How Do I Love Thee: Perceiving

I am teaching language arts this year and as previously mentioned, the topic within the area I have chosen to focus on is figurative language. For this assignment I have chosen a familiar poem to examine.

Travel

The railroad track is miles away,

And the day is loud with voices speaking,

Yet there isn't a train goes by all day

But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn't a train goes by,

Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming,

But I see its cinders red on the sky,

And I hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with the friends I make,

And better friends I'll not be knowing;

Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take,

No matter where it's going.

                                  - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Click the link below to discover my new view....

 Re-Imagined Representation

To me, the cognitive tool of perceiving is useful at opening up a new world of exploration. Practicing this tool gives us a chance to think outside of the box as we move into another realm of thought, beyond the usual. For this to happen we must first be willing to take the opportunity to examine things through various different lenses. This is the only way to allow for diverse views and unique observations of everyday images and objects in the world around us. 

My original observation of the poem I selected simply led me to read and then reread the text again and again. I repeated this process several times. I tried different strategies. I found myself closing my eyes. I then took several minutes to visualize the sights and sounds the language of the poem helped to create. I felt myself sitting on a train, daydreaming about my next great adventure. I then took off on a jet plane, destination unknown to me. Finally, I envisioned myself packing my bags to embark on a journey to a new and exciting place somewhere in the vast world of my mind. 

After taking some time to reflect on this process, I was unsure of how I could get others to see these wonderful visuals I had created for myself. For the re-imagination piece of this assignment, I wanted to represent a concrete visual of the variety of images I saw in my mind. I used Glogster as a tool to create a unique collage of ideas related to the poem, Travel. I made my work public so I could share my view with the world. The link to my work can be found above.

This new understanding of the poem through the creation of my visual piece gave me greater insight as to why the author may have chosen to write it in the first place. Maybe she just wished she could get away, escape the daily routine and simply explore her surroundings. I know that once I finished reading the poem I longed for a vacation myself. On another note, this assignment made me realize that there are many ways one can perceive figurative language. There are several choices as to how to use simple words in our writing. We have the potential to use our words as dynamic tools to express ourselves within our poetry and prose. With this said, it is clear that there is a lot of room for creativity within my topic. I believe that as long as I keep an open mind while interacting with the course content and assignments, I can discover new and interesting ways for my students to view this topic as well.

Content Area Topic Ideas

As I sit brainstorming on what to chose for my content area topic, I realize that within language arts there truly are a wide variety of options. It is hard to pick just one! At first I was thinking of focusing on text features. Since I have already done one project on this during my graduate studies, I revised my thinking and came up with another option. 

An element of language arts that my students work on all year long is figurative language. This deals with similes, metaphors, personification, and more. Writers often use this type of language to add more flair to their work. There are several examples of this type of language in almost every text that I explore with my fifth grade students. I think this topic may lead me to some great ideas for my future assignments in this course. Does anyone have any thoughts on my choice? 

I appreciate any input you can provide.

Thanks! :-)

How Do I Love Thee: Véjà Du

Below are three select pictures of something I use on a regular basis. This is something that is found in my school, but can also be found in many other places as well. 

What do you think these pictures reveal?

Look below to find out......

A row of coat hooks in the fifth grade hallway.



Getting to Know Me!

Hello! My name is Leah Sobecki. I moved from Michigan to Maryland four years ago to start my teaching career on the East Coast. I currently teach a great bunch of fifth grade students at a Title I elementary school in a suburb of Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. This is my fourth year teaching language arts and social studies. I LOVE TO READ!

Throughout the past couple of years I have faced some challenges, but each day I am learning something new while working with my kids. I am still trying very hard to develop my craft, but I am growing as an educator each day. I enjoy teaching reading because I feel the texts I chose always have the potential to open the door for many interesting conversations in my classroom.

I am looking forward to this course because I feel that I will be able to take away ideas and add a new element of creativity to my practice. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and ideas with you!

In my classroom, getting ready for Back to School Night!