I have held poetry presentations with my students before, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching students write poems that they would get to share with their families. This gives students the opportunity to write with a specific multilingual audience in mind, and gives families the opportunity to share in their students' learning.
I wrote translingual poems with my kids this past year, but did not invite families to come so that we could share with them. Next year, I will be able to plan for families to come into school to listen to their students' poems. This will create stronger family partnerships and an environment where all students are making authentic connections to their learning.
Holding a poetry presentation will continue to develop a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for all students and families. It will help students put translanguaging into practice and give every student a voice. In the past, I have invited other members of our school community (teachers and students) to join as well, which lifts up language minority students in the broader school context.
After participating in a school culture walk and reflecting as a class, students will be put into teams to redesign one aspect of Garvin's community that will better reflect the student population. For example, maybe students do not see our school expectations (respectful, responsible, ready to learn) displayed in their home language. Students can translate these signs from English to their home language, design a new display to be hung in the hallways, and then actually hang them up. This will not only help students to feel a better sense of belonging and representation at school, but it will have the same effect on the rest of the MLL and CLD students at Garvin Memorial.
Additionally, students will have the chance to truly think critically about what languages are already in use around the school, and which languages should be visible to reflect the diverse population of students that Garvin serves.