Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this space for me to share my corner of the world.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in another part of the world? Or even another part of our own country?
Last week Julieanne at To Read To Write To Be wrote about her trip to Catalina Island with her students. I remembered reading about her trip last year, and I was so envious. I know many of my students will never see the ocean in real life. Yes, they will read books and articles about it and even watch something on screen.
But to actually...
hear the sound of waves crashing on shore?
see nothing but water as far as the eye can see?
walk along a beach and pick up shells carried in from the ocean's waves?
see marine life in its own ecosystem?
Many of my students will never experience that.
Thinking about this, made me realize how different our students' background experiences really are. I began wondering about Julieanne's students.
Have they ever seen a snowflake?
Have they ever been in a cave, stretching deep into the bowels of Earth?
Do they get to see the leaves on the oak and maple trees turn colors and walk in them when they fall to the ground?
Have they ever heard the singing cadence of spring cicadas?
Have they ever hugged a tree so big that it takes several students to wrap their connected arms around it?
Have they ever hunted for mushrooms under the winter foliage?
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| Photo by Flickr |
Have they ever watched the life cycle of a corn or bean field, from planting to harvest?
Maybe we take for granted what we experience every day.
What might be something your kids will never see?
What might be something you would like to share from your corner of the world?
It is so easy to fall in love with some else's part of the world and forget the majesty of your own.
ReplyDeleteThrough reading we can develop that passion to explore the world. I remember reading about all the art in the Louvre and finally I made it happen. No one else in my family has that passion to see other parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteMidwest kids don't know what it's like to see mountains, and the kids in the mountains can't fathom a prairie.
Leigh Anne thank you for the wonderful poem wondering about contrasts in the world of nature and allowing us to reflect on what is special where we are. I think it is important for everyone to understand the varied geographical and weather patterns that exist around the world and know that we can access them through images, poetry, and research. I hope that the galleries I design offer a varied view of life, nature, and living for all to appreciate.
ReplyDeleteI spy morels! This is a beautiful piece of writing. It's also a lovely mentor text for students to use to write about their homes. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful writing and pictures. These are wonders my students don't know. I was reading with a student recently and he didn't know how to pronounce cicada, let alone know what one sounded like! The changing of colors the beauty of forests and caves are ideas only in books and movies. We live in beautiful worlds similar but so different. I'm going to share this with my students. Thank goodness for connections!!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful perspective-taking! It is hard to imagine a world beyond our context. Your exploration of the what is familiar to you versus to others is a powerful idea to consider and remember. Your writing was also beautiful to read, and the pictures enhanced your words. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful description of where you live. My students look out at waving sugarcane in the fall. This is unique to our area. We do not have snow. They don't know snow. Mine do not know the ocean even though we live near it because Louisiana's coast is marshland. You have to have a big boat to get out to the Gulf. I love how Julianne's post inspired you and then Elisabeth. Our writing connects us. That is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteThe singing cadence of spring cicadas is a sound I haven't heard in a long time. I love how you thought about the things your students will never see and then celebrated what they do see. We all need to appreciate the diversity in our own environments. Thanks for the lovely pics and a beautiful reminder to appreciate our own backyards.
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