As we enter 2012, my first grade students will be starting a language arts unit that fits the new year theme. It's called 'Journeys'. A journey is another word for trip, vacation, or excursion. It may be a hike, voyage, stroll, flight or car ride toward a destination. I'll be asking them, "What journey did you enjoy most in 2011? What made this journey special? Where did you travel to? Who did you go with?" To help them answer these questions, I'll ask them to please bring in an object for 'Show and Tell' that reminds them of 'Journeys'. Some suggestions include a drawing or a photo of a favorite destination, or an artifact from a place they've visited. ...or perhaps they will look to 2012 and beyond and tell the class about a place they hope to journey to in the future. Either way, it will be great to hear all about their journeys!
I fondly remember a song about enjoying the journey when I was growing up. It was the theme song of a television show starring Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans Rogers called 'Happy Trails'. She and her husband, Roy Rogers, would sing it while riding their horses off into the sunset. It went like this:
Happy trails to you,until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,keep smilin' until then.Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.
Some trails are happy ones,others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,here's a happy one for you.'
Here are a couple more quotations about this theme by two twentieth century American authors. I think the kids in Room 24 will understand these quotes and the adults in their lives will appreciate them.
"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” -Don Williams, Jr.
“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
-Greg Anderson
Happy New Year to my first grade students and their families!
