I started using quick writes in Language Arts class years ago thanks to Linda Rief. I purchased this book and the ideas started flowing. As I grew comfortable with the concept, anything became an opportunity for a quick write: images, videos, songs, poems, picture books, or bits of text. This week I had my students do a quick write off of an image from my camera roll:
Then my advisory class did a quick write for the New Year after watching two videos from Hank Green:
This gave my middle school group the chance to talk about what Hank meant when he said, "You make you..." or the notion that they were always changing, they didn't have to be who they were right now. Important and deep conversations.
Looking at Facebook this morning I saw this video shared by Kristen Ashley. I haven't seen The Greatest Showman yet, but this moves it to something I really need to do. Wow. What a powerful video. I plan on printing off the lyrics for the song (which I'm pasting at the end of this post) and handing them out to my students to paste in their writing notebooks. Then we will watch this video, I will try not to cry, and we'll fill out notebooks with our own words or sketches in reaction to this beauty. I can't wait to talk about it with them.
I am not a stranger to the dark
Hide away, they say
'Cause we don't want your broken parts
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars
Run away, they say
No one'll love you as you are
[Pre-Chorus]
But I won't let them break me down to dust
I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
[Chorus]
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh
[Verse 2]
Another round of bullets hits my skin
Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in
We are bursting through the barricades
And reaching for the sun (we are warriors)
Yeah, that's what we've become
[Pre-Chorus]
Won't let them break me down to dust
I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
[Chorus]
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
Gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh
This is me
[Bridge]
And I know that I deserve your love
There's nothing I'm not worthy of
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
This is brave, this is bruised
This is who I'm meant to be, this is me
[Chorus]
Look out 'cause here I come (look out 'cause here I come)
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum (marching on, marching, marching on)
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
[Outro]
(Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)
I'm gonna send a flood
Gonna drown them out
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh, this is me)
