This I Believe
Since we moved to Augusta, we have been going to church in Wichita. To be more exact, on the west side of Wichita. Lots of people have asked why Hope - because it would make more sense to find a church home in Augusta, or even a Mennonite church that's a little closer. We made this decision for many reasons, and since we've been attending Hope there have been many to add to the list.
One of those new reasons is the drive. It may seem crazy, but it is one time a week when we know we will have time to connect, no matter how busy life has been. Another perk of the drive is listening to NPR on the way. One of the Sunday morning segments is called "This I Believe."
You can read more about it and listen to some essays at http://thisibelieve.org, but basically it is a radio program from the 1950's that has been resurrected. People write essays about what they believe (and why, of course) and read them on the air. Recent highlights have been Muhammad Ali and a kindergartner who listed 100 beliefs.
From this program comes my current unit. I debated for months, not sure whether or not 6th graders would be thrilled to do this, take it seriously, or even be ready (cognitive development what it is). In the end, I obviously decided to jump in and see what happens. So far so good, two days in. I had them hooked when I played Tarak McLain's essay (he's the kindergartner) and one from a 6th grader.
The first assignment of the unit was to write what the word "believe" means. No dictionaries. No friends. Just write it down, in a sentence or two. What follows are a just few of their definitions. And this is why I teach...
To me, the word "believe" means an idea you think is true.
To me, the word "believe" means to think no one can turn down your ideas.
To me the word believe means you have faith in something or you know something great is going to happen.
To trust something.
To me the word "believe" means to have faith.
To me the word "believe" means that all your hope is in a thought of your own.
One of those new reasons is the drive. It may seem crazy, but it is one time a week when we know we will have time to connect, no matter how busy life has been. Another perk of the drive is listening to NPR on the way. One of the Sunday morning segments is called "This I Believe."
You can read more about it and listen to some essays at http://thisibelieve.org, but basically it is a radio program from the 1950's that has been resurrected. People write essays about what they believe (and why, of course) and read them on the air. Recent highlights have been Muhammad Ali and a kindergartner who listed 100 beliefs.
From this program comes my current unit. I debated for months, not sure whether or not 6th graders would be thrilled to do this, take it seriously, or even be ready (cognitive development what it is). In the end, I obviously decided to jump in and see what happens. So far so good, two days in. I had them hooked when I played Tarak McLain's essay (he's the kindergartner) and one from a 6th grader.
The first assignment of the unit was to write what the word "believe" means. No dictionaries. No friends. Just write it down, in a sentence or two. What follows are a just few of their definitions. And this is why I teach...
To me, the word "believe" means an idea you think is true.
To me, the word "believe" means to think no one can turn down your ideas.
To me the word believe means you have faith in something or you know something great is going to happen.
To trust something.
To me the word "believe" means to have faith.
To me the word "believe" means that all your hope is in a thought of your own.
Check out my favorite NPR radio program, This American Life, in which they did an episode with an interesting spin off entitled "This I Don't Believe" (April 17, 2009).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio_archive.aspx