Many schools near me are ending their year this week, and so today I celebrate them by celebrating some young poets. Thank you to the teachers and young writers who share these poems with all of us.
First, I am happy to introduce Third Grade Teacher Linda Crofts and Poet Alison Pynn from DeSales Catholic School in Lockport, NY. Welcome, Linda and Alison!
Amy gave a high energy, engaging presentation to my third grade class. She got the students so pumped up, as soon as we got back to class I had the students pull out their journals to write about it. Some wrote poems and showed an interest in writing more, so the next day I pulled up The Poem Farm. We read some of the poems as well as her tips on writing. The students loved the idea that they did not have to write full sentences in poetry!
I asked each student to write a poem that I could put together in a classroom book. My input was simply to help them with spelling and give ideas on where the lines should break. I was blown away by the power of some of their ideas. I feel Alison's poem encourages readers to look more deeply instead of just taking things at face value. Also the question in her poem is one most children wonder about other families.
Amy gave a high energy, engaging presentation to my third grade class. She got the students so pumped up, as soon as we got back to class I had the students pull out their journals to write about it. Some wrote poems and showed an interest in writing more, so the next day I pulled up The Poem Farm. We read some of the poems as well as her tips on writing. The students loved the idea that they did not have to write full sentences in poetry!
I asked each student to write a poem that I could put together in a classroom book. My input was simply to help them with spelling and give ideas on where the lines should break. I was blown away by the power of some of their ideas. I feel Alison's poem encourages readers to look more deeply instead of just taking things at face value. Also the question in her poem is one most children wonder about other families.
The Wall
There is a wall in my class.
The wall is boring.
Nothing to see.
But the wall is not just a wall.
The wall has a window.
The wall has a window.
But out that window
you can see
a home.
And in that home lives a family
so strong and
bright.
Who knows
if they ever fight.
by Alison Pynn
Alison's advice for poets is: I would look outside or behind me. Then I would write what I saw in poems and add a bit of fantasy. That means stuff I don't see. But not all my poems have a bit of stuff I don't see.
Thank you, Alison, for your words and for this advice. So much of poetry is looking beyond what we normally think about, asking questions and taking time to consider the world.
Today I am also pleased to welcome Kristine Baccaro and her fifth grade poets from Jefferson Avenue Elementary in Fairport, NY. Please note both thoughtfulness and playfulness in these words and pictures.
Click the Box Above to Enlarge
Click the Arrows to Advance Slides
I can think of no better way to end the school year here at The Poem Farm than by sharing the work of young people. How lucky I am to learn from them, in person...and on paper.
Happy happy summer to all! I will still be here on Fridays throughout the summer, and I am also still scheduling author assemblies and writing residencies for 2019-2020. Thank you for visiting.
You can read my Friday post celebrating Joy Harjo, our new Poet Laureate, HERE.
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