By Lynn Fordin, grade 2 teacher
Lynn’s grade 2 shares their poetry at lower school assembly
It seems like hosting Lower School Assembly is easy, doesn’t it?
Well, there is quite a lot that goes on behind the scenes in order for each class to get ready for that Wednesday morning share.
As a whole group, once we realize our date is coming up on the calendar to host, the second grade comes together during our Morning Meeting time, and reflects on particular goals and projects we currently are working on, or have recently completed. We listen to one another’s ideas, add to them, subtract from them, and eventually, we (most likely) take a vote on what we would like to share for our hosting day.
Once the decision has been made on what to share, we look at a particular work or project with new eyes; it must be ready to be presented to an audience (gulp!). Do we go over our penciled writing with our ‘special markers?’ Do we have to complete illustrations or finish gluing down jewels? We ask ourselves, just what has to be done in order to feel confident and proud of our projects.
In addition to sharing our own work, when we host an assembly, we ask all of the other classes in the lower school if they have anything to share; also, we ask a few teachers who like to share, too. This is a serious procedure that involves clipboards (cool!) and visiting each classroom while recording what is going to be shared. We also have to make sure that not too much is shared on one Wednesday morning.
Students recite a learned poem as part of their presentation.
Once our own work is in a state of readiness we create a schedule of the morning and rehearse what we will say as individuals and/or as a group. This takes a good many mornings of rehearsals (it’s really wonderful to begin developing confidence of public speaking in our own classroom, where it is nice and safe!).
After we make the schedule of the assembly, we assign specific jobs – like who gets to introduce the fifth grade or Mary Ellen, and who gets to dismiss which class and in what order.
Students close the assembly and dismiss the classes.
All of this is rehearsed, and at times we write down what we’re going to say (so we don’t forget). And then, the big morning comes, and we rehearse once more and feel super proud and confident. We joyfully tell the butterflies in our stomachs to ‘hush’, and down we scurry to the Chapman Room, and the rest, is…well, you should come to a Lower School Assembly one Wednesday morning and see us in all our glory, yourselves!