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The Fledgling Book Club

The older students were part of an eight week book club where they read The Fledgling by Jane Langton.At the start of the book club we set up expectations. All book marks needed to exhibit responses that were Detailed Articulate Thoughtful and Exemplary (DATE).Each week children were responsible for bringing to class two examples of author’s Read More >>

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Writing Prompts

Working with Jeff Simmons, a parent of one of our students who teaches creative writing at Syracuse University, the older students were given two writing prompts which launched them into many weeks of writing fiction. “Not all stories have good characters, but most good stories have vivid characters that the reader feels they know almost Read More >>

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Poetry

Inspired by Kenneth Koch’s Rose, where did you get that red?  book the older students spent a month studying the poems of Wallace Stevens: Thirteen Ways to Look at a Blackbird, John Ashbery: Into the Dusk-Charged Air, and Arthur Rimbaud:  Voyelles. Kenneth Koch’s prompts for children are both motivating and creative. Our final poem was Read More >>

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Cutting Book

The youngest students have been working on a cutting book during journalling time once or twice a week.  This activity has focused on cutting out pictures from magazines and pasting them with the correct initial sound in the alphabet.  Students then have to write neatly what the picture is, cut that name out of the Read More >>

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Daily Journal Time

Everyday children have half an hour of writing time. Sometimes this is used for printing practice, phonemic  instruction, spelling, and writing workshop. Every week children have time for free writing.  Children can choose to write by hand, use an alphasmart or type on the computer. Younger children can dictate their stories.

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Rooster Play

In early December the youngest children performed a play based on the Ancient Chinese story of how the rooster lost his horns. Ladies and Gentleman. We are glad you are here to watch our play. The play was a collaborative effort, with each child adding details until we told the story. The children spent weeks Read More >>

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Barnes and Noble 2010

Haleigh Originally uploaded by New School-Syracuse Children were invited to attend our Barnes and Noble poetry night. There was a great turn out of families. After the children took turns sharing their favorite poems they had opportunities to enjoy face painting and puppet making.

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Poem in a Pocket Day

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves. Did gyre and gimble in ….. Hugh Humphreys came to share his love for reciting poetry, to jumpstart our enthusiasm for Poem in a Pocket Day.  Hugh, a retired judge, writes for the Madison County Historical Society, and is an artist, whose work is at the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Read More >>

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Book Clubs

Throughout the year we form book clubs for our students. Book Clubs are formed for many different reasons. Sometimes we the title of the book compliments our social studies or science curriculum. Sometimes a small group of children read a book based on a particular interest. Always we set up book clubs to encourage children Read More >>