From Elephants on the Thames to Classroom Verses: A Term in Poetry with Natalia

Exploring the World of Poetry in Upper Primary 2: A Reflection from our Intern, Natalia

Welcome back to another blog post from ISG! This term is a special one for us, as we have the pleasure of hosting Natalia, our intern from Greece. Natalia has been a wonderful addition to our Upper Primary classrooms, and this term’s blog post reflects on the rich experiences we've had while diving into our Literacy unit on the anthology "Poems from a Green and Blue Planet" and the subsequent ‘writer’s workshops.’

The Journey Begins with an Elephant on the Thames

Our literary exploration began with a fascinating poem titled "The Elephant is Walking on the River Thames” by Imtiaz Dharker. Natalia observed that while the students were initially reserved, their interest piqued as they delved deeper into the poem. "During the lesson, I've seen that they are trying to understand the poem and they were paying attention," she shared. Through a mix of creative projects, focused exercises, and interactive games, we were able to captivate our students’ attention.

Writing Their Own Verses: Animals in Unusual Places

Inspired by the Elephant poem, our young poets ventured into writing their own verses, many of them opting for whimsical settings featuring animals in unusual places. From whales wandering through city rivers to birds making homes in post-boxes, the students unleashed their imaginations. Natalia found it uplifting to see how the students applied poetic characteristics like stanzas, spelling, alliteration, and rhyme in their own poems. "They seem to really enjoy the process of writing a funny story, emotions, etc., through their own unique way and words," she noted.

Final Thoughts

Our term’s journey into poetry has been a rich tapestry of learning and self-expression. Both the students and Natalia have found value and joy in this exploration. "It’s a new way of expressing themselves and saying how they are feeling with a more creative way," Natalia believes. In the process, our students have discovered new avenues for writing and emotional expression, enriching their academic and personal lives.

A heartfelt thank you to Natalia for her insightful observations and for actively contributing to our classroom's dynamic learning environment. We can't wait for more shared experiences and literary explorations after the Autumn holidays!

Until next time,

Mr. J & Ms. Natalia

A Note on Our Bilingual Program from Mr. Francis

As we reflect on this term's accomplishments and explorations, let's not forget another enriching aspect of our educational journey—the bilingual program. For a closer look into how our students are thriving in this special program, here's a word from our Bilingual teacher, Mr. Francis:

Students in the bilingual program have started off well. They got used to the routine where they come to the Dutch classroom four times a week during morning break and lunch break, and they are all doing really well with communicating only in Dutch in the classroom! Apart from our inquiries into biomes, animal classifications, food webs and human impact (part of IPC), students have also set up good routines to study Dutch language skills in two different groups – thanks to ms. Adinda for her support in teaching reading and spelling! Finally, we are really glad to see that many pupils are active in Dutch outside school as well (clubs, reading, watching TV, etc.) Our class has also visited the public library recently, so everyone definitely has some books they can read at home. Dankjewel iedereen voor de fijne sfeer in de klas en fijne vakantie gewenst aan iedereen!!