Spring Update

Poetry Activities, Review Writing, WRAP Prompts, and Much More

Hi everyone,

I’m just returning to the classroom after a much-needed spring break, ready to enjoy the final two months with my wonderful eighth graders. I feel really good about what we’ve accomplished thus far and what we have planned as we head into the home stretch. Before we get too far into this edition, be sure to check out my video update that I recorded earlier this month. And as always, reach out directly if there’s anything you’d like me to answer, discuss, explore, etc. in future newsletters.

1. As I re-read last April’s newsletter, I came across this line from Stolen Focus that I felt was worth repeating here: We have an obligation to help students regain their focus, to help them “slow down in a world that is speeding up” (Hari 37). We have an obligation to help students find flow while tech companies continue to promote fragmentation. (And on a related note, I highly recommend this conversation featuring Ezra Klein and Jonathan Haidt. So much to consider and discuss with fellow educators, friends, and community members.

2. Read and WRAP: April Reading Reflection. As we start a new month and head into the home stretch of the year, take a moment to reflect on your reading performance thus far. Then, write a meaningful 250-300 word reflection, using the following questions as a guide. (To clarify, you are not expected to answer all of the questions below. Rather, the goal is to compose a thoughtful response that demonstrates critical thinking and offers insight into your “reading life.” Most of you did a great job with this assignment in February!) Here’s the full doc/assignment.

3. Review Writing: Before break, as we wrapped up our “March Madness” unit, students wrote outstanding reviews on a wide range of topics. Here’s the one I wrote: You’re Killing Me, Smalls: Why The Sandlot is the Greatest Sports Movie of All Time. And here are some of the student topics: ranking chess pieces; the best regional cuisine; top 4 movies of all time; favorite countries to visit; the four best rap albums of each decade; the greatest shooter of all time (Steph Curry); four favorite books (I need to share this one with y’all!); Disney movies; the most legendary video game leads; top 16 Telugu movies; best board games; soccer teams; and so many more. (This is just from one class.) Let me know if you’d like to me to share about this unit — highly recommend, whether it’s next March/April or perhaps to close out this school year!

4. Poetry Madness: We’ve also had a lot of fun with our “Poetry Madness,” periodically putting two related poems head-to-head in a matchup. Here’s one graphic organizer we’ve used and here’s the other. Some of the poetry battles? “Introduction to Poetry” vs. “How to Eat a Poem”; “We Real Cool” vs. “Nothing Gold Can Stay”; “Dreams” vs. “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”; and this week, “This is Just to Say” vs. “Today” (Billy Collins). I also stumbled upon this poetry resource today (planning to check it out soon). In the next item, I’ll share another way we’re celebrating National Poetry Month…

5. Greek/Latin Roots + Poetry: To help students review our latest set of roots and celebrate National Poetry Month, we’ve taken time this week to write original poems (including at least five of our current batch of 12 roots). Students are free to write about anything, but possible topics include spring, summer, school, and sports. The responses thus far have been incredible. Students love the opportunity to be creative. You can check out my example from last spring here. And here’s the one I’m working on this week with the NBA Playoffs in full swing.

6. And here are four more poetry-focused WRAP prompts to share with students this month (or anytime), including the character biopoem, haiku, acrostic, and sonnet.

7. No Article of the Week for us this week, but I highly recommend “The Price We Pay Betting on Sports.” After an initial annotation and discussion, here’s how students responded to the text. I’ve also dedicated ELA time to help students with their Genius Hour projects that they’re working on in Science. In short, I helped students select two credible sources as they begin their research process. Here are the docs: Genius Hour AoW + CRAAP Analysis and Genius Hour AoW #2.

8. End-of-Year Activities: More to come next week :) In the meantime, be sure to check out Chapter 6 of Just Read It for several projects and possibilities.

9. Speaking of Just Read It, if you check out the “Related Resources” on the right-hand side of this page, you’ll notice free excerpts (Introduction + Chapter 1), an hour-long webinar, and this brand new discussion guide for my book, JUST READ IT: Unlocking the Magic of Independent Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms. (Don’t forget the code RAVEN25 for 25% + free shipping.) If your school, district, or organization is planning a JUST READ IT book study or would like for me to deliver a keynote address and/or lead a PD session/workshop in 2025 or 2026, please reach out. I love connecting with fellow educators and supporting/strengthening your team’s literacy efforts.

10. I am also planning a virtual Just Read It book study this summer! The goal is to connect with many of y’all as we continue planning for the 25-26 school year. Stay tuned :)

11. A few final updates and reminders:

    1. New Jersey friends, would love to see you in Maplewood on May 8 for the J vs. K book event.

    2. Recently stumbled upon this resource and this article.

    3. We wrapped up our PIES and Interview Projects. Both projects turned out wonderfully, so please reach out if you have any questions!

    4. We ran out of time to enter the official contest, but I highly recommend checking out the NYT Learning Network’s “How To” writing contest along with the student winners.

    5. Grateful for this SLJ review of Just Read It and for every one of you who has purchased a copy, spread the word in your school/district, facilitated a book study, shouted out Just Read It on social media, shared an online review, or sent me a kind message or email. It means more than you know.

    6. I wanted to end with a quote from John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed. I recently grabbed it from the shelf during our independent reading time and, before handing it to a student (it’s one of my go-to recs, especially when a student is in between books, waiting on a book from the library, forgot their book at home, etc.), I stumbled upon this page:

“To fall in love with the world isn’t to ignore or overlook suffering, both human and otherwise. For me anyways, to fall in love with the world is to look up at the night sky and feel your mind swim before the beauty and the distance of the stars. It is to hold your children while they cry, to watch as the sycamore trees leaf out in June…We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.”

Hope all of you are able to savor the small wins and joys this spring, and as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can support you and/or your students in any way.

Jarred