Ms. Crowe's 707 - Perseverance

The word, 'perseverance', speaks volumes to not only the students during this stressful time of year but also to me along with (I'm assuming) most of the teachers and contributors involved in this program.  When I think of 'perseverance', I think of times in my life that required a positive mindset and organizational strategies, so I decided to plan my lessons for this month around that mentality.  We started off the month by watching the TED talk by Diana Nyad about swimming from Cuba to Florida and the kids were, to say the least, AMAZED.  Students participated in a discussion about times when they had to persevere.  

I really enjoyed watching the students work together during the goal setting process and I wanted to provide them with another similar opportunity.  The students decided to create "Graffiti Walls" in groups to demonstrate their understanding of perseverance.  As I met with each group, students were using real life examples of perseverance and also thinking about people who have persevered throughout history and situations in which one would need to use perseverance.  They impressed me with their ability to connect the monthly topic to historical and current events.

As I observed the groups' progress, I noticed that many of them were not reflecting on their own experiences with perseverance.  While meeting with groups, I asked the students to reflect on a time (as requested by Matt) when they had to persevere.  One group immediately made an organizer and each team member wrote about their own personal experience.  I was impressed with their independence and ability to exceed my expectations.  

If you look closely, you can see the organizer.  

"The time when I had to use perseverance was when I had a "F" and two "D's" on my report card.  I had to get my grades up."

After the students completed the "Graffiti Walls", each group presented their project.  Some of the students were hesitant to speak in front of the class but definitely seemed more comfortable than they did when we started the program.  While we listened to the presentations, many students found similarities amongst the group projects.  For example, many groups mentioned people such as, Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jordan, Beyonce, Harriet Tubman, etc.  

Overall, I was impressed with not only the teamwork but also the independence among the groups.  The students who are sometimes off-task really enjoyed working with their group to complete the assignment.  We are looking forward to brainstorming ideas for next month's topic, Community.