ThingLink & Emily Dickinson

English 11 - 3 just started, and finished (Yes, they are that impressive.) a section in Unit 3 about Emily Dickinson. Instead of the same old, read and respond, we broke it up and threw some technology in for presentation and the outcome, my friends, was simply beautiful.

We used ThingLink which is a website (and an application for the iPad) type of presentation supplement. Here is how I presented the assignment and I honestly let them run with it and there are examples below. Hover over the picture and you can see bullets with more information about the assigned poem.

Blackout Poetry

Today in my English 11-3 we started a poetry unit. Sometimes students are overwhelmed with the idea of writing their own poems. Heck, sometimes I am overwhelmed when trying to craft my words into a poem, or blog post.

Sooooooo, I did some searching and came across Austin Kleon. He is a writer/artist who lives in Austin, Texas. He started a movement called Blackout Poetry. You use already generated text, and mark out the words that mean nothing to you, but leave visible the words that move you.

What was created in "my four walls of learning" moved me and I am beyond excited to present some of these tomorrow to the students, don't worry I posted several examples below, and to continue through our study of poetry. We are starting a group project with Emily Dickinson using ThingLink! Stay tuned for the assignment and outcomes.

Reading Circle

English 11 - Period 4 seems to be really enjoying the novel, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier and today we read chapter 10. I love seeing them so interested in the novel. We watched a few videos to help set a better understanding of the civil war that caused this true story. Students have also been blogging about their experiences with war and how the documentary is helping them understand the novel on a new level.