Welcome all to my education blog!

My name is McKenna Wild and I am a recent graduate from Appalachian State University. I have a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and am currently working to obtain my Masters degree in Reading Education. I hope to teach the younger elementary grades (K-2) once I am finished with graduate school. I am a part… Continue reading All About Me

Here is a virtual poetry lesson that I recorded myself teaching on Zoom so that students anywhere can access this. I used the mentor text Firefuly July to share with students and for teachers I used Kid’s Poems for 3rd and 4th Grade by Regie Routman. Zoom Recording: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QcQFjaOGiY62GaRNYEB0N6yxld8NV-4c Link to padlet: https://padlet.com/wildml/l57hxihl8fwou1k6 References: Janeczko,… Continue reading Ms. Wild’s Virtual Poetry Lesson Episode One *Updated

Here is a virtual poetry lesson that I recorded myself teaching on Zoom so that students anywhere can access this. I used the mentor text Firefuly July to share with students and for teachers I used Kid’s Poems for 3rd and 4th Grade by Regie Routman. Zoom Recording: Link to padlet: https://padlet.com/wildml/l57hxihl8fwou1k6 References: Janeczko, Paul… Continue reading Ms. Wild’s Virtual Poetry Lesson Episode One

Here is a collection of five of my favorite published poems that I have written in the past few months. I hope that you are inspired and can take it upon yourself to experiment with poetry. I invite you to begin writing your own poems in your writer’s notebook today! Where I’m From after George… Continue reading Ms. Wild’s Published Poetry Page

Due to the recent health crisis that our world has suddenly but also slowly entered, there has been a lot of time to stay home, get outdoors and reflect. As each day passes, I am learning more and more about the things in life that truly matter. Having to adjust to working, teaching, and learning… Continue reading Journey into types of Poetry…

I found the above image online when looking for self- portrait poems and I think it’s a really good visual illustration for how poetry works and how we can view it for our students/ classrooms. Poetry Reflection My personal feelings about READING Poetry are not where I would like to admit. I really do not… Continue reading Week Seven: Diving into Poetry

When we write, our entire lives are like a stretch of mountains and we can choose where to dwell. Barry Lane, After THE END, Mentor Texts pp. 77 How to “Slow down time in writing” As teachers, we want to think about how we can get students to develop content in their stories. This is… Continue reading Week 5: Slowing Down Time in Writing

We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Joan Didion, The White Album What is narrative writing? Many of us may have a hard time explaining this concept to our students- especially those in the younger grades. What does narrative writing look like in the younger grades classrooms? Well, in order to teach students how… Continue reading Week 4: How to move students forward with writing topics that tell their own stories…

We cannot create what we cannon imagine.” -Lucille Clifton, poet Modeling where writing comes from While thinking about the quote that Clifton gave the author of Launching Writing Workshop, I cannot help but agree and advocate for the importance of this statement. If we don’t imagine ideas, thoughts, stories, etc. in our minds, then how… Continue reading Week 3: Pairing Mentor Texts and the Writers Notebook

Literature triggers thoughts, unlocks memories, and helps children realize they have something important and interesting to say. We want children to remember the powerful memories they often forget when they sit down for writing time.” Shelley Harwayne, Lasting Impressions, Mentor Texts pp. 21 Our goal as educators is to ensure that students are learning and… Continue reading Week 2: How do we launch the Writers Notebook?

A student who keeps a notebook can begin to live like a writer– noticing, paying attention, listening, collecting, musing, wondering, playing with language, taking pleasure in her own words.” It’s a Place “Why am I keeping this notebook? Because it’s a place where I can keep track of my life. It’s a place where I… Continue reading Week One: What is a writers notebook and how do I use it?