In My Yard Today
Photo by Amy LV
Students - This short little poem is simply a poem of description and a poem of comparison. I wrote it while working with some wonderful second graders at Northwood Elementary in Hilton, NY. We were looking closely at natural objects, sketching them, and writing about them while using jewelers loupes. I learned this process from the wonderful site, The Private Eye and every once in a while, I love reminding you about their work.
Here you can see my poem without line breaks and then again with line breaks.
No Line Breaks - Line Breaks
Photo by Amy LV
If you ever write something that sounds like a poem but does not look like a poem, remember that you can add or change line breaks during or after writing. I like to use slashes to help me imagine line break possibilities, slashing and then copying the poem with new line breaks. Sometimes I rewrite the same words many different ways, considering which way looks best and sounds best on the page.
Line breaks matter in poetry. Read poems out loud to get the feel of others' line breaks, and enjoy playing with your own.
Did you know that pinecones open up when it is warm and dry and close up when it is wet? They are good seed savers. Interesting nonfiction facts always make for interesting poem topics.
Thank you to the sweet schools I visited in the past week: Schlegel Road in Webster, NY, Greenacres in Scarsdale, NY, and Lenape Meadows, Betsy Ross, and George Washington in Mahwah, NJ. It was a pleasure to join your writing communities, each for a day!
Jama offers us a sweet and delicious entry into May this Poetry Friday where she is hosting this week's roundup at Jama's Alphabet Soup. Visit her place to explore all poetry happenings around the Kidlitosphere.
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