on their task of responding to other student's work. This was probably due to the fact that the poets were actually students here in their own school. Every step of the way there has been some small piece of technology or reading skill that needed to be tweeked. such as when they were taking the survey they did not understand that they could click on one or more answer, or how to just click on a response.. An example would be that while I was observing where the students were in taking their surveys I noticed problems. This sent me in a few other directions of what they needed prior to continuing with the survey. They did not understand that more than one response could be clicked on, and/or they didn't understand the process of just clicking on a response. Therefore, a mini lesson in that area would transpire.

Having web sites that had poets reading their poetry was motivation for the students during this project. Also, their knowing that they would be responding to 2nd grade student's poems from their own school, who wrote their own poetry and read their poetry on Voice Threads motivated them as well.

Learning how to use Google Docs and surveys will become a useful tool for many of my teaching practices. I like it in the respect that it can be used for both a pretest and post-test on student knowledge and can be accomplished in a short amount of time.

Last, the power of students creating their own project and listening to themselves on the computer is amazing.