Today happens to be National Literacy Day and to celebrate, the local elementary school held a morning of activities for their students. Students were divided into groups and then invited to visit with a series of 'stations' where teachers and other known personalities were waiting to share with them a variety of activities and exercises, all geared toward accentuating or increasing the students' literacy.
At one station, the students were told a story and then asked to create a craft which was inspired by the story. At another, they were read a story and had to listen patiently. In the room where I was asked to meet students, poetry was the order of the day.
How does one teach poetry to children? Begin by asking yourself if you like poetry, or whether you appreciate it yourself. In this case, I used a book entitled He Was One of Us and as I read the words of the poems (there is one on every page), I invited the students to identify the personage who was being described, or the situation that was unfolding. So it was that the main characters, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, even John the Baptist were identified.
Then came a picture of two very old people, and the following words:
The students thought long and hard over this one ... then one bright little boy raised his hand, a knowing glow in his eyes, 'Cinnamon!?' he wondered. 'Close,' I encouraged, 'the name is Simeon and his companion's name is Anna'. Of course I then had to tell the story of Jesus encounter with these two sages.
Kids weren't the only ones to learn valuable lessons today, and a chuckle or two along the way always helps.
At one station, the students were told a story and then asked to create a craft which was inspired by the story. At another, they were read a story and had to listen patiently. In the room where I was asked to meet students, poetry was the order of the day.
How does one teach poetry to children? Begin by asking yourself if you like poetry, or whether you appreciate it yourself. In this case, I used a book entitled He Was One of Us and as I read the words of the poems (there is one on every page), I invited the students to identify the personage who was being described, or the situation that was unfolding. So it was that the main characters, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, even John the Baptist were identified.
Then came a picture of two very old people, and the following words:
they know enough
the proof of God's fidelity
lies in their hands
the day of their lives!
Face to face with the child!
It makes them young again
the one thing left to them
is to praise and glorify
A light for Israel
a sun that rises
over the peoples
The students thought long and hard over this one ... then one bright little boy raised his hand, a knowing glow in his eyes, 'Cinnamon!?' he wondered. 'Close,' I encouraged, 'the name is Simeon and his companion's name is Anna'. Of course I then had to tell the story of Jesus encounter with these two sages.
Kids weren't the only ones to learn valuable lessons today, and a chuckle or two along the way always helps.
No comments:
Post a Comment