The WMS Illumination Project

05/18/2023

The scholars of rooms 201 & 202 preparing to deliver their poetry performances.

Videos of some performances to come …

05/11/2023

The scholars of 201 & 202 took some time today to dissect poetry (each young learner is reading a different piece) in the most-beautiful classroom ever — the great outdoors!

After an initial explicit reading, they were tasked to see the poem through an implicit lens: considering poetic devices and symbolism.

Soon — they will bring these works to performance.

04/14/2023

As we conclude our Holocaust unit, the scholars of rooms 201 & 202 have been examining an allusion made within our novel, “The Devil’s Arithmetic.”

In doing so, we have turned from the fictional container of writing to that of nonfiction; this brought them to a jigsawed reading (broken into parts) about the “monster” in question. They read and, as we do, annotated the text for meaning and then taught their “class” of peers the relevant substance within their portion of the overall selection. The goal: read smarter, think deeper, and share said knowledge with others — building a community of responsibility and knowledge.

Finally, today, we dissected the more contemporary song “Monster” by Eminem, featuring Rihana. After conducting a first read for explicit understanding, each scholar dissected for poetic devices within that served to deepen or alter their original understandings. Then, in viewing the video, they were tasked to identify ways the video also enhanced their respective, individual understandings.

Last step: they partnered up to discuss and collaborate (discussion and continued writing/annotating) for differences in understanding on both the “monsters” within the poem, but also synthesizing this poetic work with that of the aforementioned “monster” alluded to within the context of our historical fiction reading.

Of note: examples of what we refer to as, “tearing up the text.”

12/01/2022

Over the past few days, the scholars of rooms 201 & 202 have been preparing themselves to do battle within a classroom debate.

After reading the fictional work “The Tell-Tale Heart” and examining the nonfiction 1843 M’Naghten Rule on determining one’s level of sanity, they prepared, first individually, then in collective trios, collaboratively sharing and discussing the “soundness of reasoning” and “depth of evidence” for presentation.

Today we began, and tomorrow we shall conclude said debate.

11/17/2022

The scholars of rooms 201 & 202 continue to unravel the layers of the onion 🧅 that is Edgar Allan Poe.

This time, while viewing the 1996 A&E Biography of his life and works. Their task:

* view for GAPS in prior learning and CONTRADICTIONS, placing evidence upon their desks/whiteboards to avoid distractions behind the computer

* Evaluate the evidence every 10 minutes (or so) and place — with value of thought in tiering the information in consideration of relevancy with prior information with their digital graphic organizer

* ultimately, they are gathering relevant evidence in support of our current classroom Essential Question: To what degree, does Art mimic Reality?

11/03/2022

Of all my many years within the classroom, I’ve never encountered kids’ artwork w/in their readings that were profoundly specific to text!

These aren’t doodles, but artwork that speaks to the power of knowledge about a respective text, in this case “The Tell-Tale Heart” by E. A. Poe.

And, for the record, this was not an assignment, rather an artistic addition to their readings.

11/03/2022

The scholars of rooms 201 & 202 building their digital graphic organizer after reading our anchor (1st non-fiction selection) on the life of Edgar A. Poe.

They were tasked to not just copy from one medium to another, but contemplate and collaborate about where pieces of evidence fell along a spectrum of relevance; thus, tiering their evidence from 💪 est to least-relevant in the course of uncovering the layers behind the man.

10/31/2022

The scholars of rooms 201 & 202 worked in “play” today using art and photography to create words, phrases and ultimately lines — centered around today being All Hallow’s Eve.

After reviewing the following literary terms:

* literal
* imagery
* connotative
* atmosphere
* mood

The young scholars worked to create (top of Bloom’s levels of learning) to create powerful, rich vocabulary and/or phrases that SHOWED, rather than TOLD what was seen & perceived within.

Why?

Such power of word choice, phrases, and lines of “rhythmical beauty” will be used within their own poetic creations, as well as other forms of prose writing, such as non-fiction and narrative writings moving forward.

10/25/2022

10/24/2022

Who ever said a classroom has to have four walls?

The young scholars of rooms 201 & 202 broke out of those tangible walls and experienced today’s classroom at The Washington Cemetery.

While there, each scholar was tasked to collaborate with their peers to grow their learning on the following:

* Imagery of the atmosphere (setting)

* Identification and collection of a few names, dates, and information for further research

* 19th Century gravestone symbolism

* Perhaps of most-importance, these young folks worked to promote that of RESPECT for those buried within and perhaps, just perhaps, may be able to share in the coming weeks a fraction of the stories — their stories — no longer being told.

Tomorrow, though back within those traditional walls of learning, the research from today’s work will continue.

Do you spot any of those symbolics upon the headstones? Inquire with your child scholar and task them to teach you on that of their intangible meanings.

More to come …

10/21/2022

Anticipatory Set—

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar A. Poe.