Poetry Friday: Student Review of WHEN MY SISTER STARTED KISSING by Helen Frost

Thanks to Heidi at my juice little universe for hosting Poetry Friday today.

I received a copy of WHEN MY SISTER STARTED KISSING by Helen Frost last fall for review as a CYBILS nomination.  I thoroughly loved the book.  As always, Helen Frost pushes the envelope in her verse novels.  In this novel, she used quatrains, free verse, and acrostic forms.  Once again, I found another mentor text.

While WHEN MY SISTER STARTED KISSING didn’t make the CYBILS finalist list for poetry, it was on my favorites list.

A couple of weeks ago, I handed the book to a fifth grader, Lily.  She needs to be challenged in her reading.  When she returned it this week, I asked her for a quick review:

I liked the book because it begins mellow then there is action and then it’s mellow again.
I liked how the action was at the lake.  I liked the poetry and how some poems created words at the end.
To me, the lake was like her (the narrator’s) mind.  I would recommend it to a higher reader because it’s complicated.

I really liked the poem, “White T-Shirt” Abi because it has lots of action and things happening in it

I wonder what Helen Frost is writing for her next book.

~Lily or L (as she likes to be called), 5th grade

Title: WHEN MY SISTER STARTED KISSING
Author: Helen Frost
Published: 2017
Pages: 193
Reading Level: 5th and up
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books
ISBN: 978-0-374-30303-7
Source: From the Clackamas County Library

Advertisement

Poetry Friday: Poetry Postcards

Thank you to Laura at Writing the World for Kids for hosting Poetry Friday.

 

This week my classes have been finishing up their poetry postcards for National Poetry Month.  The variety is wide from haiku about biomes, Mandan Villages, and inspirational Black figures, it’s been great to watch them take shape.  And they were submitted to the Young Poets’ Digest for possible publication.

Poetry  Postcard Project.  Still, time to sign up.

Are these great?  They are almost ready to be mailed.  Would you like one?  There’s time to sign-up.

Poetry Friday: More on Students Revising Work

Thanks to Linda at TeacherDance for hosting Poetry Friday this week.

I’ve been thinking about ways for students to revise and write final drafts in a simple way when you have thirty minutes once a week.

Third graders are finishing up their Black History Month poems which will be used for Student Poetry Postcards for National Poetry Month as well as submitted for publication.

Anyone who teaches knows that students finish projects at different rates.  This year, I’ve been using Google Classroom. Boy howdy, has it been the bees’ knees for teaching.

This week, I was able to have students who had turned work in assist those who needed help in creating a poem or with getting it onto the Google document.  I was able to sit with students who needed some editorial guidance.  My favorite was Gabe who asked what the difference between ITS and IT’S.  It was a great moment.  Below are some photos from this class all working on writing poetry.

The difference between its and it’s.  It was like the light bulb went on.

Talking with a peer on writing a cinquain.

I love how the boys are listening to Brooklyn as she assists with their poems.

Wyatt is using his fact sheet to finish his poem.

Poetry Friday: A Night Of Reading Fun

Thanks to Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty for hosting Poetry Friday.

We had a grand time on Tuesday Night with our annual Family Library Night: “Cat in the Hat” Reading Night.

Friday Fib Time

one
night
to share
favorite
books with our students.
Some arrive in their pajamas
exchanging rooms to hear new tales
giggles of delight
soon we eat
cupcakes
and
leave

©jone rush macculloch

*********************************************************************************

Time to Sign-up for Student Postcards

Poetry Friday: Student Revision Work

Thanks to  Renee at No Water River for hosting Poetry Friday.

We’ve been writing odes at Poetry Rocks.  I use this format to start after reading several odes (so cool because I can share last year’s odes.

Ode to a dog, cat, deer, horse, porcupine, school, peace, killer whale, snow, picture, friend, drawing, world, space, mountain lion, mom and dad, kitten, tiger, stars, cheetah
I see
I hear
I feel
I taste
I wonder
Answer

I then typed them up and made “editorial” changes for poem shaping (mainly took out the “I see, hear, etc, if it felt right.)

Then on Monday, I shared the odes back with the students. I explained as “editor” I had made some suggestions. I asked them to looked them over and let me know if they approved by putting a star on the paper or make changes that they wanted.  Here are three examples:

             

I love how this builds their confidence as writers.

***************************************************************

Time to Sign-up for Student Postcards