Swift and Slow Things are Beautiful

Hello Families!

Our new songs and poems have brought up interesting things to think about.  The poem below, in particular, inspired many questions.  Because of all these questions, it occurred to me that theses students may have not yet had experiences with the things mentioned.  We watched a few videos to investigate, (see the links below) and to see some of these phenomena in action.

The swallow video had an added bonus because the music made students think it might be Chinese.  This made us think about our upcoming field trip to the Chinese Theater performance.  The wheat and the lightning were especially interesting to the students.  They may have more ideas and questions about lightning in the coming days!

Please email me about conversations you have at home and send in any homework that students create: more questions,  their own poems or more lines to add to swift or slow things, illustrations, or "how-it-works" diagrams.

Have a lovely night!  Love, Jennifer

Swift Things Are Beautiful

Swift things are beautiful:
Swallows and deer,
And lightning that falls
Bright-veined and clear,
Rivers and meteors,
Wind in the wheat,
The strong-withered horse,
The runner's swift feet.

And slow things are beautiful:
The closing of day,
The pause of the wave
That curves downward to spray,
The ember that crumbles,
The opening flower,
And the ox that moves on
In the quiet of power.

By Elizabeth Coatsworth

Click here for the ox video

This link is a video of a swallow

Here is where we watched the embers

Find the wheat video here

See the lightning video here