September
6
ELA 20: Sept 6 “Back to Wolf Willow” and a walk in the rain…
- We started the class with a review of what the essay is about so far and a reflection on the clues that show this is a ‘reflective essay’. We continued reading the essay together as students underlined or highlighted the phrases or sentences that stood out to them as being especially reflective. We discussed where the smell was from that ultimately satisfied the author allowing him to trust more of his memories. It was from the wolf willow bushes.
- We talked about the smells of a place that you may remember when you return after a long break. I shared with the students that as I walked north of the school yesterday, there was a distinct smell that came from around a small creek just a short walk away. We decided to walk out to this creek to see if it would trigger any memories for them. The only problem was that it was raining and basically we really only smelt the rain. However, it brought back memories of playing in the rain and, for one student, his thoughts were brought back to an area of the lake where the grass is especially tall and sharp to step on. He compared it in his mind to the other areas of the lake where he felt less confined and was able to enjoy a larger surrounding than the area where this sharp, prickly grass restricted him. That reflection was enough to make the walk worth the trouble.
- We returned and I put on the overhead an example of a reflective essay that I wrote last year for my students. It gives another example of what it is like to write a reflective essay and different areas they could consider for themselves. The students have to write a reflective essay in the next few classes and today’s time was spent brainstorming and preparing for this. They’ll have several classes to work on this.