oh no, not another learning experience!

these pictures cannot do justice to the amount of intensity with which my students are approaching the "diagramming challenge" going on in my class right now. i'll have to say that it's the best idea i've had all year and i'll be using it much more efficiently and earlier next year.

in my opinion, diagramming sentences is a horribly interesting and exciting activity. my difficulty in using it in the classroom was finding a way to make at least some of my kids feel the same. looks like i've found it. after a brief introduction to very basic diagramming, i had the kids break into teams (of their choosing) and compete to see which team could devise the correct answer first. each team works together and then sends a representative to the board. before each race you could cut the tension with a knife. the writers are chomping at the bit and when i yell "go" the motion of their little hands sound like rounds of machine gun fire. they scribble the answers to sentences like "paris hilton looks trashy", "some people can flow", and "the real world isn't realistic" as quickly as possible and then scream to have me check their work. meanwhile, the other team members are yelling instructions and cheers from the back of the room.the look of pride on their faces after winning a race just warms my heart. kids. excited about grammar. it's the most exhilirating thing i've done in my classroom. now don't be fooled, it isn't an intrinsic desire that's driving them. they are competing for "free" 100s. but still, their participation and enthusiasm is the kind of thing teachers dream about.

i think the best explanation of this activity was given by one little girl when she told me "miss mahan, we had fun AND we learned things." yes, my dear, yes you did.

also, doing latino/a and then african lit. kids loving it. i'm loving it. happy times in my life right now. all of this made me cry earlier this week while driving home. i really and truly will miss seeing these kids every day. they have become such an important part of my life and i worry about them constantly. not quite sure how i'll manage that last day in may and i'm certain they'll look at me like i'm a blubbering idiot. but i love them and i LOVE my profession. the end. (sorry for the complete lack of eloquence, too much emotion clogging that part of my brain.)