IPoem Draft: Dad from The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963

I Am Dad

Stanza One

I am Dad.

I live in Flint, Michigan with Momma, Byron, Kenny, and Joetta.

I wonder about my son Byron.

I hear my children fighting.

I see the Brown Bomber.

I want to see my family happy.

I am Dad.

Stanza Two

I question returning to the South.

I feel satisfied with my life.

I touch Momma’s heart.

I worry about my family.

I cry from laughing so hard.

I understand the cold wind and snow.

I am Dad.

Stanza Three

I say I am content.

I believe I can make people laugh.

I dream about my relationship with my children.

I try to teach my children right from wrong.

I hope for a bright future for my children.

I once was single.

But now I am a family man.

I am Dad.

Final IPoem: Dad from The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963

I Am Dad

Stanza One

I am a comedian and a provider.

I wonder about my son Byron’s future.

I hear my children’s relentless fighting.

I see the Brown Bomber traveling across the country.

I want to see my family safe and happy.

I am a comedian and a provider.

Stanza Two

I pretend like I’m ready to return to the South.

I feel satisfied with my life in Flint.

I touch Momma’s heart with my joking.

I worry about being able to protect my family.

I cry sometimes from laughing so hard.

I am a comedian and a provider.

Stanza Three

I understand the cold wind and snow.

I say that Byron will be fine but I really am not sure.

I dream about the kind of relationship I will have with my children.

I try to teach my children right from wrong.

I hope for a bright and promising future for my children.

I am a comedian and a provider.

IPoems

In high school, I had to complete 2 different IPoems, simply called “I Am…”. My teachers used them as a “getting to know you” activity within the first few days of classes. According to the information provided in the PowerPoint, IPoems serve many purposes in the classroom, not only in Language Arts, but also in other subjects as well.

In the Language Arts arena, IPoems help students to understand a particular character, setting, or plot better from a story they may be reading. In other subject areas such as Science and Social Studies, students are given the opportunity to research the appropriate curriculum focused topic, take the information they may have learned from their research and write an IPoem based on the things they have discovered.

What surprised me the most about utilizing IPoems in the classroom were the results from the study that took place with second and fourth graders when they were invited to write IPoetry.  According to the PowerPoint, students were able to transform language and ideas and incorporate factual information into their poems; students wrote with emotion, vivid imagery and precise word choice (including an increase in vocabulary knowledge and recognition); students developed ownership over their poems; and students developed deeper understandings about their topics of study.

Reciprocal Teaching and Discussion Directing

Reciprocal teaching is defined as dialogue between teachers and students regarding a text they may be reading. This dialogue utilizes four strategies: summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. Reciprocal teaching has many uses such as encouraging students to think about their own thought processes during reading; helping students learn to be actively involved and monitor their comprehension as they read; and teaching students to ask questions during reading which helps make the text more comprehensible.

Reciprocal teaching is appropriate for use before reading, during reading, and after reading and in individual, small groups, or whole class groupings. The steps are as follows: Put students in groups of four; Give each student a role of Summarizer, Questioner, Clarifier, or Predictor; Have students read a few paragraphs of the assigned text selection; At a stopping point, the Summarizer will highlight the key ideas, the Questioner will ask questions about the selection, the Clarifier will address confusing parts and try to answer any questions, and the Predictor can offer predictions about what the author will write next.

Similar to the Reciprocal Teaching reading, in the Discussion Director reading, students are encouraged to take on many different aspects of the reading and to develop questions and comments that will be beneficial to the group. I think both strategies would be very useful in developing student’s reading comprehension and understanding.