Click, Create, Compose: Unpacking the “I Am From” Poetry Project
Location
Room 218
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
The “I Am From” photography and writing initiative was conducted with 45 eighth grade students in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. The poetry format was inspired by George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” template. Cameras were distributed to enable each student to document images from their home, school, and community to facilitate poetry writing. The project instilled a sense of pride in students and their backgrounds while enhancing their writing skills and encouraging creative expression. Assessment was accomplished through an evaluation rubric of students’ “I Am From” journals at the conclusion of the project. Specific elements from the Writing and Language standards within the 8thgrade ELA CCGPS were addressed in the rubric. Teacher interviews, student feedback (post-project survey), anecdotal records, and video presentations served as additional means of program assessment. The initiative served as a forum for students to view writing as an authentic and meaningful experience for self-expression while inspiring personal dedication to the craft.
Keywords
Writing, Photography, Poetry, Middle school students, Motivation, Self-expression
Recommended Citation
Katz, Anne Ph.D., "Click, Create, Compose: Unpacking the “I Am From” Poetry Project" (2014). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 32.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2014/2014/32
Proposal
Videos.docx (14 kB)
Click, Create, Compose: Unpacking the “I Am From” Poetry Project
Room 218
The “I Am From” photography and writing initiative was conducted with 45 eighth grade students in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. The poetry format was inspired by George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” template. Cameras were distributed to enable each student to document images from their home, school, and community to facilitate poetry writing. The project instilled a sense of pride in students and their backgrounds while enhancing their writing skills and encouraging creative expression. Assessment was accomplished through an evaluation rubric of students’ “I Am From” journals at the conclusion of the project. Specific elements from the Writing and Language standards within the 8thgrade ELA CCGPS were addressed in the rubric. Teacher interviews, student feedback (post-project survey), anecdotal records, and video presentations served as additional means of program assessment. The initiative served as a forum for students to view writing as an authentic and meaningful experience for self-expression while inspiring personal dedication to the craft.
