Grant Makes Lessons Accessible To Fifth-Grade Students
On Friday, April 29, fifth-grade students at both Salisbury Elementary and Paradise Elementary will take part in a private livestream lesson with poet Kenn Nesbitt. The learners are looking forward to the event after first interacting virtually with Nesbitt via a free lesson they took part in on Feb. 14.
"When we enter a poetry unit, I never know what kinds of reactions I will get (from the students)," said Courtney Rafter, who teaches at Paradise Elementary, "but (Nesbitt) brought it to life." Rafter added that her students were anxious to take part and since then many have spent their free time writing their own poems. "I was like, 'Outstanding,'" she said.
The April 29 virtual lessons will be covered by a grant from the Pequea Valley Education Foundation (PVEF), which was written by Rafter and Anita Girvin, who teaches fifth grade at Salisbury. Girvin discovered Nesbitt after asking Tara Reed, Pequea Valley High School (PVHS) facilitator, for ideas for competitions in which to enter student poetry. "I had used his website for resources before," shared Girvin, who noted that Nesbitt has written original children's poetry. She noticed the free, livestreamed lessons and asked Rafter if their classes should join in one.
According to Rafter, the Valentine's Day lesson was timed perfectly to the poetry unit curriculum. "(Nesbitt) was so interactive," said Rafter, who noted that several other U.S. classes and some Canadian schools were watching along with the Pequea Valley School District (PVSD) students. "He acknowledged my kids in my classroom," said Rafter. Nesbitt led the classes in creating an acrostic poem. Rafter's class members wrote one about a grandparent, while Girvin's wrote one about a teacher. Rafter said that when a Paradise student made a suggestion Nesbitt liked, he mentioned the child's name and the Paradise location on the livestream. "He made a virtual experience interactive, and it was fun to see," said Rafter.
Girvin noted that the April session will end with a short question and answer period with Nesbitt. She added that the event will come at the end of a week of state-required testing, which will give the students something to look forward to throughout that week.
Amy Koberstein, PVHS assistant principal and member of the PVEF board, said that giving away grants for educational purposes is the goal of PVEF. "That is the primary function of our education foundation," she said. "We raised money in November during the Extraordinary Give, and that money was immediately released back into the hands of PVSD facilitators to improve educational programming for the kids." PVEF formed in 2013. A nine-member board, made up of community members and active PVSD staff members, oversees grant distribution. Readers who would like to learn more about PVEF may visit http://www.pequeavalley.org/domain/347.
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