Equity and Access Newsletter
Elementary Edition-April 2017
April is National Poetry Month
National Poetry Month takes place each April. It was organized in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to increase appreciation and awareness of poetry in the United States. Through the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world with many libraries, schools, publishers and poets celebrating poetries vital place in our society.
April is the time we have set aside to pay tribute to poets around the world, encourage the reading of poetry, and encourage teachers to bring poetry into their classroom.
It provides an opportunity for students to begin writing and sharing some of their thoughts and ideas. Poetry addresses all aspects of life so let's start writing.
Engaging-Relevant-Personal
Just for Fun
Poetry is hand clapping toe-tapping rhyme. Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat is all of that in one. It includes rhymes from Queen Latifah, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, A Tribe Called Quest and others who will entertain your students for hours. This book contains more than fifty poems and songs with a beat just for fun.
Hip Hop Speaks to Children is available in most Springfield Public School Libraries.
Book Of The Month
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings by Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends, is a collection of Silverstein poetry suitable for all generations. Works include a boy who turns into a television set and Cynthia Sylvia Stout who "WILL NOT take the garbage out."
Shel Silverstein's collection of poems have received national acclaim, for his sense of rhythm and rhyme that make his poems a pleasure to read aloud. Where the Sidewalk Ends, is available in most Springfield Public School Libraries.
Lesson Plans K-5 Where the Sidewalk Ends
Strategies to Help Students That Struggle Academically
As an educator, you use various techniques to help all students including those who struggle academically. By being familiar with each of your students you are able to respond to each student's needs and apply learning techniques that work best for those students who need extra help.
Remember to use these simple strategies to assist struggling students:
- Differentiated Instruction
- Scaffolding
- Graphic Organization
- Mnemonics
- Multisensory Instruction
These familiar techniques of mapping out ideas using pictures, memorizing phrases, and using all of their senses will help students to remember concepts longer and retain the material better.
Osewalt, Ginny. "5 Common Techniques for Helping Struggling Students." Understood.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
Supporting Students From Immigrant Families
Immigration has been a topic of concern for years, but the conversation has increased under the current administration’s goals to deport undocumented immigrants, build walls and increase Custom Enforcement.
Educators want to know how to be supportive of their students, families, and communities. We want to make sure that our students stay on the road to success by sharing resources that encourage and support their success. Teaching Tolerance has created a web package to supply resources that educators need.
Topics in the web package include:
Teaching Tolerance: Who Is An Immigrant? Read “Julia Moves to the United States” with students, and then have them write pen-pal letters and create cereal-box suitcases to explore identity.
Teaching Tolerance: Immigration Myths Use this classroom activity to build your students’ awareness of common myths about immigrants and how they can use facts to debunk these myths.
American Federation of Teachers: DREAMers Welcome Poster Hang this colorful poster in your classroom and let students know that everyone belongs in your school community.
Teaching Tolerance: If It Can Happen Here... This California school district hosted a “Teach-In” as a response to the anti-immigration rhetoric teachers heard in their classrooms during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Nothing But Net: Hani wears a hijab, is on the basketball team and is the best rebounder. There is a no-headgear rule will she be able to play in the big tournament?
Coming EVENTS
InspirED PBL Grants
InspirED PBL Grants
Are there PBL units you dream of exploring with your students that would connect them more fully to the diversity that IS America? Have you thought about ways to inspire students to “see it” AND “be it”?
InspirED PBL grants are designed to support SPS teachers in developing more culturally relevant and inclusive PBL units beyond food and festivals.
Teachers are invited to submit proposals for the first InspirED Grants. Each grant will provide teachers with:
- $500.00 for writing a culturally relevant/inclusive unit
- $500.00 to fund materials to implement it
As a reminder, the process to request assistance for students has been streamlined. View the short video so you can Learn- Detect – Respond to the needs you see with regard to health, hunger and hygiene.