Notes that the process of creating a poem not only demonstrates the inherent characteristics of the imaginative experience, but when it is written and shared in a supportive group, it validates diverse student voices and establishes the foundation for a classroom community. Presents three techniques that are important and valuable methods to…

Describes the author's experiences with a new teaching assignment with a diverse group of students whose problems ranged from gang related arrests to previous school failure. Presents a "reading the postcard" activity. Concludes that the understandings students gain, the cognitive connections they make, and the processes they experience give them…