April Showers Bring May Flowers

Now that warmer spring weather has settled in Cieszyn, there is a new epidemic among the students. It has spread like wildfire through every class and I hear the symptoms of this epidemic in every corner of the school. The students are constantly saying, "Can we go to the park?" Sometimes it is just one student asking, but at other times it is a chorus of little voices saying not quite in unison, "Can we go?" Hearing this obnoxious chorus immediately puts me in a sour mood because I don't like whining. I have tried to be creative in my planning so that students are engaged and forget about the park.

On the other hand, I also have some students who are difficult to engage in class. Their English skills are not as strong as some of their counterparts, or they are very shy. Often these students are very gifted in another area of learning (art, math, computers), just not English. In my gimnasium classes most of my quieter girls are very artistic, so I wanted to plan a lesson that would give them a chance to express themselves in this way. I decided on doing an "April showers bring May flowers," lesson.

I started the lesson by teaching my girls what this phrase meant. Lucky for me, we had been having A LOT of rain making the phrase even more appropriate. Then I explained that I wanted the girls to make a flower that represented who they are as individuals. I did not want them to make boring daisies, roses, poppies, or lilies. But instead I wanted a Karolina flower, and a Dosia flower, and a Jane flower. I provided paper, scissors, glue, and lots of colored paper and let them get to work.

Now, I realize this was not the most English-focused lesson of the year. But it was fun! Most of the girls really took ownership of their flowers and made unique and beautiful creations. To tie some English in at the end, I made each of the girls explain their flower to me and tell me about how it connected to their personality. To up the pressure just a little bit more, I told the girls that I would be displaying their flowers in a garden for the whole school to see. I loved watching them piece together their flower and think about what things are important to them. They are such intense workers! The garden turned out beautifully, and I was happy to bring a little spring to the school.

Blessings,
Colleen