A few years ago, I wrote a poem for a dear friend’s graduation. In May of 2011, I recited it at my own graduation from graduate school at Howard University. In addition to reciting this in various venues, I also coached my students in reciting this poem at the 5th grade promotional ceremony.
Below is a video of me reciting this poem at my Howard University Teacher Induction Ceremony.
For our school’s Black History Month Program, the 4th grade team worked together to make an educational tribute to our ancestors. I recorded the video and audio for this project and assembled the entire presentation using iMovie. All of the teachers on the 4th grade team participated in this project. All of our students had a part in the video as well.
For the past 2 years, I have coached students in oration to compete in the Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest in Washington, DC. This national contest is a wonderful opportunity for our students to challenge themselves by memorizing an excerpt from a Frederick Douglass speech. In the first year, one of my students placed 3rd in the competition, and in the 2nd year, she placed 2nd.
2013 Contest Video:
2012 Contest Video:
Our school partners with Live It Learn It, an organization that takes Title 1 schools to relevant field trips that tie into the learning objectives. It was such a joy to have other chaperons on a field trip, so I took some images of this engaging field trip!
My students love rap, and I love when they are engaged in the lesson. I found a rap beat, and then I wrote some lyrics to help them remember how to find coordinate points. They loved the song, and I would often hear them rapping the lyrics on the playground. Needless to say, this lesson was successful!