On Friday, April 13th the Jaguars, the second
grade after school class lead by Diana Sharkawy and Eddie Castañeda, hosted a
poetry café at R.L. Stevens School. The recital came after a class study of
Jamaican Dub Poetry, and a poetry writing workshop experience.
The event began with an invocation from Sharkawy, followed by the majority of students reading their own works aloud to a rapt audience of family, friends, and the fourth grade cool school class. A few shyer students opted to have Sharkawy read their poems to the audience on their behalf. Once the Jaguars finished sharing their poems, families were invited to stay for refreshments and an opportunity to read with their children from a collection of poetry books the mentors had assembled from the school and public libraries.
It was exciting for all involved to watch the second graders take pride in their work. In the coming weeks the Jaguars will star in a play that the students, with mentor guidance, will have written, staged, and directed themselves. If the success of their poetry presentation is any indicator, this capstone production will be another runaway success for the Jaguars. Here at R.L., we can hardly wait to see our beloved Jags perform once more!
The event began with an invocation from Sharkawy, followed by the majority of students reading their own works aloud to a rapt audience of family, friends, and the fourth grade cool school class. A few shyer students opted to have Sharkawy read their poems to the audience on their behalf. Once the Jaguars finished sharing their poems, families were invited to stay for refreshments and an opportunity to read with their children from a collection of poetry books the mentors had assembled from the school and public libraries.
It was exciting for all involved to watch the second graders take pride in their work. In the coming weeks the Jaguars will star in a play that the students, with mentor guidance, will have written, staged, and directed themselves. If the success of their poetry presentation is any indicator, this capstone production will be another runaway success for the Jaguars. Here at R.L., we can hardly wait to see our beloved Jags perform once more!
~Rachel Socia
Literacy Tutoring Team Leader
R.L. Stevens School
