Lit Festival..from a long time ago...

Not really knowing what to expect, I went to the Literacy Festival at the Student Union on Friday. It was a unique opportunity to hear some incredible authors speak and to go to sessions to increase our knowledge on other topics.
I liked hearing the two elementary school children recite their poems. They were so adorable! I really admire their teacher, and I hope someday I can inspire kids the way she does every day. We also heard a women recite her own rendition of a Langston Hughes poem. Next, Janet Wong spoke. She was so funny and animated. She told of how she switched careers from a lawyer to a writer. I liked that she was so honest about how difficult it was to get published and that she struggled some. I liked her story about the poetry class. No one could guess that she did not like poetry and it did not come naturally or easily. When the class of kids walked in late, she just told them to come on in and have a seat on the floor. I thought that was great. She was so laid back.
My favorite part of her time was when she got the suitcase with props and had the kids come up and choose an object. Each object related to one of her favorite poems. I really enjoyed that. I think her idea would be great in a classroom. She discussed this as well. Having some sort of “prop trunk” for children to use in a classroom would be an interesting and fun way to incorporate poetry into the everyday. You could have the children read the poems or you could read to the class. She also had another idea for incorporating poetry. She read a poem about her dad being grumpy, and then turned it into a different activity. She had an idea to change it and have children write a loving poem about a family member. This would be great for holidays. I especially liked her idea to have children find their own props for poems.
After Janet Wong spoke, I went to the first break out session. The particular session I chose was one on ESL teaching in the classroom. Mrs. Stocks provided some really great information for helping ELL students in the classroom. Her strategies were so good and they could be used in a regular classroom as well.
I am really glad I had the opportunity to attend the Literature Festival. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had to go to class and work. Janet Wong was entertaining, and I really enjoyed the breakout sessions. This is an event well worth the time and I think it was a great event.