Making Connections

By Susie Rogers, ELA 5th-8th

2022-2023 has started off with a hands-on colorful way! I love teaching in an environment filled with enthusiasm, love of learning, and kindness. All of the middle school students were assigned a hexagonal one-pager in ELA. In this guided one-pager activity, students created a hexagon about who they are. I asked all of my students to create a one-pager explaining 6 different personal aspects: name meaning, favorite Bible verse, favorite song, 2-3 goals, Saturday activities, and college & careers you find interesting.  They used their creativity and imagination to write and illustrate their unique perspectives. 

My 7th-grade students were then asked to take all the hexagons and find how classmates were connected through the different aspects of their lives. They created a web of interconnected hexagonal one-pagers that is hung in the commons area for all the students to explore the different ways everyone connects to one another. This assignment provided a meaningful way for students to see how they are all connected in unexpected ways. Because most of the students have known each other for a long time, they were surprised by the information they did not know. This introspective back-to-school activity provided a colorful visual of connection.