The Survivor Tree – Renewal through Storytelling
Posted by Ariel WarshawOn September 11th, fifth grade writing students were shown a solitary image: a gnarled, charred, and broken tree standing amidst rubble, buildings, and construction vehicles. Together we analyzed the photograph. What did we notice? How could we caption this? Using our five senses, what could we imagine sensing in this scene if we were there? If we were the tree itself, perhaps?
The writers were charged with crafting a short story in their new writers’ notebooks inspired by the image. The students took on the voice of the tree or building, detailing fantastical adventures and observations. Some wrote about the relationship between humanity and nature. Others described the juxtaposition between the wild branches and the steely stark background, and sought to bridge that gap with interesting characters.
At the end of writing time, the students learned that this tree was known as the Survivor Tree – over a month after the 9/11 attacks, it had been discovered under ash and rubble at Ground Zero. Initially thought dead, rescuers noticed bright green leaves unfurling on a branch. Nimbly, they removed and transplanted the callery pear tree and nursed it back to health. The Survivor Tree was later returned to the September 11th Memorial in New York City – over 30 feet taller, decked in the springtime with lush, white blooms. We listened to poetry about the tree, and viewed a short animated film about it.
As a class, we considered what message we should take from the Survivor Tree. We thought about what role writing new tales featuring this tree might play. Could creating a new narrative for this survivor breathe new life into it? Can writing reshape and instill hope?
This exercise was a truly peaceful and inspiring way for us to access a difficult topic, and resulted in some beautiful writing samples by our fifth graders.
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