SPOTLIGHT . . .
PTA Workshop at Wayside Elementary School
We recently had Debbie Fink lead a two day workshop for third graders at Wayside Elementary School. Mrs. Fink worked with approximately 100 students celebrating National Poetry Week with a workshop entitled, There Once was a Limerick.
The two day seminar was structured with a learning/thinking day on the first day and hands on writing on the second. The first day’s focus was setting the stage through The Gift of Writing: Going from Inspiration to Publication. Mrs. Fink tailored the program to incorporate our third grade teachers’ requirements which were to help the students with creative writing and to work with them on something outside of the regular MCPS curriculum. Providing an overview of poetry styles and genres, Mrs. Fink discussed emotions in poetry and focused on rhyming poetry. She got the kids involved by having them read quotes about poetry by great poets. The kids really enjoyed Mrs. Fink’s Limericks’ Rhythm and Rhyme in which she taught limericks through movement.
On the second day, Mrs. Fink focused on writing limericks. She started the day in a brainstorming session so the students could practice the process of writing a limerick. Each student was then given a camera-ready prototype to write their final two limericks along with an illustration. Mrs. Fink is now overseeing the publishing of a poetry book for the students entitled, There Once was a Limerick from Wayside…, so that the children will have a book, published by Harmony Hearth, containing their limericks, illustrations, and some photos from the workshop.
Mrs. Fink brings so much energy and enthusiasm to the workshop that all of the students are touched by it. The students were very upbeat and excited by the whole program and are eagerly awaiting the publication of their book. The teachers were very positive about the experience. One teacher commented, “Debbie was organized, enthusiastic, and knew her stuff. Also, she built on things that the kids have learned without repeating what we’ve done in school.” Another summed up, “I would love to have Debbie back again next year, especially since we now know what to expect. She was very organized and it was apparent that she has a passion for writing. There was a clear beginning, middle, and end to the program and I think the students really enjoyed the process.”
If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Kitt through e-mail at ckitt3@comcast.net.
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