A Poet But You Didn't Know It

I love using poetry in the classroom. I think the succint language a poet uses is just ripe for vocabulary instruction. Every week I post a new poem in a pocket chart; and we read it chorally each morning which also helps with reading skills. The children have to listen carefully because there are no illustrations to fall back on to reference meaning. On Fridays they cut and paste a copy of the text into their poetry journals and then write about their own evaluation of the words. Did they like it? Why or why not? What is it about? Did it make you feel, hear, taste, see, smell something?

Well, since April is National Poetry Month, we tried our hand at writing our own poems. I held my breath and crossed my fingers to see what understanding came out of their chubby little pencils. I was actually very impressed. Some used techniques like using spicy adjectives and sound words, others wrote "Oh, little bee"-just like some of the poems we've read. We did "Shape Poems" where they wrote the words, I typed out their poems and they cut the words out gluing them into the shape of their idea.

We're going to have a little celebration this month where the students can read their poems for their parents and I can't wait to see their expressions as they watch their little poets. Never doubt the osmosis that occurs when you model something for kids-they pick up more than you would expect!