Working together 2 make a difference
Educators working collaboratively
Three Cups of Tea
Right now Kristin Smith and I are reading Three Cups of Tea with our 8th graders. They are truly enjoying it and learning to break down their sterotypes and prejudices towards Muslims. It is wonderful! We'll keep you posted. Our plan is to have students raise awareness and funds for Pennies for Peace and to do a letter writing campaign as well!
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Comment by Kristin Marie Smith on November 11, 2009 at 8:34am -
We will be wrapping up our work on Three Cups by creating Glogsters with the kids' reactions to the book. Each glog will contain images, writing, video that we will capture during which kids discuss the theme or message they have taken away from the book.
The glogs will be used then as a springboard for our Pennies for Peace campaign during which kids will plan action plans to raise pennies for the schools of remote areas of Pakistan.
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Comment by Glenys Lowden on November 7, 2009 at 9:54am - Thanks Kristen for that idea. I haven't read the book although I have it in the Library. I will now read it and add it to either my Book Club or my Year 7 reading program. Linking the text into action on issues of social justice is a great idea.
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Comment by Erin B. Tryka on November 6, 2009 at 3:04am - I think it is also important to note that this book sparks an interest in current events as well. Our students are compelled to look at the Buffalo News, CNN, or Fox News and check out what is going on right now in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Kristin keeps cutting out articles and the kids love looking at them. To me, this is an awesome development and I hope the students continue to stay informed about current news in our country and throughout the world!
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Comment by Kristin Marie Smith on November 6, 2009 at 2:56am
- Can I borrow it when we meet either in Dec or if we meet up for a studio fellows novel writing extravaganza???? This topic has me fascinated and I can't learn enough about it!!!!!
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Comment by Angela on November 4, 2009 at 10:24am - I haven't read this yet, but I'm longing to. Kris--I recently saw Firoozeh Dumas, the author of Funny in Farsi, speak. She was brilliant and witty and very funny. I bought her book--short vignettes about growing up Iranian in America. If you would like to borrow to compliment your unit, I can lend to you. I have her second book too--Laughing Without an Accent.
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Comment by Jenny Luca on November 4, 2009 at 9:27am - Great to hear Kristin. I'll be able to recount your feedback about the book to the teachers at my school. : )
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Comment by Kristin Marie Smith on November 4, 2009 at 1:18am
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Three Cups of Tea, Jr has been a tremendous success so far! The kids are absolutely dumbfounded at the lives the people we are reading about live ... they have made some significant observations about the differences in their lives as well as surprising similarities.
It is definitely a good book choice for exposing kids to new and different cultures and helping them to realize what their values are as compared to those of other cultures as well .... so far so good!
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Comment by Mike Poluk on November 3, 2009 at 11:22pm - This is an excellent initiative Erin! I haven't read the book myself, but your post has inspired me to add it to my wishlist of books that I need to get to. Please keep us posted.
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Comment by Jenny Luca on November 3, 2009 at 11:32am
- Great choice Erin. We have it in our school library and I've been thinking it would make a good class text. Sounds like it is going well; linking it to their own efforts for service learning is a wonderful thing to be doing.
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Good on you Erik. I bet your parents are appreciative of all you are doing at home. Perhaps you can build on this and continue to do some of those things, like making your bed. I think you're off to a great start. : )
Reminds me of Shel Silverstein's the giving tree, I also really enjoyed the abrupt imagery that you created.
Fate had condemned us
Delegated us to be
Sheep in wolf's clothing
We were not mighty
For we could not escape
The pack's impending
Shadow
So we had become Fear's marionettes
Oh how clever we had thought we were
We were nothing new
We were not co...
I'm looking forward to reading the student's posts Kristin. Please let them know their words are valued here.
This post was created by Erik, a grade 5 student:
November 25
I made a difference by doing a couple of things they are:
1. I gave the ball to Mr.Poluk in volleyball so he did not have to walk to the other side of the gym. This would of made a dif...
Poetry is powerful. The fact that words on a page or, in the case of the Global Poetry Project, on a screen can elicit emotion is quite amazing. The aim of the Global Poetry Project goes further than that though. This is not a project merely put i...
Here is a blog post created by Michaela, one of my grade 5 students, outlining what she did on day one of our 25 Days to Make a Difference Challenge (I will try to provide daily samples of student submissions throughout our challenge):
Today is t...
Today I made a difference by lending my friend some change to buy breakfast with because she didn't have enough time to eat at home.
Your last line is unexpected--wow. This could be speaking to so much more than trees, too.
Five devastating words: Just to be Cut Down
Trees are a magnificent, important and irreplaceable part of nature. They don't grow to be cut down, not in the wonderful wild forests we should protect but aren't. This poem has a real message, thank yo...
The Global Poetry Project aims to provide a space for members to expand upon their cultural views through the writing and reading of poetry.
As I walked into the over crowded cafeteria I noticed that one of my good friends was sitting by herself. I knew that someone was sitting with her, but they were waiting in line for lunch. So instead of getting in the back of a long line right awa...
Today I made a difference by helping my dad with the new garage door opener he had to install. Together we turned a 4 hour job into a 2 hour job. I felt great after helping.
This is so cool, I can't wait to see what happens!!
Mike, you are such an active member of this space and you and your students inspire me. I'm looking forward to seeing what you and your students can achieve.
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