Introduction
While one may have been a part of staff or faculty at a school district for many years, it is rare to find a teacher that has one school year that is the same as the other. Granted, curriculum and administration may change. Hardworking colleagues may remain tried and true, but in the end, it is our students that make the difference! Because of their similarities and differences – their level of engagement and sheer individuality, students bring the best out of teachers and we strive to be a part of bringing the best out of them. This curriculum unit will delve into the domain of migration, migratory patterns and immigration from Latin American nations and countries along with the unpacking of cultures through stories, poetry, music, and an examination of history. Additionally, students will investigate local history by focusing the lens on Pittsburgh’s part in this topic.
For nearly 30 years, I have worked in the city of Pittsburgh teaching mostly elementary school. Finding a niche as an English and Language Arts instructor, I love seeing students succeed in writing and reading. I’ve been delivering lessons to students in multiple grade levels and am currently working with two sections of ELA. The first section is fourth grade for a three-period block and the second section is fifth grade for the same time period. During these blocks, I teach reading, spelling, English and writing along with handwriting (cursive) and one section of social studies. A unique setup, indeed! Having previously taught third grade for nine consecutive years, it was my sheer pleasure to have that particular group again as I transitioned to the fourth and fifth grade “split.” The familiarity allowed us to grow and thrive. One of the many highlights of my school and student body is that the bulk of the students have been together since pre-k and have subsequently traveled through their elementary experiences concurrently. Not only do they play together, they learn together and can spark mindful conversations accompanied with deep queries that drive instruction.
Students
My students are bright eyed, energetic scholars. A great multitude of them are ravenous readers who easily blow through our district-wide reading goal of 25 books. My building, one of many elementary schools within the district, bumped the goal to 50 and in recent years “100 books or more!” Each day, at our “morning meeting,” the students shout and cheer this goal before they even get to their lockers to prepare for first period. Several students in my fourth-grade homeroom have not only met the building goal of 100 but have surpassed that! A number of them have over 300, and one had 647. It is important to note that these totals are inclusive of every story from the curriculum we read in class, every passage, news article and more. We want our young students to realize how important it is to not only “read a book,” but to read everything in the world around them. From cereal boxes to books, and street signs to step-by-step instructions, the objective is to strengthen foundational reading skills as well as refine vocabulary and comprehension. These facts combined with the focused involvement of stakeholders in and around the school (teachers, administration, parents, students and community) help to strengthen the students’ efforts and endeavors.
The children attending the school in which I work, come from a wide assortment of demographics inclusive of race and ethnic background, religion, and socio-economic status. Out of the nearly 18,000 students currently enrolled in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, ours come from varying areas in the city and include a diverse racial community. US News and World Report shares that the student body consists of white students (28.3%), black students (55.5%), Latino students (3.2%), Asians and Asian Pacific Islanders (1%), Native American and Alaska Native students (1.2%) and Multi-race students (10.8%).1 Reading and Math scores consistently exceed the district and state levels of proficiency. However, as with educational structures, pedagogy and objectives around the world, weaknesses do exist. Writing, per se, is a subject that can always be thoroughly developed and fine-tuned in my view. Due to the many facets of the subject, along with alarmingly observable changes in even the physical aspect of writing in young students, there is cause for concern in a multitude of educational settings. From my perspective, areas of creative and expressive writing have been stifled and even overlooked. With focus having shifted to district and state assessments, students have been engrossed in writings such as the summary, response and text-dependent analysis. For years, I have observed the transition from writing stories, narratives, poetry and beyond to the aforementioned genres. Not to be downplayed, students’ ability to deliver within those genres is highly important, however, in my opinion, no genre should be ostracized in order to exalt the other. With that said, my students certainly demonstrate strength in reading, comprehending, synthesizing information and possessing a healthy desire to learn and show growth in additional areas of ELA but their writing amongst an array of genres is in need of balance if they are to be thoroughly developed in this hearty discipline.
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