Author Archives: Mark Silberberg

About Mark Silberberg

Mark is thrilled to be a member of LREI's vibrant learning community and is inspired each day by students and colleagues alike. Mark began his formal adult life in schools as a teacher of physics, chemistry, English and an experiential business simulation class in the public schools where he also worked as a school administrator and technology coordinator. For the ten years prior to coming to LREI, Mark was a co-founder and co-director of a progressive K-12 public charter school. When not immersed in things LREI, Mark enjoys spending time with his family and completing sundry home repair projects. He is an avid soccer player and skier and wishes he had more time to play the guitar and bass.

A Tribute to Fourth Graders: The Moving Up Ceremony, 2017

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All Together: BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!! Deborah: Given the scandalous allegations of reported election irregularities, the People’s Republic of the Fourth Grade set up a secret commission to investigate these allegations of vote rigging. Since there is no centralized authority to guarantee a proper vote count or the security of elections, the United States of LREI formed a special commission. After months of careful scrutiny it was determined that there was a basis to doubt the results of the election in Deborah and Joel’s Fourth Grade class. Joel: Although the underlying intelligence is highly classified, the LREI Intelligence Committee has found evidence of voter hacking in the Fourth Grade. Consequently a recount has been instituted and the results have been overturned. It was still a very close vote…very close. Joel: The Benevolent Dictators of Fourth Grade — Dan, Tara, Deborah, and Joel — declare the following election results to be true: Deborah: For her joyful outlook we appoint Alden Secretary of Happiness, Guitars, and Falling Into Rooms And Out Of Chairs. Joel: For his deadpan humor and sportsmanship, we appoint Alex Chief White House Correspondent. Deborah: For his organizational energy and public speaking abilities we appoint Asher to be not only the White House Press Secretary, but also chief in charge of scheduling. Joel: For his vociferous vocabulary and piano virtuosity, we appoint Avery Secretary of Language and White House Musician. Deborah: For her puzzle prowess and mathematical acumen, we name Bailey Chief of Cryptology, making and breaking codes. Joel: For his positive spirit, peaceful mood, and friendly attitude towards all we appoint Crosby Secretary of Kindness and Communications. Deborah: For his close relationship with exclamatory punctuation we name Ezra Secretary of Positivity and the Exclamation! King! Of! The! Punctuation! Council! Joel: For her extensive knowledge of history and her dedication to detail we appoint Gia the Head of the National Archives, and the Secretary of Time. Deborah: For her poetic observational skills and empathy we name Jade the Queen of Lost Objects and Allyship. Joel: For his big picture thinking we appoint Kieran Secretary of Social Studies…and Fort Building. Deborah: For her concise, creative, and analytical thinking and her boundless energy for work, we appoint Laiali Attorney General. Joel: For his perseverance at tackling challenges we appoint Lorenzo Secretary of Defense, Head of the Special Commission for Weapons Made Out of Scotch Tape. Deborah: For her creativity as a graphic designer and writer of memorable slogans, we name Makeda Head of Public Relations. Joel:  For her deep relationship with literature and writing we appoint Margot Head of the National Library Council and Poet Laureate. Deborah: For his enthusiasm for mathematical and scientific challenges we appoint Miles the Head of New Projects at NASA. Joel: For his critical lens and sense of fairness, we appoint Nate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Deborah: For her exceptional skills in the visual arts and comedic writing we appoint Romy Head of the National Council of the Arts. Joel: For his passion for activism and human rights we name Sam Secretary of Health and Human Services. Deborah: For her leadership powers as a social organizer and her flair with magic markers we appoint Suko Secretary of Protests and Equality. Joel: For his motivated approach to learning and calm energy we appoint Yves Prime Minister of Pacing and Line Leading. Deborah: For his ability to make us laugh with his unique voice and colorful footwear, we appoint Zen Secretary of Comedy and Fashion. Joel: The Benevolent Dictators also wish our newly appointed ambassadors — Lorenzo, Chase, Yves, Makeda, Avery, Kieran — best of luck in their respective journeys abroad. Tara: Imagine a nation run by our fourth grade. The artists, the poets, the musicians, the communicators, social justice seekers all working together toward a more inclusive future without hate or fear. Deborah: Welcome to the new world order. One filled with Critical Thinking, Courage, Citizenship, and Creativity. And by the way our new White House is no longer white! (hold up poster of a rainbow white house)              ]]>

Delivering Letters to Gavin Grimm at the ACLU

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On Wednesday we went to visit the ACLU to hand-deliver our letters to Gavin Grimm. After hearing stories and more from several staff members, including Gavin’s lawyer, as well as a video that Gavin Grimm made just for us (watch it above!), we decided another round of letters were in order! Here are some thoughts of gratitude for our new heroes at the ACLU.     Dear Chris, Jake, and all the other ACLU members and staff, Thank you for letting us come in and talk to you about the Gavin Grimm case. I think that the ACLU is really cool. It helps people that need someone to talk to. It helps people that are having problems in their community based on their gender, identity, and who they are married to (and many many many many many more things but I’m pretty sure it would be too long to list). It’s great that you knew so much about the Gavin Grimm case. Our class has been studying it for quite a while by now, and we were REALLY interested. How did he pull through this sad (and probably pretty uncomfortable) experience? One of our teachers is transgender. I was the person who introduced the case in the first place. I watched a video on The Washington Post with my mom one morning and I got inspired and wanted to share this very interesting and tear-jerking video with my class. The video sparked a huge study about human rights (especially LGBTQ) and lots of dislike for Trump. I have one question: I know that you help people with their problems, but animals are Americans too! It is called the American Civil Liberties Union after all. Do you help animals as well as people? Sincerely, and happy helping, Ezra     Dear Jake and Chris (and whoever this letter gets sent to), Thank you for teaching us about the ACLU and what you guys do. Your explanations helped me (and others too, I’m sure) realize how the fight for LGBTQ rights is larger than just a few simple cases at court. Those cases and problems are serious! I think that there were some conversations that were interesting and made me think. One was when the lawyer said that the Supreme Court had denied Gavin Grimm’s case,  and they were being sent to the 4th Court or something like that. He also said that they were going in September and they had high hopes for this. It makes me think that in general, people should not give up. They should keep fighting for their rights. There was another person whose parents immigrated and his mom and a green card but his dad did not. He told us that his day would have to sneak out the back door of their house. I wondered why his dad did that. I realize he’s an illegal immigrant so if someone comes and checks him and they see he doesn’t have a green card, and they will send him back and split up the family. Thank you again for teaching us about the ACLU and what you do. We really learned a lot. Sincerely, Gia Garland     Dear Chris and Jake and everyone, Thank you for letting us come to the ACLU. I really enjoyed it. When you talked about Syrian refugees it reminded me of a student at my dad’s school who went home over the holidays and couldn’t come back. It also reminded me of how much we’ve learned about immigration. So many immigrants have done so many impacting things from our county. We are a nation of immigrants. It was really cool when that video came on that it basically addressed us. It makes me feel really good that Gavin is excited to get the letters we made. We support a bunch of causes, but very few causes know that one specific fourth grade class supports them, or sends a video to them saying thank you. Good luck in the case and I hope Gavin likes the letters. I’ve been saving money for charity or a good cause and I think I found my cause. I’ll be sending $100 or more bucks to you. Sincerely, Kieran     Dear Jake, Thank you so much for teaching us about ACLU and Gavin Grimm’s case. I really enjoyed it. It really made me think when you talked about Donald Trump and when he canceled the bathroom law. It made me really mad when he did that. It also made me think when we talked about how kids went up and spoke too. It really made me think I could change the world. My favorite part of the visit was when we saw the video of Gavin Grimm speaking to us. I liked this because it really showed that he is nice enough to take time out of his day to make it. Thanks again!                                From,                                         Alden  ]]>

The Year-End Play Project: A Journey of People from Past to Present

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It’s that time of year! Time for the Fourth Grade to write and perform a play about all that we have learned this year. Asher explains:

What we are about to perform for you is a story of immigrants, migrants and protests. In Fourth Grade this year we studied immigrant stories of coming over from other countries and settling in the lower east side. This year we also studied the Great Migration and how African Americans moved to the northern states because of race issues in the south. There are protests that relate to immigration, migration and present day politics that you will see in the play.  We hope you enjoy our play A Journey Of People From Past To Present.

But we skipped ahead….there were many steps to this process. First, we needed to write the script. After coming up with a rough draft, we invited some experts in. Nate’s mom, Diana, a playwright and producer, helped us with our script writing process. She inspired us to do more editing. So we revised our script. Soon, it was time to get into character. Romy’s mom, Sofia, who is a director and writer, talked to us about her work. She gave us some ideas about how to handle ourselves on stage. She also taught us a warm-up technique/game called “Soundball.” Rehearsing involved other tasks like carrying chairs from classroom to classroom and building to building, working hard, and eating pizza. In the beginning we weren’t sure we would make it! A few days in…we started to see the big picture during the first reading of our entire script. Thank goodness for collaborative tools like Google Drive and iPads! We practiced our lines and the process of projecting our voices during recess. More pieces fell into place. We could use the high school auditorium now! We made props in art and shop class. We had a guitar! Although honestly speaking, Asher thought it would have been better if we had started rehearsals at least a week earlier – we only had a few days until the performance!

June 2, 2017

It’s show time!

Let’s meet the cast and their characters!

Please note: The snapshots/portraits of us below were taken while we were engaging in a warm-up/loose-up walk to the final production. They are presented alongside excerpts from our script.

Historical Immigration

Steerage/Ellis Island/Lower East Side

We made murals to help with our storytelling in art class. Here is a painting of the Great Hall at Ellis Island. (German son) Nate: Uhhh. I envy first and second class. They are above the water and have food. They don’t even know we are alive. I’m hungry. Excuse me (talks to CC) do you happen to have any extra food? We had some when we started on the trip but it only lasted the first ten days.

There’s our director, Charissa.

Yes, It’s called the Statue of Liberty. It’s said that she welcomes all us immigrants to this new land. Let’s go!

Aedín is our musical director! We couldn’t tell these stories without music.  

Inspector R.(Crosby): Where are you from?

Aruna (Suko): We are from India.

Inspector R.(Crosby): Turn around. Good. How much money do you have?

Amala (Mia): 25 Dollars.

Inspector R.(Crosby): Good, that’s minimum, so you won’t become a public charge. Here are your landing cards.

Inspector R. (Crosby): Next! Manifest number 430.

Crying family gets in line behind Makeda.

Aruna (Suko): (directly to the audience): Look, Mama that whole family is crying. It looks like they’re being split up. Now I know why they call this place the Island of Tears.

Amala (Mia): I wonder if Manhattan will be The Island of Hope.

Aruna (Suko): Yeah I wonder.

Landlord (Yves):  I’m Mr. Weber, your landlord. This is your new tenement. Now you must follow these rules:

  1. No pets or you’re out

  2. No complaints or you’re out

  3. If you don’t pay the monthly rent you’re out

Now I got a lot of other people who would want this tenement, so don’t play with your chances.

Simone (Romy): Wow. This is going to be a LOT more different than living in France.

Ero (Ezra): It’s okay, let’s try and steer our ships with positivity! Moving to America was the only option that we had. We will eventually get used to it.

Ezra: don’t be so pessimistic… Romy: Here we go again Yves: is he going to start singing? Wyeth: life isn’t a musical number! Romy: No!! too late!  

Whole family: Hey, I’m not giving you my pay

But we could do this another day

And if you knock, knock us over,

We’ll steer with positivity.

We can’t afford the rent

But America’s where we went

And if you knock, knock us over,

We’ll steer with positivity

Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh

Positivity!

Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh

Positivity!

 

Triangle Shirtwaist Protest

Zen walks to the factory and stops when he sees workers giving out flyers.

Zen: What are you guys doing? Why aren’t you going to work?

Milla: We are handing out flyers to announce our strike for better working conditions in the factories. We’re heading over to Cooper Union.

Zen: What do you mean better working conditions?

Alden (Clara Lemlich):  I think we need better working conditions that’s why we’re all here. We are poor but a little bit of respect would be nice! We come to work everyday and work too many hours to get too little pay. We should have safer fire escapes that work and be able to use the bathroom when we need to. The doors should be open and we should not be punished for not coming in on Sunday! We need more changes now! So let’s strike to end this madness.

All cheer and chant: WE WANT BETTER PAY AND WE DON’T WANT TO WORK ALL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x2

Asher: We’ll be fine. And anyway what’s the worst they could do? It is so many against so few.

 

The Great Migration

Papa Till (Bailey): Working in the fields was so hard today. I wish we could keep more of our crops instead of having to give them to the landowner.

 

Nessie (Jade): (Comes in angrily, slams down the Crisis on the table) Have you seen the new issue of the Crisis yet?!

Freeman (Miles): No I haven’t. I do know that Sheriff Johnson was saying that most of the white people in the town said we shouldn’t be reading it anymore.

Nessie (Jade): It’s because they don’t want us to know the truth about how bad things are getting for black people in the South.

Meese (Kieran): And what’s more, once we get further North, the train cars aren’t even segregated anymore.

Jeffrey (Jasiri) Really? That’s hard to believe.

Papa Till (Bailey): The first thing we are going to need to do when we get to Chicago is find a place to live.

Meese (Kieran): Don’t worry. I know someone who has a place to rent.

Billy (Leo): Is it big?

Meese (Kieran): Unfortunately, it is pretty small. But hopefully in a little while, you can get a bigger place.

Papa Till (Bailey): Ok. Sounds good. Children, we’re almost to Chicago now.

Meese (Kieran): I’m looking forward to getting back there. You are going to love it.

(Children make train movement and sounds, move across stage.)

Mama (Margot): Here in the North, at least people like us will have a chance.

Thannie (Makeda): That’s true. I think with a few of our personal things, we can make this into our home.

 

Eleanor (Gia): We have heard that Chicago has more opportunities for people like us than the South.

Chicago, Chicago,

You have many layers

Some good, some bad

You frighten me,

Wild Chicago

Protest Scene

Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around Turn me around, turn me around Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around Keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’ Gonna build a brand new world

Contemporary Immigration Scene

Rema (Laiali) and Hamoudi (Avery) walk into their room. Rema walks in first. There are pictures of family and friends up on the wall. Rema walks to the room and sits down. Hamoudi sits in a chair on the other side of the room.

Hamoudi: This first day in an American school wasn’t the best.

 Rema: It was pretty hard. I miss our friends.

Hamoudi: I wish our family and friends were here right now.

Song: Harlan and Beckett

“Oh Friends” Don’t you know I’m all alone. Sitting in these chairs talking to your pictures.

Music: Avery plays some piano and the pictures come life

Sam:  Hi Hamoudi.

Hamoudi: Ahhhhhh! Did the photo just talk to me?

Rema: I think it did!

Sam: Of course we did! Did you think we’d leave you two just because we live in different countries? Now, why are you both so sad?

Lorenzo: You will be alright!  Everybody has hard times. There’s so many great things the kids don’t know about you yet. Like how you are football champions!! Back over here, people still talk about your skills!

Hamoudi: Thanks, grandpa. They call it soccer here.

 

Washington Square Park Protest Scene

Alex: This is Alex Amorosino reporting from EI News. Today, in New York City there is an emergency rally against the President’s ban on immigration and refugees. Let’s go take a look. (Looks directly at camera)

All except Alex, Asher: No hate, No fear, immigrants are welcome here! X3

What Can One Little Person Do?   There was a family who traveled west They were hoping for the best This miserable journey took over eternity The inspectors were so strict and they didn’t want us sick But then we entered into the New Land!   Back home there was a war We hopped on a plane, we wanted more Leaving old friends behind, hoping new friends we would find As we sat high in the sky, wondering what was coming by But then we entered into the New Land!   The South was not for us So we packed without a fuss We moved ‘cause there was too much hate Migrants came here And they fought through all their fears And they stood up for all human rights On performance day we were all feeling pretty good! Thank you for your support!!!!]]>

Gymnastic Performance at Lower School Gathering by Asher and Zen

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We all laughed and had a lot of fun!

Asher and Zen report: Last week we shared our gymnastics routine at Lower School Gathering. We have been working on them for a few months. Then it came the time to share. Some kids chose to perform and some did not. Because of injuries and absences Randy filled in for a few people. The people who performed came to Lower School Gathering 10 minutes early to stretch and get ready. First we did jumping jacks and then we did burpees. Then we had a free stretch time. One very common stretch was a lunge. When it came time for Lower School Gathering we lined up against the wall. Each group took turns performing and excited when they finished. Everyone worked really hard and when they were finished they felt good about how hard they worked together. There was a huge round of applause after every routine. The kids who did not perform cheered for the performing kids from the sidelines. It was a great experience for our play because it helped us with stage fright. When we had gymnastics we practiced routines that we made up. The routines needed to have a jump, a balance, a roll, and a cartwheel. We had partners when we did this so it was a collaboration with another person.The people who were injured made changes to their routine so they could still perform.  We shared it on a mat against the wall horizontally and the audience crowded around the mat. Several groups combined Karate and Taekwondo into their routines. Half the children in the grade shared and the other half of children didn’t. It took a lot of work to prepare for the routines and a lot of courage to perform them because they had to stand up in front of the whole lower school and share what they were doing the past year. We all laughed and had a lot of fun!          ]]>

Diana Son Visits: A Lesson in Screenwriting

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“You made writing sound easy but when I write in our script it is not as easy as you make it sound!”

May 11, 2017 Dear Ms Son, Thank you for coming in. I really enjoyed your story about being a writer and what advice you gave us. I think you helped our grade out on the play with what you said (or at least some of us) I really wanted you to stay after and look at our scripts and us acting them out I think you could give us some really good feedback. My favorite part of your visit was when you told the story of why you became a writer. I liked how you were known for your brother and all your teacher would say “You’re (Gasp!) Grant – Son’s sister!” But you wrote about your family instead of your toys and stuff and your teachers thought yours was the most thoughtful so you became a writer. I liked the scene you showed us from “Love is a Four Letter Word,” and when you talked about how much you can learn about a person in so little time. Your advice about how much you write over your script and find typos and places to add things for improvement was helpful.  I really thought it was good asking us questions about what was going on in our play and how the people changed. I liked when you told us about adding action in your words and how to do it. You made writing sound easy but when I write in our script it is not as easy as you make it sound! I think all of your advise will make it much easier to now write our script. We can make it sound better than it was before you came in. Again thank you so much for coming in. Love from your son NATE ______________________________________________________________________

“You made me think really deeply about that one minute scene, and I hadn’t really thought about TV that way before.”

May 11th, 2017 Dear Diana Son, Thank you for coming in to talk to our grade. I thoroughly enjoyed your visit. By the way, I have an older friend who watches “13 Reasons Why,” and she loves it! I was taking notes on your visit, and I was in the very back. I really enjoyed the clip that you played for us. You made me think really deeply about that one minute scene, and I hadn’t really thought about TV that way before. I normally watch TV with my parents, and in our everyday lives we will talk about the show. We will think about a character’s feelings or the relationships they have. We are in the seventh season of the show, and at this point they got a new creator/writer. It was fun to see how the show changed between writers. Have you ever watched a show where they changed creators and the show drastically changed? As you know, we are writing a play that will be performed in early June. My group was having a little (a lot) of trouble being a team and joining our ideas together. We are trying to make our lines very informative (but still sound like a conversation) while still making it appropriate for all ages. We have a tricky subject (the Great Migration, a very violent, upsetting period) and you helped me think of ways to portray characters feelings and personalities through dialogue, which is the most important thing at the moment as we are writing the script. You helped me get around the tricky stuff, and focus on what is important at the moment, just by talking to us. Thank you again. I think that your story is really cool, and just by watching that clip I can tell that you are a great writer!!!!!! I have a question for you. How long did it take to write the longest script you’ve ever written? Thanks again!! Margot Story _______________________________________________________________________

“How do you get a baby in the scene? Do you just pick a baby off of the street?”

Dear Diana, Thank you for coming to our classroom to tell us suggestions on the immigration play! I think it helped the fourth grade when you told us tips and modifications. My favorite part of the visit was when Zen asked you this question:  “How do you get a baby in the scene? Do you just pick a baby off of the street?” And then you explained the whole audition process. Thank you for coming!   Sincerely, Yves ______________________________________________________________________

“From that one minute scene I could get a sense of the character’s personalities and feelings.”

Dear Diana, Thank you for coming in to teach us more about writing a play. I think you gave us very good advice and had great answers to our questions. I also think you gave us great solutions to our problems. I think you did a really great job giving advice. The best piece of advice I thought you gave was how to turn a bunch of lines into a scene, my group was having some trouble with that. I am thinking hard about your advice and I think it will definitely make our script better.   My favorite part of what you said was how your teacher said she would hang your work up but never did. Even though it’s sort of sad she never hung it up, the way you said it while telling the story made me laugh. I think that you are a great writer. From that one minute scene I could get a sense of the character’s personalities and feelings. I enjoyed listening to you speak I hope you enjoyed speaking to us! Sincerely, Makeda  ]]>

Central Park Poems

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The Day In The Park By Alden

The clutter of birds chirping, Fills my ears, The shadows run miles and miles, As the cherry blossoms stick out, On the dark trees, The shimmer of water is like a, Dark spot in the light day, The smell of grass and moss, Are filling my nose, It is beautiful here. Central Park.

THE RARE BAILEY BIRD by Alex

Central Park, Has lots of nature, Trees, Grass, Rocks. And lots of Sounds. Sirens, Pee, From the clouds. Kids fidget spinners. There are, People running, On a track. Stomp, Stomp, Stomp, They go. But one Thing they have a lot of is birds. There are Sparrows, Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, But only one, Rare Bailey Bird. Thththththth, Is this rare bird’s call. This rare bird mostly, Flirts, Bites itself, And flirts. It loves Rocks, Grass, And, People. It carries an Umbrella Everywhere it goes. That is all We know, About this rare bird.

Air Meets Land By Asher Cohen

How is it so beautiful? The vibrant green grass with patches of wet mud, That touch the foggy air that almost looks picture perfect, How is it so beautiful? How is it so beautiful? Robins chirp and blue jays sing Jay, Jay, The chirping birds are the sound of mother Nature, How is it so beautiful? How is it so beautiful? I sit on the rock that is as wet as rain and breathe in, As I breathe in I feel calm, nourished and rested, How is it so beautiful? How is it so beautiful? The foggy sky behind the dark brown trees, And the wet rocks show me something I have not seen before, How is it so beautiful?  

On Top Of Central Park

By Avery Rosen

  Sitting on top of Central Park I see twisting trees going left and right. Sitting on top of Central Park I see patchy grass, almost as if it is a part of a giant quilt covering and keeping the world warm, like a jacket. Sitting on top of Central Park I see moss slowly overwhelming trees like a whole in a boat. Ingeniously making the boat sink in the ocean without. On top of Central Park I am sitting on a rock that is hard but comfortable. To me the irregular rocks somehow resemble furniture. Like snow, white blossoms suffocate the trees and humans with their elegant beauty. Sitting on top of Central Park I hear the chitter, chitter, of the hidden birds never seen by the human eye. Up there in their capacious seeds that grow into mighty vast trees. I hear the sad remorseful sound of construction and traffic, consuming the majestic sounds of nature. On top of Central Park the light that I see is the reflecting light off of the sad minuscule puddle that sits on the last rock. It has lost all of its friends to the sun and slowly but surely he too will give in and evaporate. The fluffy clouds surround the world as if there is something that they want to hide on the other side. You can almost see through the dirt it is that shiny. I wonder how these rocks were made? Were they made by man and woman kind? Or were they made by the creator? What does Central Park look like during all of the seasons? I feel calm and ready to run and dance with the squirrels, or fly and tweet with the birds, or run with the joggers running by.  

Nature of Central Park

By Bailey Wolfman

Central Park

The rain drops sitting on the clovers

drop, drop, drop

Grass dancing with the wind

Cherry blossoms drooping down on the trees

Clouds scaring the sun away

Birds getting their baths while quietly chirping

Central Park

The Singers of Nature

By Crosby

Birds Chirp, chirp, chirp, All birds do, From the tiniest to the biggest The singers of nature they are. They have a special ability that no other animal has, That is to fly They can soar through the air So swiftly and quietly,   The singers of nature they are. There could be a flock or just one    But they are all scared from one thing, Humans, They are just so peaceful And elegant, so why scare them They are harmless Why do they have to hide? On top of the tree tops The singers of nature they are. So many different types of birds, It’s impossible to name them all, So many different colors on their feathers, We might not know all of them As they fly high above seeing a beautiful sight indeed, The singers of nature they are.      

THE SQUIRREL

By Ezra

  Chit! Chit! Chit! Look at the adorable little squirrel!   Squirrel Brown and grey Soft and sleek Quick and nimble Like a soft blanket in a bed Late at night   Loves acorns And climbing trees The adventurous squirrel The awesome squirrel Squirrel    

Swishing Like The Wind

By Gia Garland

  A cold, long breeze swept through the park A tree Stood there like a statue Its branches swaying dancing to the song of the wind   A tree, Marked its place in the earth Long ago And while its flowers may fall, It shall never go, Until it does   We may not think highly of it There’s one thing we don’t realize It’s falling apart, bit by bit Until it peacefully dies    

Rain and Play

By Jade

Rocky pointed schist Wet from rain and cold. There is light but no sun, shadows and clouds SPLASH! Fourth grade wet, Getting rained on in play, But not the second time.   Lunch with the hippos after more walking Then comes the playing and talking. Yah! Another playground. RECESS!   “Fort Wars” again, Let us in! But not at the farm. Please Let us in! Password Let us in! We’ll let you Let us in! Kick, Kick, Punch, Punch, lightly Let us in! NO! Password!   More walking with backpacks and talking and finally… getting to write. Think and draw, Listen and talk, Write, and after that, more writing.   Finally leaving, A long day plus, Tiring please let us, Go to back to school and rest. On the train, we’re LATE! “Hurry and be efficient!” Call the teachers.   On the subway, Stops… Get off, HURRY, Seeing kids, leaving, parents, Get your homework, and Let’s go!

Proud

by Kieran Vaughan

Low tangled arms, Knotted, Reaching out for sunlight Reaching out for rain. The chirping of birds huddled in its arms, The roughness of its sturdy body Dusted in beautiful petals. The body, rising, Proud.   How is something so pretty inside such a big city? By Laiali The sound of a faint siren melting into the soft chorus of tweets in the layered melodies of birds Shades of colors fading in and out, soft and bold, while the light peeks through different clouds Trees with trunks of armor and blossoms like the door opening into a new world of nature Air crisp with the gentle breeze whipping your hair, and rustling the branches Calmness whirling around you with the wind, Peace growing on you like the flowers growing from a bud, Sadness creeping up and leaving right after like spring with the seasons.    

Earl The Squirrel

By Lorenzo Brigode

  I have a new friend In The Sun anD Cloud His name is earl the squirrel earl the squirrel likes TO Climb trees earl the squirrel likes climbing rocks I have a new friend In The Sun anD Cloud His name is earl the squirrel earl the squirrel eats acorns earl the squirrel is very adventures I have a new friend In The Sun anD Cloud His name is earl the squirrel earl the squirrel is fast and likes to run earl the squirrel likes to chase birds I have a new friend In The Sun anD Cloud His name is earl the squirrel Earl The Squirrel Is   Adorable!!                                                     

Moss Grows On A Stump

By Makeda

  Moss Grows On A Stump Blossom petals slowly fall Rain stops. Ground is damp Dandelion sways in wind   Don’t you see   Don’t you see The cherry blossom tree with petals slowly falling Don’t you see The robin with its red breast Don’t you see The delicate dandelion Don’t you see The moss growing on the stump Don’t you see You started walking slower to look at stuff SO MOVE THOSE FEET SLOWPOKE!  

Mazes

By Margot Story

The park is like a maze With it’s turns And crossing roads The forest The benches The many rivers and puddles that dampen our boots But keep our souls alive The long journey Enjoyable, but tedious all the same Beauteous, calming I feel so Zen The many playgrounds Filled with a world that fits right into our imaginations The way the light hits the trees The way the birds chirp like they are singing to world Freedom is their song Swirling rocks, like a cloudy sky Their texture is rough, but also smooth in some way It is stunning, flawless And has it’s own way of being This world is free This world is fun This world is calm and quiet and tranquil And I love it.    

The Twisted Willow

By Miles

  A twisted willow stands mangled, In front of me there are trees just blossoming for spring but the bare willow still stands out The red robins catch my attention, For a second, They sang like the thoughts flowing through my head They seemed to keep getting louder Again the thoughts throbbed throughout me, I was ripped from the beauteous breasted birds, As if to be alive, As if it was walking toward me there it was The twisted willow.      

A Walk in the Park

By Nate

  Walking around looking at tree’s recovering from the rain Strange shaped rocks with moss and puddles that look like tiny mirrors Seeing the tree’s casting a shadow over the grass Clouds putting out the sun making all the plants look sad and gloomy Hearing trucks hitting puddles breaking their reflection into hundreds of drops Birds singing and playing in the sky The green landscape makes me feel calm and happy in the sad weather. The silence making most people full of energy A walk in the park is beautiful a walk in the park is special a walk in the park is full of wonder       

Cherry Blossoms

By Romy Croquet

  The breeze is cold and wet, The cherry blossoms Are white and pink , The trees are green Pink and white and green The dew covers the grass, As puppies play and their owners unleash them, The kids are running around too, But they are calm and quiet The birds chirp And the cherry blossoms swing With the wind…  

I See, I Feel, I Hear

By Sam

  I see brown trees and blooming tulips. I see trees made of thick bumpy bark. It is cloudy and dark but it is still day time. I hear birds chirping and noisy sirens. How did these large rocks get here? I feel hyper like a cheetah when it is happy. Ha ha ha! I feel happy as I play and run around. I feel happy as I see birds of all kinds.       Pink Cherry Blossoms Left to Right By Suko   Pink and soft. Pretty and calm. Mellow and sweet. Japanese and peaceful. Pink Cherry Blossoms are Kawaii.   WET ROCK By Suko   Rock Smooth Cold Wet Mossy Soft Cosy Slippery Rock   Bird Of The Tree By Suko   Blue Black White soft calm Chippy Pretty Blue Jay!   A SQUIRREL. by Yves A squirrel Fast and swift Move like the wind, “ Tweet Tweet!”  says the bird Eats acorns in the shade that the trees provide Climbs up a tree Jumps gracefully to the next tree The cool and fresh wind refreshes the squirrel Like ice in the air “ Tweet tweet!” Tell me, Where do squirrels come from?  

Manhattan

By Zen

  Take the B train and you’ll see some trees. 96th street is the place, When the pine comes to smell, Walk, bike, or ride To the place where trees be And where birds chirp Where rocks lay to sleep. The grip on your bike. ]]>

Julie Young Visits

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South Korean Immigrant By Jade LREI~LREI Today Julie Young came in on April 20th 2017 for a talk to the fourth grade in Dan’s class. She is the mom of two kids. One in Deborah and one in Dan’s. The kids are Jade and Jasiri and they are twins. The fourth grade was studying immigration and Julie came in to talk about her immigration story. Julie is an immigrant from South Korea and an adoptee. She found her birth parents shortly after leaving college. She has been to Korea four times. She got adopted into an Italian-American family and her Korean mom is very Christian. Her American mom wanted to adopt a child and she worked for an adoption agency. The first time Julie went back to South Korea, she went with her American mom, and her husband. She had two translators because she didn’t know how to speak Korean and they were both super nice. One was a boy who was very funny and nice, and a girl translator who was nice. “I am currently learning Korean along with Jasiri and Jade.” Her Korean name is JiHyun Yoon. Julie’s story was very interesting for many fourth graders and she got a really loud applause at the end. Then Joel asked if we could take a picture in Deborah and Joel’s fourth grade class with Jasiri, Jade, and their mom. Deborah’s class went back to their classroom to go on with their day and Dan’s class did the same except they were already in their room so they stayed put and listened to Tara’s next instructions for the day.  

ADOPTEE FROM KOREA

By Ezra Mundy NEW YORK- “I was adopted by an American family,” says 4th graders Jade and Jasiris mom, Julie, when she came in and talked to the 4th grade. What did she talk about? You’ll find out. Julie Young is a adoptee from South Korea. She came and talked about her immigration story. Her American family thought she was abandoned by her parents because they were too young to take care of her. She had gone to an agency when she was three, while she was being adopted. She went back when she was in college and the  lady that her American family talked to when she was three remembered her. “I was very lucky to find my family,” she said. “Most people don’t ever find their families.” They grow up believing whatever their American families believe happened. Julie was very surprised to find out she had a whole family. She found out she was the oldest of four kids. “I have a very strong relationship with my family,” she said. Her family is also pretty big. Julie was treated differently in America than she was in Korea. A 4th grader asked if she was bullied in school. “I was,” she said, “bullied because of my race.” She also said that she grew up wanting to be very white, and that it took her a while before she got used to who she really was and that she was going to stay that way. She also said that she made friends very quickly at school. It was very cool hearing about this ADOPTEE FROM KOREA!

 Julie Young

 By Alden Homet NY-NY-  Even though Julie went through hard times, it was worth it. Right after the Korean war she was adopted when she was three. Her parents thought it would be better for her to go to a safer home. An adoption agency help their family along the way. Three year old Julie did not know what was going on. When she was at her new home Roxbury Connecticut, she would cry for her family. Especially her older sister, that she would call Uni, the Korean word for older sister. When she was visiting Korea for the first time she went back to the adoption agency. One of the workers recognized her and told her where her family was. She was to overwhelmed and happy so she did not contacted her family until she was in college. She was lucky to find her Korean family. Most kids who get adopted do not find their families. She went through hard times, but in the end she has an amazing life and two wonderful kids.

An Immigrant’s Story

by Kieran New York At age 3, Julia was adopted from South Korea. Years later, she met her birth parents. Most people would not call this a typical immigrant story. Growing up Julie knew she was adopted. She didn’t look like her Italian-American and Irish-American parents. Julie and her American mother believed Julie’s birth mother was young and had abandoned Julie. When Julie was three an agent from the Korean orphanage took Julie on a plane to America. In America Julie was the second oldest of six children. She lived in upstate New York. She liked typical food like burgers and pizza and fries. In high school, Julie was class president of 550 students. As an adult, Julie has gone back to Korea with her twins, Jade and Jasiri. Julie is part of a Korean adoptee group. She likes Korean food. She  video chats with her Korean family. Although she is not like other immigrants in her story, Julie blends two cultures like most immigrants.  ]]>

Lawyer Deborah Archer Visits

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April 6, 2017 Dear Deborah Archer, Hi my name is Suko and I’m 10 years old. Thank you for visiting our classroom and answering my questions about the police officers in jail and having pepper spray and a thing to slap other inmates with. I personally don’t think that is fair because the police officer could hurt them and say that they have hurt themselves to get out of the jail and the police officers that are not imprisoned can put them in the sweatbox. Before you ask, my dad is a social worker so I know this stuff pretty well. I was so sad when you talked about the klu klux klan and how they broke your window and ruined the paint by spray painting it. The klu klux klan is so bad I just can’t imagine how terrible it was to have them threaten you when you were in the middle Louisiana at a supermarket. That is so scary. I hope you never get in touch with them again. You probably know that my Dad is a social worker and he has shut down 2 or 3  jails in the last year I think and he has visited so many. He has to see so many people and kids in jail all beat up. The majority are black so I wanted to know if you have ever visited a jail. If so did you think about how much they suffer and have to deal with not being with their kids or family. I just feel so sad I don’t like to think about it. Love, Suko   April 6, 2017 Dear Deborah Archer, Thank you so much for coming to our classroom today. You taught me everything from a different perspective. It was like watching a movie. I got all the facts. I expected that since you were a lawyer I thought that you would talk more about the current president and his dilemmas. Or I thought that you would have talked about the law. After your visit though, I learned that a Civil Rights lawyer talks about Civil Rights, so in different words my favorite part was how you turned your talk about Civil Rights into an extensive conversation about your childhood. I loved how your voice sounded when you talked about the experiences happening when you were a kid. It was a lot like reading the books we had read in class. I felt like everything you talked about, for an  example, the discrimination that happened hundreds of years ago, was very intriguing. It felt like that to me because our school is very mixed with every culture and it seems preposterous to think that white and black people didn’t always get along. It also seems quite scary. Not didn’t ALWAYS get along, but didn’t get along fifty years ago. Out of all the spine-chilling, dastardly, nefarious, phantasmagorical stories that occurred in the time of your visit, the most bloodcurdling one was the story about the KKK. When you told me about the time when you were in Louisiana running an errand and the KKK gave you a note that put me on my toes too when you told the story. I think of the KKK as old news from the 60’s but you made me think of them as if they were right behind me. Thank you again for coming to our classroom and teaching us and giving us understandable exhilarating answers to our questions. I don’t have any more questions. Sincerely, Avery   April 6, 2017 Dear Deborah Archer, Thank you so much for coming in and talking about your job. I really loved how you told us about cases you did and problems some people were dealing with. Like a kid  could not go to school for six months because  he had autism. It was also interesting to me when you talked about your opinion on some of the problems with cops and people like the KKK. Thank you for answering our questions in such a great way. Hearing you talk about people being treated unfairly made me sad but when you talked more it gave me hope that things would change and people won’t be treated unfairly. Thank you so much and I hope you can give other people hope. From, Nate   April 6, 2017 Dear Deborah Archer, Thank you for coming in and telling us about your job as a civil rights lawyer. I like the way you answered my question. I asked if  any of the cases you have worked on impacted your life somehow, and you replied by saying that all of the cases that you worked on made an impact on your life. When you completed a case you felt like you achieved something, something good. I liked when you said that because you put some thought into the answer. There is a certain problem with police officers. I think they’re using violent actions against people who are colored and innocent. Whenever they think that someone looks suspicious, or might be doing something wrong,  they worry for their own safety, and then they react violently (by shooting them), before they think about what they are about to do. I think they react like this because some of the officers may be biased or prejudiced against the race. Before the officers shoot, they should first check to see what the person is doing.  If the person is not doing anything wrong, then the officers should leave. If the person is committing a crime, then the officers should do their job. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, officers should not be prejudiced and biased against people of color in a violent manner. Once again, thank you for coming in and telling us about your job. From, Gia   April, 6 2017 Hi Deborah Archer My name is Zen and I’m one of the fourth graders. Thank you for explaining more to us about Civil Rights and for coming in and sharing with us your story. Your story was brave and bold because you would risk your life just for other people. It’s really nice that you would do that. My favorite part was when that child just couldn’t go to school because his abilities are not good which I think is horrible. I remember when I was in kindergarten and I had to stay at my table because I didn’t know how to explain my math but my teachers didn’t give up on me they kept trying to tell me how to and they never gave up and finally I got it covered. So I think that’s just messed up. I think it was very bold again because when the Klu Klux Klan said they were here and how you didn’t want to miss your client and you weren’t afraid. If someone said that to me I would be like, “Oh shoot are they here now?!?!?!?” And I would run away. But this is from a kid’s perspective so it’s different. It’s so amazing how you are so determined to push the government to make America live up to its promise. Sincerely Zen,]]>