If not, you need to buy it now or find it at your local library. It’s a great mentor text for getting students to think about their cultural background. Janet Wong published this book twenty-three years ago and just recently added back stories to the poems. More about that next week when Janet shares the answers to some questions I recently asked her.
Yesterday I was in third grade. Two teachers share their students so I was able to do two poetry lessons. And I figured out how to use PADLET. Woohoo! I put the poems up on Padlet as they finished and the students LOVED seeing their work displayed.
For details on the HOW-TO of this lesson, visit this POST.
If not, you need to buy it now or find it at your local library. It’s a great mentor text for getting students to think about their cultural background. Janet Wong published this book twenty-three years ago and just recently added back stories to the poems. More about that next week when Janet shares the answers to some questions I recently asked her.
I was back in the library this week. I had the opportunity to work with fourth and fifth graders. This book provided excellent food poems as mentors. I decided given the time allotment of thirty minutes over class, the SKINNY poem would be a good form for students to use to write a poem about a food for which they had strong emotions (good or bad). And while the directions for the SKINNY poem are specific, I love how some students make it their own and use the template as a guide.
When I take poetry workshops from Paulann Petersen, she often has words lists available for participants. I decided that given the 30 minute time limit, having a word list for describing food would be helpful. I provided this for students:
If not, you need to buy it now or find it at your local library. It’s a great mentor text for getting students to think about their cultural background. Janet Wong published this book twenty-three years ago and just recently added back stories to the poems. More about that next week when Janet shares the answers to some questions I recently asked her.
I was back in the library this week. I had the opportunity to work with fourth and fifth graders. This book provided excellent food poems as mentors. I decided given the time allotment of thirty minutes over class, the SKINNY poem would be a good form for students to use to write a poem about a food for which they had strong emotions (good or bad). And while the directions for the SKINNY poem are specific, I love how some students make it their own and use the template as a guide.
When I take poetry workshops from Paulann Petersen, she often has words lists available for participants. I decided that given the 30 minute time limit, having a word list for describing food would be helpful. I provided this for students:
Thanks to Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche for gathering all the Poetry Friday goodness this week.
Have you read this book?
If not, you need to buy it now or find it at your local library. It’s a great mentor text for getting students to think about their cultural background. Janet Wong published this book twenty-three years ago and just recently added back stories to the poems. More about that next week when Janet shares the answers to some questions I recently asked her.
I was back in the library this week. I had the opportunity to work with fourth and fifth graders. This book provided excellent food poems as mentors. I decided given the time allotment of thirty minutes over class, the SKINNY poem would be a good form for students to use to write a poem about a food for which they had strong emotions (good or bad).
When I take poetry workshops from Paulann Petersen, she often has words lists available for participants. I decided that given the 30 minute time linit, having a word list for describing food would be helpful. I provided this for students:
Today I have poems from fifth graders. I’m sharing poems all next week until our next Poetry Friday.
Arroz con Leche
By Jackeline C.
Mi favorito (my favorite)
Arroz con leche
Caliente (hot)
Sagroso (yummy)
Frio (cold)
Arroz con leche
Blanco (white)
Vapor (vape, steam)
Asucar (sugar)
Arroz con leche
Mi favorito
(I just love that she asked to write it in Spanish)
Back in April, during National Poetry Month, I had the opportunity to sub in a fourth grade class. I read the book CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR?: POEMS of RACE, MISTAKES, and FRIENDSHIP by Irene Latham, Charles Waters. This was a 2018 CYBILS Poetry finalist.
As the students listened, I had them write down words and reactions to the book. Afterward we made a list of phrases. It doesn’t always work to finish the poem when I’m one day in a class and then gone for awhile as was the case with this sub job. But I know when I returned to the class we’d finish what we started.
This past Wednesday was that day. I prepared the strips and shared them. We read them aloud and determined that since we had some one that began, “Each night…” they would serve as the beginning of a new stanza. As I was writing, I noticed this line: “Fists clicked-Chains Cracked” and felt it would be a good repeating line. The first line and the end were givens.
Then each student placed their strip where they thought it might go best. We reread the poem, took away a couple lines, and came up with this response to Irene Latham’s and Charles Waters’ brilliant book:
Each Night
Each night we talked at the table We didn’t know how to explain the curse they gave Some whites ashamed about how they treated blacks Fists clicked-Chains Cracked
Each night we plopped chains classmates crumbled in shame Classmates black and white Some kids sat in shame Fists clicked-Chains Cracked
Each night we gave forgiveness We didn’t know how to explain the forgiveness they didn’t give Black and white forgiveness Fists clicked-Chains Cracked
Each night we forgave classmates with an apology Classmates black and white apologized Thunder cracked Chains cracked We forgave them Shame hit We cracked In the end, we became friends.
Today (as I’m writing this on TH) went into the class and we looked it over. We discussed tightening the poem and removing words. I explained how Stephen Kind reduces his drafts by 10% and Richard Peck tries to fine ten words per page to remove, I gave each student a draft and asked them to select at least five words that could be removed.
After the discussion, our poem looked like this:
This is the final copy:
It was a fun lesson to do with this class. I feel so lucky to be able to work with students on these mini-lessons.
Thanks to Jama atJama’s Alphabet Soup for hosting all the Poetry Friday goodness today.
I returned to a kinder class a few weeks ago for a day of subbing. Since we had written animal sounds poems, I decided to use Joyce Sidman’s book, RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS, A YEAR IN COLORS. My example poem is at Deowriter.
Today and tomorrow, please enjoy these kinder poems.
Check It Out 