Getting to Know You Activity For High School | All about Me

Building relationships with students is definitely the key to a smooth semester. I love to have my students tell me more about them, the way they grew up, and where they are "from". This activity combines student creativity with a poetry analysis. At the end of a reading of the poem, "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon, students are prompted to brainstorm what or who has made them who they are in order to mimic Lyon's style. Then, students will create a "quilt square" based on who they are, where they're from, and what has made them who they are today. Even though all students have different background stories, when they come together it is truly a beautiful experience. Students will place all of their quilt squares together in order to make a giant "classroom quilt"! It's such a great way to build a classroom community from everyone's unique stories. 

Includes:

- Copy of the poem, "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon

- 3 Analysis questions for the poem

- Planning sheet for students to write their own "Where I'm From" poem

- Quilt Square activity with multiple different quilt squares for students to choose from

- Student + Teacher Directions

- Example of Quilt Squares