Teachers love poetry too!  We should be reading and creating it as much as we want our students to.

Last night was a fun 4th grade chat ( #4thchat) on Twitter with other 4th grade teachers.  The topic was poetry and one teacher, Nancy Carroll ‏ @ncarroll24 asked:

Does anyone write poems alongside their students?”

Modeling Poetry Writing for Students

One teacher, Jessica Bamberger ‏ @MissBamberger replied, “Sometimes I do to show them what I mean. Model is important. They also like to see us try out the projects”

Yes, modeling is important!  I love to model poetry writing to my students.  I do so live on a projector, explaining my thought process as I go.  So far this year I have demonstrated a list poem and couplets.  Later today, I plan to share with my students what Dada poetry is.

Here’s my List Poem about Getting Ready for our 4th Grade Wax Museum

 Modeling is important because it allows students to watch another, more experienced writer create.  As we model, we talk our way through things so our students get a glimpse into our thoughts.  I never worry (anymore) that a student may copy my ideas.  I now believe that that can just be part of a young writer’s process.

The nice thing about modeling poetry is that it doesn’t have to take a long time.  I write for about 7-10 minutes to complete a poem and then make my work available for students to look at later.

Writing Poetry About Students

I also responded to that original tweet as well: ”I do. Been writing a poem a day-personalized poem abt my sts.”

Every April, I send my students on a personal poetry journey where they discover poetry they love and write poetry each day to find their own voice.  It’s called the Poetry Project.  It’s a balanced approach to poetry instruction as an independent project.  During our reflection time each day, while my students are writing a poem about their day or other personal or related subject, I take the opportunity to write a poem ABOUT one of my students.  It’s fun!

So far, I have tried to capture the spirit of each student in a fun and positive way.

Here is one of them:

Writing Poetry because You Want To

Poetry is one of those art forms that can be intimidating to people, until they learn to just do it.  Some people gravitate to poetry that has rhythm and rhyme, some love to follow forms and structures, others like a more free flowing form of poetry and there are those that love it raw and real.  Teacher poets fall into all those categories as well.

A kindergarten teacher I worked with this past winter during an arts integration course I taught had a knack for writing the best raps (and then performing them!)

This high school teacher wrote this poem in response to listening to a piece of music during the same course:

Connections

Hard & Fast

Immediate & Strong

Powerful, Tearful &

Joyful

Distant & Tenuous

Gradual & Far-reaching

Them to Me

Me to Them

Imperative

Connections

~ Michelle R

An ELA teacher from the same course showed her talent as a poet in this beautiful poem:

Celestial Dance

by Dara M.

My eyes scan over the sea of faces, expectant, shining
and the music fills the air
flitting, gliding, they sail across the floor
in a motion of musical notes.
I smile and swell at the vision before me
and close my eyes to be filled with the sounds…
Swish, Sigh, Slide, Sway
But as I focus again,
I notice a skip
in my perfect melody of movement.
I see the steps falter and slow,
the music fade, and the faces fall
as the mismatched shoes, clunky and awkward,
begin slipping from each foot.
I rush to tie the laces,
strengthen the support that has left them faltering,
but I realize
that my flitting clouds are just  wisps of air,
disconnected and fragile
as a dandelion’s downy seeds.
No, this will not do.
Where are my trusting visages looking toward their futures –
Looking for the beat of their next celestial dance?
The old shoes are cast off,
and now are replaced with the elegant lines
of supple leather
and sleek satin.
Feet slide into them and sigh
as the shoes mold into a perfect fit.
And now bodies rise to their fullest height as they flow
through the atmosphere
in a flurry of joy.
The music soars with them as they whirl and sway and dance
on the wind that carries them to a brighter horizon.
The clouds and
the music and
the shoes and
the student
Become one.

There are countless teachers who have extended themselves far beyond the walls of the classroom to bring their love of poetry to the community.  Ayanna Gallant, a fantastic slam poet (and awesome personal friend) is one teacher who can rip up a room with her poetry.   (In fact, she led a poetry workshop for the teachers that came to the Teacher Art Retreat last summer!)

And so I end as I began -

Teachers love poetry too!  We should be reading and creating it as much as we want our students to.

Here’s your challenge: Please leave a comment – as a POEM!

Related posts:

1. Teacher Field Trip-Beat Night-Jazz and Poetry
2. 4+1 Reasons to Get Poetry into Your Classroom
3. Teacher Poetry Inspired by Chopin

Poetry is great!  ‘Come on, don’t you agree?  Poetry can be sweet and rhyme-y or in-your-face  and raw.  It contains so much passion, so many illusions.  It can tell a story, describe an emotion, explain a situation or throw down the truth.  But how much time do we actually commit to poetry in our classrooms?  If you do, then, good for you!  Really!  I mean it.  It’s about this time of year each year that I give myself a kick in the pants and say,

Get that poetry going hard core in your classroom, girl!”

Why?  Because April is National Poetry month – the perfect time to devote an extended period of time on the study and creation of poetry.

Here are some other reasons too:

1. Poetry study feeds the mind, it gets you thinking.  If you read all kinds of poems (and we all know we have access to so many poems.  If not, go HERE!),  you will come across those that really make you think.  Oftentimes, good poetry is not cut and dry.  Just like a good story, poems don’t just tell you what happening, it paints a picture with words for the reader to decipher.  It makes you visualize and infer what is going on as you read.

2.  Poetry becomes personal.  As you read certain poems, they start to speak to you.  You bring your own experiences to the poem, creating your own specific meanings and making it your own.  This is something that can become real for students and adults of all ages.  (And when you find that special poem, keep it close to you!)

3.  Poetry feeds your creativity.  Creating a poem is an art form.  You can learn all kinds of forms or take your own.  You can craft lyrical lines that flow to a rhythm or simplify the beauty of nature in a few syllables.  It takes thought and skill, yet anyone at any age can make it.  It’s a developmental process in and of itself – no matter what stage of life you find yourself, your poetry will reflect who you are.

4. Poetry can be created by all.  Short, long, simple, complex: there is no end to how to write a poem.  Sure there are certain forms you can follow and rhyming schemes to match, but not always.  Some of the best poetry I have created, read or heard is that which is straight from the gut.  It’s not always sing-songy, but it does have flow.  It may not have rhyme, but is rolls off the tongue.  Introducing various types of poems to students in all grade levels is an important thing to do.  That way they get exposure to limitless possibilities and then are able to find their own voice.

And the last reason I’d like to discuss here -

5.  Poetry is something you can do forever.  Once I learned how to free myself from the shackles of forms and set rhythms and rhymes that were put on me during my childhood, poetry came alive!   I’m no slam poet, but I have a lot to say and sometimes saying it with poetry is just the way to do it.  I find myself writing a poem every so often for a post or jotting one down in a journal somewhere.  I even enjoy writing a couplet or two, jammin’ to the rhythm of my own little rap.  It’s a great way to reflect or to capture a moment.  Knowing that I can write out a poem and have it be just for me or to share is kinda special.

So – why do I wait so long to bring poetry full force into my classroom?  Really?  I sprinkle it in every so often, but I’m going full steam ahead this month.  Join me!

I’ll be implementing a balanced approach to bringing poetry into my classroom: through appreciation and creation.  Did I mention – Join me!  You’d be doing a disservice to your students if you don’t. 

~EMP

Take advantage of my new Poetry Project eResource.  It is on sale this week only for .99.  Why?  Because I want you to download it and use it now!!!  (This sale will on on until 4/8/12.)

Independent Project Series - Poetry Project

In this independent project, students will create and study poetry for a period of time. This project is differentiated through work level and reading level and is great for Poetry Month (April) or any time of the year. Use this for individual students or your entire class. Included are teacher instructions for implementation of both appreciation and creation of poetry, explanation of easy, yet creative poetic forms to introduce to your students, reproducibles and engaging activities for students, a rubric for assessment, plus live links to other resources. Part of the Independent Project Series for grades 3-12 (14 pages)
Price: $2.95

Related posts:

1. Poetry in Balance – Part 1: Appreciation
2. Poetry in Balance: Part 2 – Creation
3. The Poetry Project eResource is Here!

Just in time for April (Poetry Month) and as a send out to March (Literacy Month), I’ve finally epublished my latest eresource – The Poetry Project as the first in a series I will continue to add to in the months ahead.

Independent Project Series - Poetry Project

In this independent project, students will create and study poetry for a period of time. This project is differentiated through work level and reading level and is great for Poetry Month (April) or any time of the year. Use this for individual students or your entire class. Included are teacher instructions for implementation of both appreciation and creation of poetry, explanation of easy, yet creative poetic forms to introduce to your students, reproducibles and engaging activities for students, a rubric for assessment, plus live links to other resources. Part of the Independent Project Series for grades 3-12 (14 pages)
Price: $2.95

The series of books is The Independent Project Series.  The purpose of these projects is to provide teachers with resources they can go to when they have students who can work successfully on their own, or when they want a special project for their students to continuously be working on through a period of time.  Each project is meant to be completed independently as they are student driven.  These are also differentiated in nature.  The teacher can adjust the working level of these projects for each student so that students are working at a pace they can handle and therefore feel successful.

So, what is the Poetry Project?  In this independent project, students will create and study poetry for a period of time. This project is differentiated through work level and reading level and is great for Poetry Month (April) or any time of the year.  Teachers can use this for individual students or their entire class.  Included are teacher instructions for implementation of both appreciation and creation of poetry, explanation of easy, yet creative poetic forms to introduce to students, reproducibles and a rubric for assessment, plus live links to other resources.

The basis of this eResource is the project I devised for my students last April.  It was quite successful.  All my students were motivated and engaged.  I talk more in depth about that experience HERE.  Basically, the project focuses on two aspects of poetry study: appreciation and creation.  Students are given focused, yet flexible activities to perform throughout the duration of the project so that they can learn more about the art form while gaining experience in creating a variety of forms of poetry as well.

I am excited to be bringing you this new eResource.  It is available in our Store.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment.

Be ready for National Poetry Month!  ~EMP

Independent Project Series - Poetry Project

In this independent project, students will create and study poetry for a period of time. This project is differentiated through work level and reading level and is great for Poetry Month (April) or any time of the year. Use this for individual students or your entire class. Included are teacher instructions for implementation of both appreciation and creation of poetry, explanation of easy, yet creative poetic forms to introduce to your students, reproducibles and engaging activities for students, a rubric for assessment, plus live links to other resources. Part of the Independent Project Series for grades 3-12 (14 pages)
Price: $2.95

Click one of the tags from this post to find related posts.

Pre-Game excitement – You know what I mean.  You get dressed up, read up on stats, pump yourself up, maybe put on a little rock and roll and get excited about what’s about to happen on the field or court or ring.  So what does this have to do with reading?  Plenty.  Our students need to feel that type of excitement when they are getting read to read another story.  Don’t laugh…I’m serious.

Yesterday my students were handed a new chapter book to read.  For some, it made them smile.  (Those, of course are the kids who naturally love to read.)  But there were others who were less than smiley when I handed them their book.   With those guys, I have my work cut out for me.   For one thing, I have to pick out a good book.  I go by what I know, what I’ve read, what my colleagues recommend and sometimes I judge a book by its cover.   (I know you’re not supposed to, but…)

Once the book is selected, it’s time to sell the book to the students.  Small group by small group, I bring students over to the “reading table” and we begin.  When I first began teaching, I talked my way through the book’s introduction, telling the students what I knew about it, trying to get them hooked.  But that has all changed.  Now I lay the books out on the table, one for every student and let them do the work.  I either sit and observe or walk away, observing from afar so they are left to their own devices.

Here's an interesting picture of me, the rockin' 80's teacher from Halloween day. Yes, we had reading groups on Halloween! I don't usually dress like this for reading groups. Promise. Figures - this is the only picture I have of me teaching reading.

By fourth grade, students are pretty adept at pre-reading strategies, one being the picture and text walk.  With pictures, students focus on illustrations, photos, graphics, maps and with text students are looking at and reading titles, headings, captions, summaries, and other extra text in the book.   During this time, I watch for and encourage on-topic talking.  Students should naturally start to ask questions, make connections, draw conclusions and make predictions.

Just yesterday, I gave my students their newly assigned books and didn’t even have to say a thing.  They were looking at pictures and talking about what they read from the back of the book and trying to figure out why there was a rubber ducky and a fish on the cover of a book with a title Rules.  Some students were very animated as they discussed things they were observing, hooking other students into the conversation.  I asked them to write down 4+ questions they had about the book and 2+ predictions they have and they were off – getting, dare I say, psyched to read the story.  “Can we please start reading the book now?” asked a boy who months earlier dreaded the look of a new book to read.  Wow!  My job was done.  (Actually, now I have to get them to sustain that type of interest through the duration of the story, but that’s another post.)  I wish every pre-game, I mean pre-reading time was this good.

So if this can happen in fourth grade, imagine the quality of the pre-reading in upper grades if students are given some control over their time.  And given the time in general.  Often, just as with warm ups before a work out or quiet time before a busy day, we cut out the pre-reading so we can just get right down to it.  Why are we always in such a rush?  I’ve learned that taking the time to do quality pre-reading  work is well worth it.  And it gets everybody on the right track for a good reading experience.

~EMP

Celebrate Music and Literacy by taking advantage of Elizabeth’s book Inspired by Listening, a teacher resource book that focuses on how to use listening experiences in your classroom to inspire all kinds of writing (including sentence and paragraph writing, poetry and narratives), reading strategies (including visualization and main idea) and even grammar practice; all while listening to music that you love.  The book is on sale this month only (March) at 20% off!

Related posts:

1. The Good Things about Reading (and Listening) Again
2. Visualization in Reading and Music
3. Linking Music to Reading

Earlier this week, we brought you Kristina’s piece on Writing. Today she reflects on reading and the importance of establishing a love of reading in our students. She concludes with a perspective on assessment. ~EMP

The Story: The success I had last year with the reading intervention program Language! was not simply a result of the program working, but because I saw an opportunity to bring YA novels into the classroom. As soon as my boys became comfortable reading out loud, we began to experiment with reading the novel The Hunger Games out loud.  I truly started seeing a change in my students. I saw true motivation – they were hooked! I saw real engagement – they genuinely wanted to read and discover what happens. And I saw growth – their reading rates did increase. I did not have them identify themes in this novel. I did not have them write an essay about the symbolism of the cornucopia.  I simply gave them the chance to enjoy a novel for the pure fact that novels should be enjoyed. And the end result – they asked for more. And their reading rates increased. Therefore, I want to take the best of what I gleaned from working with this program and combine it with my own teaching philosophy and what I know about what my kids need to be successful, lifelong readers.

The Research: First off, we must define what reading really is. According to ReLeah Cossett Lent, author of “Facing the Issues: Challenges, Censorship, and Reflection through Dialogue” “reading is an experience that goes far beyond the current notion of comprehending for the purpose of distilling information into answers on tests” (2008). Reading can be, and should be, an experience one has with a novel where they find themselves within that “flow” state – where everything else fades away.

Books, and reading, should be joyful. And in many, many cases it is not. Reading has become such a chore for students that most are not reading what we assign. When questioned many students say they hate to read. I don’t blame them. Schools have taken the joy out of reading.  And assigning whole class novels isn’t going to help solve this issue. In fact, “research on brain maturation clearly indicated that the commonly mandated policy of ‘everybody on the same page on the same day’ makes little sense” (Jenson, 2005, 151). But allowing our student’s to CHOOSE what they read will help increase stamina for struggling readers and allow them to engage “in decisions that will contribute to their self-efficacy as well as ones that will facilitate their independence as readers” (Lent, 2008). Other advantages of allowing students’ choices in their reading are supported by research. Richard L. Allington states “when students were provided opportunities to select which text(s) they would read for a given topic or unit, their level of engagement in academic work was high and sustained. Giving students such choices is a powerful factor in motivating engagement and fostering achievement” (Lent, 2008).

Choice will lead students directly to Young Adult (YA) novels, which I will encourage. Research shows that when given the choice, students will pick YA novels (Scherff, 2009). Aside from being highly engaging, young adult literature requires thoughtful readers “to think critically and respond personally on issues” that are relevant to their own lives (Lesense, 2007, 63). Additionally, research shows that “adolescent engagement with reading and motivation to read increases when adolescents read young adult novels (Ivey & Broaddus, 2001; Pflaum & Bishop, 2004; Worthy, Moorman, & Turner, 1999), and adolescent literature has the potential to broaden adolescents’ vision of self and the world” (Bean & Harper, 2006; Glasgow, 2001; Landt, 2006).

The Reason: Teachers are the last resort for deep reading and I am certain that if I don’t give my students time to read in class everyday, they will not do it. I want my students to find joy in reading. I want to give them time to read in class and I want to help them see that the more they read, the more stamina they gain and the easier reading becomes. I want to be able to give them a wide range of levels and genres to choose from, because again, choice is what it’s all about.

My Plan:

• Give students 10 minutes each day for SSR (Time)
• Gather a wide range of books for students to borrow (Choice)
• Conference weekly with students to talk about their books (see assessment) (Expectations).
• Calculate Reading Rates and set individual goals for improvement (Expectations).
• Have students keep a Writer’s Notebook where they respond to their readings and set goals for novels read (Challenge)
• Conduct Book Talks everyday (modeling)

 In Conclusion (a word about assessment)

All multiple choice tests are snapshots of student achievement that say nothing about how much the student has grown or where their potential is. Using a test to describe a student is like trying to take a picture of a butterfly in midflight – it’s always going to be a picture of that butterfly frozen in time. My portfolio was not a test, or a snapshot of my learning. It is a collection of my writing over a semester in high school that shows more about who I was and who I was becoming then any final exam ever could. And Ben’s newly discovered joy with books can never be broken down into a letter grade, but it is probably something that will stay with him long after his report card. These are the experiences I want for my kids and I do not want to be held back by rules of common exams any longer. Besides, research proves that “there is little evidence that better test takers do better in life or that the test taking skills are transferable” (Jenson, 2005, 152).

In conclusion, Penny Kittle once told a class of English teachers that one year with a writing teacher could change a student’s life forever. I think this sentiment goes along with our school’s mission statement perfectly –my job is to help students gain knowledge and skills that build intellect, character, and a lifelong thirst for learning. The simple act of allowing student’s choice in what they read and write will do all of these things, and more.

Related posts:

1. Linking Music to Reading
2. The Good Things about Reading (and Listening) Again
3. Visualization in Reading and Music

This week, Kristina Peterson is back with a two part series about reading and writing and how two experiences have influenced hers as a teacher.  You will enjoy these reflective pieces and I encourage you to add your own thoughts too.  First – Writing… ~EMP

The Story: Eleven years ago I created a portfolio for an Expressive Writing class at York High School. I remember thinking that this class was awesome because it didn’t feel like school. We were not writing five paragraph essays like all my other classes. We were not reading boring novels to discuss plot, themes and motifs. Instead, I was writing about my childhood, about my boyfriend, about why Aerosmith was the greatest rock band ever. This class was 11 years ago and every year I drag out that portfolio and I flip through the pages and see myself as I was in high school. At times it helps me see my high school students in a familiar light, and other times it makes me long for the past – but the point is, I treasure it. Even today. And it makes me wonder if I have given my students anything remotely as valuable to them.

As I flip through my portfolio it occurs to me that the reason I have kept this keepsake for so long is because it is intrinsically meaningful for me. It is literally a look into who I was back then. I poured my heart and soul into this project. I wrote and rewrote a piece about the last time I saw my parents together – a piece my teacher then read out loud to the class while I swelled with pride that she had picked my piece to read to everyone. I was motivated to work on this project for months not because there was a grade attached, because in fact the one and only thing missing from this portfolio is the assessment piece, but because it was meaningful for me.

The Research: This kind of motivation is a huge aspect of teaching that tends to be swept aside. We claim that our students don’t write well but we never stop to question if what we are assigning them to write holds any meaning for them whatsoever. In fact, our entire educational system is based on this kind of behaviorist psychology that encourages reward and punishment – students complete their homework and they get full credit (reward) or they read a novel and they get to watch a movie (reward) or they maintain control over themselves and they get the last 5 minutes to chat (reward). Or, the opposite of this, students are punished for not completing assignments or tasks that they find meaningless from the start.

The research compiled in Eric Jensen’s book Teaching with the Brain in Mind points out that our brain actually reacts to rewards and punishments in that “rewards change the brain very rapidly, and what worked well before ceases to work” again (Jenson, 2005, 106). Not to mention the fact that “what one student finds rewarding may not be rewarding to another” (Jenson, 2005, 106).  Therefore, Jensen states that what needs to be activated is INTRINSIC MOTIVATION (a student’s natural curiosity to learn) and “making content more relevant by linking it to students’ lives is” one way to do this (Jenson, 2005, 106).

The Reason: I want my kids to write like I did in that class. As Tom Romano once said: “I want writing to become second nature to students…as natural for them as slipping on sandals. I want them to know writing is a mighty ally that stands with them, whether they write from the heart or tackle mandatory writing tasks that have been thrust upon them” (“Teach Writing from the Inside”, 2007). Our own Common Core Standards state that for students, writing is a key means of asserting and defending claims, showing what they know about a subject, and conveying what they have experienced, imagined, thought, and felt. They need to be given choice, and time, in order to do this. I want to create an environment in my classroom where students get sustained engagement with writing that matters to them, a way to express themselves through writing that will stick with them for the rest of their lives, like Mrs. Krystow did for me.

My Plan:

• Quickwrite each day with poems and short mentor texts
• Study Mentor Texts
• Set up writing experiences that truly matter
• Conference weekly with students about their process
• Have students keep a Writer’s Notebook where they are encouraged to take risks in their writing

Questions for you –

What’s your story?  Did you ever write something that became near and dear to you?  How can that help you become a better teacher?  What steps might be in your plan?

Celebrate Music and Literacy by taking advantage of Elizabeth’s book Inspired by Listening, a teacher resource book that focuses on how to use listening experiences in your classroom to inspire all kinds of writing (including sentence and paragraph writing, poetry and narratives), reading strategies (including visualization and main idea) and even grammar practice; all while listening to music that you love.  The book is on sale this month only (March) at 20% off!

Related posts:

1. Make Writing Fun Early On
2. Reinforce the Writing Process through Musical Creation
3. Teaching Language Arts Using 1:1 Technology