Project+Reflection

"My dream is to teach my students to create sentences that gracefully lead the reader across the page." This quote by Bev Matulis in //Dancing with the Authors// sums up beautifully my motivation for creating this author study and the impact I hope to achieve with my second graders. In addition, I hope the author study will help to instill an appreciation for poetry, improve student writing, and further, or ignite, their love of reading.

The author study of Kenn Nesbitt and his poetry will be part of a larger poetry unit in second grade. I believe that studying his life, poetry, and inspirations will help students to see how they can use the people, experiences and things around them to generate ideas. Also, as we look at the different forms of poetry in the larger unit, we will be able to immerse ourselves in the same poetry forms by Mr. Nesbitt. Ending the unit with a Skyped visit by Kenn Nesbitt will further that connection and help them to see the successful, published poet as a normal mortal that they can relate to, as Keith Schoch wrote in //Born to Write: What Students Can Learn through Author Study,// "The goal of an author study is to make a connection between a book and an author's life. This shows children that authors are real people, develops motivation to seek out other work by the same author, and hopefully inspires children to write."

Another benefit to students that I hope to see through the author study is improved writing techniques. As the unit scaffolds and makes opaque Mr. Nesbitt's techniques, I hope students will learn from and copy his style as they try it on as their own. "What did matter was empowering each student to notice a technique an author used that made him or her love the author's writing." Renee Webster in Growing Writers: Considering Talk, Time, Models, and Purpose. I also expect this immersion, practice in writing many forms of poetry, publishing and performing their own work (at the poetry cafe) to boost student confidence - confidence in their writing skills as well as communication skills.

In conclusion, I can't wait to teach this unit during the next school year, not only for the reasons stated above, but also because of how creating this unit has developed me as a teacher. I have taken a closer look at the reading that is happening at my school, the depth of analyses, and the time given to student inquiry into authors and writing styles. I further expect, and look forward to, the growth I will encounter by the end of the author study.