September
2
ELA 20: Sept 2 Going back to youth…
- Yesterday, we studied three poems written by people who were considering what was significant about their younger years. John made the point that you’ve already changed by the time you’re in your teens, so reflecting back to those years isn’t good enough – you have to go all the way back to early childhood to really be able to measure how far in life you’ve come!
- To share my own example of this, I showed them a short video clip I took this summer when I went on a mission – I returned to my childhood home (a place I haven’t really gone back to in twenty years) and faced what I thought were solid memories and was surprised and sometimes disappointed with what I found. I’ll add the video here.
- To have them face their own memories, we took a short journey down to the kindergarten room. Even if they didn’t attend Kenaston school during that time, being in that room will bring back memories of their own Kindergarten room – the sand box, the water box, the records teachers would play, the bins of toys, all the dress up things and pots and pans for playing in the kitchen. Though it may have seemed “uncool” to really get into it, I think they slipped into reliving those moments by accident because they seemed genuinely thrilled to have another go at certain things.
- We returned to the classroom, then, where they partnered up and interviewed each other. Each person is supposed to think of one specific childhood memory and tell it to their partner. The other person’s job, though, is to not just listen to the story but to ask questions, dig into it, and get more details and specifics from the story-teller. Then they’ll switch and repeat the process. In the writing portion, then, they’ll have to be creative in how they are going to share the story they’ve learned about. The trick is to be engaging and really sell the story, instead of just retelling it.ELA 20 Going back to youth interview assignment
Here’s a video of the marble track they constructed today!
I remember going to the kindergarten room and playing with that stuff but as soon as i saw the marble thing i had to play with it. It was a cool experience playing with that because i could play with that all day before.
The other day our class ventured on down to our old kindergarden classroom. being there brought back alot of memories like how we used to hide in this frog container that used to be huge but now doesnt look like it was possible to fit a small child. But my biggest memory is just how my friends and i would spend countless days constructing towers of blogs or building forts and not allowing the girls to come in. It was really nice to just sit there and play with our old toys and just be real kids agian for once.
I think it’s really telling how both you and your friend T have that same memory – hiding in the green frog that now looks too small. I’m curious now… if you hadn’t had that opportunity to go back to the classroom and wander around it, would you have remembered the frog? Maybe there are even things that meant a lot to you then that are missing, but without seeing them you’re not reminded of them. It’s strange how easily the mind can hide those old memories!
Glad you all enjoyed it! It was even fun just watching you.. lol
A red jeep is the first memory of my childhood. Just a flash thats all. Going to the kindergarten classroom the other day made me really reflect on what my childhood was like. It brought out memories i thought were gone or put away never to be remembered. It also brought out the happy parts of my childhood, for instance, how every kindergarten day i would play with my two girlfriends and we would always play with the sand bin first and then move to dress up. This experience was an eye opener for me because it brought out a lot of emotions and memories that were lost, it was a good thing to do becasue those experinces and memories i have are the ones that shaped me into who i am today. Its important to be humble to your background its what made you who you are what you will be and has given you the knowledge and tools you have.
Going down to the kindergarden room was fun because I remembered a lot of things like the rice box, mr.zipper, and the frog that we used to take turns hiding in. It was fun to just be able to play with the toys becuase it reminded me of how easy life was in kindergarden. It was also sfun to see the new toys that had been added since we were in kindergarden and thinking about how much fun the new kindergardeners are going to have with them
What do I remember about the time we spent in the kindergarton room. well it brought back some memories. i can always remember playing with the tonka toys. i loved the sand box. it was worth it to go back and see the old things that we did. it was a fun experience. wouldnt mind to do it again. thanks ms waldner
When we went back to the kindergarten room it was weird to see all the old toys we played with and Mr. Zipper, who is looks a lot older now. Everything in the room seemed smaller, from the short shelves to the low tables and ceiling. But I guess back then it was a “normal” height.
It was nice to go back the room, and it was a good inspiration for this unit.