This week's academic spotlight shines on Lansing Middle School English teacher Lauren Shields and her innovative conclusion to her 8th graders' "Conveying Courage" unit. Mrs. Shields' students participated in a one-of-a-kind learning experience: The Glow in the Dark Poetry Activity. This engaging summative assessment brought poetry to life in a fun and memorable way.
Students wore neon clothing for the activity, brought glow sticks, and worked together in a classroom illuminated by black lights and glowing decorations. Rotating between stations, they used fluorescent highlighters to annotate poems, analyzing elements like form, rhyme scheme, figurative language, and theme. This hands-on activity allowed students to apply the skills they developed during their month-long learning of courage through famous works like William Ernest Henley's "Invictus," Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise", and Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18".
"The students excelled with the poetry unit! They didn't just regurgitate content vocabulary like extended metaphor and juxtaposition—they actually used their knowledge to see how writers intentionally choose their words to enhance meaning," said Mrs. Shields. "This activity was a fun way to celebrate their investment and hard work."
The Glow in the Dark Poetry Activity reinforced key academic concepts and made learning more enjoyable for students.
"The Glow Poetry was a really fun activity. Mrs. Shields always has great ideas for making ELA fun, creative, and interesting," said Jacob Finnigin. "My friends and I had fun at the stations together."
Classmate Aeslynn Dodd echoed Jacob's enthusiasm, highlighting the impact of the unique setting:
"The Glow Day Poetry Activity was a good way to incorporate fun into learning! This activity made things more engaging and fun instead of sitting in a boring and bright classroom. Mrs. Shields always finds a way to make ELA fun, funny, and interesting while still helping us learn the concepts! This was one of her best activities yet!"
Even the small details left a lasting impression:
"I really liked the decorations!" said Jason Duncan.
Mrs. Shields turned what could have been a tough unit into something fun and memorable for her students. By mixing challenging academic work with creativity and teamwork, she brought learning to life in a way that will really stick with the students. This activity is also a great example of our Whole Child Approach to Learning—it gave students a chance to think critically, work together, and express themselves while building skills they'll use for years to come. Activities like Glow in the Dark Poetry show that learning can be both meaningful and fun!
Thank you, Mrs. Shields, for being an amazing teacher to our students!
