Welcome Seely 4th Grade Poets!

Seely Place Elementary School

Edgemont School District, Scarsdale, NY

Photo from Seely Website

This Poetry Friday I could not be more thrilled to welcome the wise and talented poets from Mrs. Borella and Mr. Levin's fourth grade class at Seely Place Elementary in the Edgemont School District in Scarsdale, NY. Welcome, poets!

I was lucky enough to visit Seely Place again a couple of weeks ago, but I did not expect the wonderful surprise of reuniting with some of the fourth graders I met two years ago when I visited them as second graders during my first Seely visit. As it happened, last month these same students, now fourth graders, were reading one of my poems in class and writing many of their own. Fortunately for me, they invited me in to their classroom so that I could enjoy some of their poetry and learn about their process. Needless to say, the students are taller, have more teeth, and are both accomplished poets and thoughtful humans.

 

Reunited Two Years Later

Photo by Mrs. Borella/Mr. Levin

Long before I arrived, these students read the below list poem, one I shared at my blog years ago. 

And then, Mrs. Borella and Mr. Levin invited them to write It's ok list poems of their own as a kickoff to the class's poetry unit. You can follow this teaching process below. 

Click to Enlarge

These final pieces became part of a class book for everyone to enjoy and learn from. I wish that my own younger self had received this kind and thoughtful advice and appreciate it now as an older self.

And those precious photographs? Well, Mrs. Borella wrote to the students' families before the unit and asked - in secret - for each family to send a photo of their child as a little one to serve as inspiration...and to bring joy to the whole project.

Read the Pages!

One thing that struck me in these poems - besides the most adorable photographs and great advice - is the very true rhyming. You will not find forced rhyme here. Students used all kinds of techniques to find rhymes from listing rhyming words to substituting synonyms to moving words around. They shared some of these strategies with me, and we had a great poet-to-poet conversation about the importance and how-to of keeping our rhyme meaningful.

Thank you so much to Mrs. Borella, Mr. Levin, these photo-sharing families the Seely Place community, and Allyson Hickey of booked Authors for connecting me with these writers. Thank you, young poets. I will never forget this visit.

Buffy is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Buffy Silverman with a mask poem in the voice of a hognose snake - three acts! Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

If you would like to visit my 2024 National Poetry Month Project - ONE MORE OR LESS LINE CROW - you may do so HERE. Much gratitude to anyone and everyone who commented along the way...it can get lonely in here.

I wish you a week of kindness to yourself. If you have a difficult day, I suggest rereading one of these students' poems. And please do leave them a comment if you would be so kind.

xo,

Amy

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

S is for SILVER & S is for SYLVIA!

S is for SILVER

Photo by Amy LV

New (Secondhand) Silver Earrings on Quince Branch

Photo by Amy LV

This poem is for Kate Coombs. Last Thursday's poem grew from the word KNICKKNACK, and I shared a list of Wilfred J. Funk's most beautiful words.  In the comments, Kate suggested replacing his tranquil with silver.  So imagine my surprise when I opened and pointed to SILVER!  My finger was actually right ON the word (first time this month), and first I looked above it, thinking the word was SILT.  When I lifted my fingertip, I could see what the real word was -  SILVER.  A beautiful word indeed.

Students - Today I was going to write a haiku.  This is such a beautiful word, and haiku is such a beautiful form, one I'm coming to appreciate more and more this month because of the haiku that Lisa and Christophe have been writing through the dictionary.  But then I started to write...and jot...and this poem came out.  I adored my silver crayon when I was a little girl, and that little girl in me must have just written this poem without the grownup me even knowing!  Remember that - we have lots of selves inside.  It's good to listen to them all.

Also remember this - you can dedicate a poem to a friend or family member or someone you admire...anytime!  It's a lovely gift!

Today it is a pleasure to welcome professor, author, and blogger at Poetry for Children - Sylvia Vardell.  She brings us news of her newest book, THE POETRY TEACHER'S BOOK OF LISTS, a book I already own and love and which you have an opportunity to win today.  Take it away, Sylvia!

Sylvia Vardell!

In my work with teachers and librarians, I find most people are open and interested in poetry, but may have no idea where to begin.  That was the primary motivation for writing THE POETRY TEACHER'S BOOK OF LISTS - to provide a comprehensive resource tied to many of the "FAQs" (frequently asked questions) I encounter when it comes to poetry for young people.  I've assembled 155 different poetry bibliographies and lists of research-based strategies featuring 1500 poetry books for children and teens (ages 0-18).  For example, you'll find lists of poetry books for each of these topics: animals, baseball, birds, cats, colors, dinosaurs, dogs, food, gardens, insects, math, reading, science, space, sports, time, trees, history, war and peace, and weather.  This makes it much easier to select poems for a particular curriculum unit.

But sometimes people want to share a poem for a special occasion or a festive holiday.  So, I also have separate lists for Valentine's Day, President's Day, Women's History Month, Mother's Day, Father's Day, the fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and all the seasons, too.  All the major poetry award winners are also listed (by award) as well as the best poetry books for each year of the last decade and by age categories.

Once you've found the right book for the right purpose, you'll also find helpful lists of activities, researched-based strategies, quotes, websites, tips and guidelines for incorporating poetry into your usual routine.  Here's just a sampling from one strategy list.

Poetry Celebration Occasions

As we build an environment where enthusiasm for poetry will flourish, we can consider what poet Georgia Heard calls "poetry rituals."  These are poetry traditions that provide a natural way to incorporate poetry into pre-existing routines and special occasions.  They give children something to look forward to and in many cases provide opportunities for child participation.  One excellent resource for finding "occasional" poetry is Lee Bennett Hopkins' book, DAYS TO CELEBRATE: A FULL YEAR OF POETRY, PEOPLE, HOLIDAYS, HISTORY, FASCINATING FACTS, AND MORE (Greenwillow, 2005).  As Maria Brountas (1995) has said, "Poetry is a lovely gift we give to children that appreciates in value and lasts throughout their lifetime."  Here is a list of possible poetry celebration occasions and ideas.

1. Invite children to perform their own poem readings on the last Friday of the month (or other set day) as a Poetry Friday event, popular in the children's literature world.  Create a coffee house setting with tablecloths, bongos, and a microphone for fun.  Record some of the readings for a homemade listening center.

2. If audio or public address announcements are made on a regular basis, include the oral reading of a poem (by a child or other volunteer) on a daily or weekly basis.  Challenge children to work with a partner to prepare a performance reading with multiple voices, sound effects, or musical instruments.

3. Read aloud individually selected poems for children's birthdays (e.g., birthday poems or favorite poems of the birthday child).  Invite families to donate a new poetry book in honor of the birthday child.

THE POETRY TEACHER'S BOOK OF LISTS includes 10 total strategies for Poetry Celebration Occasions.  For more nuggets and excerpts from these lists, check out the book-based blog.  Comments, suggestions, and additions are welcome.  You can click below to purchase your own copy!

Available Through Amazon

Much gratitude to Sylvia for donating a copy of this book to a reader of today's post!  Please just leave a copy to be entered in the drawing.  I will choose a name on Sunday evening and announce the winner on Monday morning. Good luck!

The winners of last week's drawing for NASTY BUGS, by Lee Bennett Hopkins, are Myra and Jone!  Please send me an e-mail to amy at amylv dot come with your snail mail address so that I can send you your books.  All giveaway books for April so far will be in the mail by Monday.

Speaking of giveaways, Natalie is the winner of this week's giveaway of Laura Shovan's chapbook - MOUNTAIN, LOG, SALT, AND STONE!  Natalie - please send me an e-mail to amy at amy lv dot com with your snail mail address...and I will get it right off to Laura!

Thank you to Greg Pincus over at Gotta Book for hosting me this past Monday with my poem Secret.  If you like cat or mystery poems, this one's for you.

In case you are new to The Poem Farm, this month I am walking, letter-by-letter, through the dictionary, (closed-eyed) pointing to a letter each day, and writing from it. You can read poems A-R by checking the sidebar, and you visit Lisa Vihos and read her accompanying daily haiku at, Lisa's Poem of the Week. In today's comments, watch for Lisa's Haiku and also Christophe's haiku.  It is lovely to poetryhike with new friends.

The categorization journey also continues.  If you check the top tabs here, you will see that I have now organized 300 of the 500 poems on this blog.  They will all be in their little lists by the end of the month, and I hope that you will find this useful.  Much gratitude to all who are sharing this site with friends and colleagues; there have been many more visitors than usual this week!

Diane is hosting this week's Poetry Friday Roundup over at Random Noodling! Stop by to see what is happening on this third Friday of National Poetry Month!  

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Like The Poem Farm on Facebook for more poems, articles, and poemquotes!

Everyday Life as Inspiration

Last night, our family went for an amphibian-migration walk.  It was my husband's idea, and at first I did not want to go.  But we all piled into the car and headed off to the marsh to find amphibians.  Armed with flashlights, we sure found them: spring peepers, wood frogs, and bullfrogs too!  (Did you know that April is not only National Poetry Month but also National Frog Month?)

I felt grateful that Mark got us going, and we were amazed at how many things were happening at dusk in the wild.

Today's poem grew from last evening's walk, from walking in puddles and scooping up tiny peepers with our hands.   It was part of my day, and that's where the poem started.

This reminds me of something I heard Georgia Heard say that her teacher Stanley Kunitz once said, "You must live in a way that lets you find poems."  These words have never left me. 

After a year of daily poems and strategy ideas.  I will be revisiting one strategy/technique for each day of April.  Today's thought is: pay attention to line breaks and white space when you read and write poems!

Poems about Everyday Happenings

One of the most interesting parts of writing is that you can think about it all of the time.  Writers get their ideas all day and all night long, not just when they sit at their writing tables.  No one will see your thoughts, but inside you head you can always wonder and ponder. "Hmmm...that's strange."  Or, "I might write about that later."  When you write, you notice things that other people do not.  Artists and scientists do this too.  To create, one must observe.

It is wonderful when we realize that very rich writing comes from the things that happen to us every day, just plain old normal things.  When I started writing, I thought that I had to have fancy ideas and experiences to write about, things like big vacations and birthday parties and injuries.  But as I read more and more, I realized that my favorite books and poems to read are about regular people with regular lives.  People like me.

Here are a few poems from this poetry year which  highlight regular experiences.  You might have done some of these things or had some of these feelings yourself.  After reading, consider going on a "poem treasure hunt" and just walk around looking for poem ideas in your own life.  Just like spring peepers at this time of  year, they may be camouflaged.  It's up to you to find them!

The following poems draw on my own everyday experiences.

Chin Puppets - Poems can tap into our play life.

Soap Hope - Many writers write about pet peeves .

Laundry Hugging - We can write about simple comforts.

In Grandma's Bowl -  Everyday objects hold writing ideas.

Preserving Fall -  Writing captures our memories.

Dirty Secret - - We can write about our secrets.

The Bin -  Poem ideas may grow from regular chores.

After Rain -  Weather is a rich source of daily writing.

For a book which highlights many ordinary happenings, check out Ralph Fletcher's A WRITING KIND OF DAY. 

Shop Indie Bookstores

The next time you wonder, "What should I write about?"  remember to look around.  You can write about anything you see or think.

Naomi Shihab Nye says this best in her wise poem, "Valentine for Ernest Mann," a poem I have quoted here before.

Maybe if we re-invent whatever our lives give us, 

we find poems.  Check your garage, the odd sock

in your drawer, the person you almost like, but not quite.

And let me know.

This Month's Poetry Revisits and Lessons So Far

April 1 - Poems about Poems

April 2 - Imagery

April 3 - Poems about Animals We Know
April 4 - Line Breaks and White Space
Today -  Poems from Everyday Life

In the beginning of May, I would love to highlight and share student poems which have been inspired by any of this month's posts.  Teachers and homeschooling parents: I welcome your students' work and plan to hold a special book giveaway for poet participants!  

Please send any pieces your students are willing to share, along with a brief bit from the writer about the inspiration/story behind the poem to amy at amylv dot com. 

(Please click on POST A COMMENT below to share a thought.)