When I taught fifth grade, our class studied light each year. Every group had a cardboard box with holes at the end, a light bulb inside, color filters, and prisms. We'd follow a series of experiments, and then we just played around. Much of our learning came from this playing around, and I still think about the beauty of invisible colors becoming visible through a prism. This idea got me reflecting on how poetry makes the invisible visible too!
Today I feel fortunate to welcome teacher Faith Catarella and her fifth graders from
Pinehurst Elementary in Lakeview, NY, with a few of their poems. In these you will notice serious work toward imagery, careful meter, and a stretch-of-self-and-words, just what we hope for.
Camping
by Emily Scarsella
I feel the grass tickling my toes
I see the kids playing in the open field
I smell the smoke from the burning fire
I taste the gushy burnt s'more
I feel the fire's warmth tickle my toes
I see the stars sparkle in the night
I hear the parents talking by the fire
I hear the birds peep good night
No Matter
by Zachary Morrisey
A dream is a dream, no matter how you dream.
An eye is an eye, no matter what is seen.
A dog is a dog, no matter how it barks.
A pen is a pen, no matter how it marks.
A fire is a fire, no matter how it burns.
A job is a job, no matter how it earns.
A plant is a plant, no matter how it grows.
A day is a day, no matter how it goes.
A dream is a dream, no matter how you dream.
An eye is an eye, no matter what is seen.
by Nicholas Damstetter
Feel the coldness of his breath,
And prepare yourself for your death.
He'll bite a strong bite on the neck,
Even while relaxing on your deck.
They come around every night,
So be prepared for all its might.
You're never safe, even at home,
Especially at night when you're alone.
For the Vampires will come at night,
So be prepared for all their might.
Here are a some poetry teaching tips from fifth grade teacher Faith Catarella:
1. The room needs to be silent so that the students can go off into their own worlds and focus on their subjects.
2. The students must feel comfortable with their abilities. They must know that poetry doesn't have to rhyme to be good. (They get stuck on rhyming poetry.)
3. It helps to use mentor poems as models for students' writing.
One strategy that I use to help students generate ideas is to have everyone sit in a circle and say one thing that they could write about. While we do this, all students hold their writer's notebooks on their laps. When they hear ideas they like or ideas that trigger other ideas, they write. For example, I might start with something simple like "ice cream" to show the students we can think simply. We go around the circle about three times, and then they go off to write. The students will say anything and everything! Their lists are huge!
Thank you so much, Faith and class, for sharing your work and ideas with us here today. I continue to welcome teachers and students with poetry or thoughts to share. Simply leave your information in the comments if you would like your classroom poets and poetry work to be featured here on a future Poetry Friday.
Since it's baseball season, here's a neat picture book version of
Ernest L. Thayer's great poem
Casey at the Bat. This 2001 Caldecott Honor Book was illustrated by
Christopher Bing.
Today's Poetry Friday is hosted today by Tricia over at
The Miss Rumphius Effect. Hop on over there for the full roundup of poetry in the blogosphere today.
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