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CVMS students spy classmates doing good
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Nick Hutchinson received a signed Cleveland Indian's baseball from his peers during the fifth-grade tribute presentaion. The class activity was intended to incorporate writing skills while finding good attributes in people.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Canfield's Gretchan Ripley (left) listens as Annie Borterfield reads a poem titled "When You Thought I Wasn't Looking" as a tribute to one of their classmates. Both wrote the poem together.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
Sneaky fifth-graders spied on their peers for weeks and revealed their findings through a poem recited May 28.
Julie Webb’s fifth-grade class participated in an activity called “Tribute,” which required them to spy on each other. The idea was inspired by the Mahoning County writing workshop that Webb attended last summer.
Students were given a secret person from their class and had the mission of spying on them for three weeks. They could use information they already knew about the person or information that was found during their spying.
“Some students took their journals everywhere, hoping their secret pal would say or do something they could use,” Webb said.
To jump-start the activity, Webb asked students random questions during class such as, “What is your favorite color,” and “What do you do at home?” This gave the students examples of what to look for in their peers.
During the three-week period, the class focused on reading and writing various genres of poetry. Each student had to prepare a poem describing their thoughts about their secret person.
The fifth-graders were oblivious as to who was spying on them until their attributes were exposed during the class’ Tribute presentations. Each student stood in the front of the classroom and read their poem that was inspired by the actions of their secret person. Cayla Slagle says the activity encouraged everyone to be honest with each other.
“It’s a good way to open up to our classmates and let them know how special they are,” she said.
Webb also participated in the Tribute activity and was touched by what the students said about her.
“I like to hear what the students think because it’s always different from the adults and it’s enlightening,” she said.
In celebration of revealing their secret person, the class was served sherbert punch and cupcakes. Webb said the purpose of this activity was for students to be highlighted for things that they do. Not necessarily monumental gestures, but small things. It also incorporated reading and writing skills.
This was the first year for this activity, but Webb plans to make Tribute an annual end-of-year activity.
“It’s always nice to hear good things about yourself, especially from your peers,” Webb said.