Connecting Heart and Mind through the English language?

How do we connect Heart and Mind through the English language? 

For starters, students are encouraged to connect literary techniques learned through award-winning literature to their life contexts. 

For example, through the novel "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume, our P3-P4 students learned to relate themes like rivalry, conflict and resolution to their own life experiences over class writing exercises. Literary techniques learned -- repetition for emphasis, simile and contrast -- jumped alive because their application was immediately relevant. 

Have a peek at our student Jaden's brief musings about his baby sister, a great example of applying literary techniques.