Poetry Friday: Skinny Poems Based on Poems from Pet crazy

Thanks to Kat at Kathryn Apel for hosting  all the goodness of Poetry Friday today.

This week I was in first grade for two days.  I was given time to share and teach poetry.  I used Pet Crazy by Sylvia Vardell  and Janet Wong to prime the pump.  Who doesn’t want a pet or have a pet?

I specially used the Anchor Poem, Response Poem, and Mentor Poem written by Kristy Dempsey and Janet Wong

[Anchor Poem]:

ALL WORN OUT
by Kristy Dempsey

Tippy-toe, Kitty Cat
is sneaking through the house,
pushing on a puff of yarn,
wishing for a mouse.
Kitty loves to play all day,
jumping, pouncing, leaping.
Where is kitty hiding now?
Shh! Kitty’s sleeping.

*

[Response Poem]:

THE GREATEST PETS EVER (Kristy)
by Janet Wong

Cats are
     the greatest pets ever!

They are
     so clean and clever.

Would I like
     a dog? No, never!

Cats are
     my favorites -- FOREVER!

[Mentor Poem]:

THE PERFECT PETS FOR ME (Ben)
by Janet Wong

Kristy likes neat pets.
Cats don’t drool.

She should meet my uncle’s dogs.
They’re super-cool.

My uncle’s dogs will sit and stay —
and stay and s-t-a-y.

Their house is kind of far,
but we could go there someday.

When we play together,
Kristy will see:

dogs are pretty much
the perfect pets for me!

Plus I found this great quick video of Janet reading to Tony Tiger: 
 
The class and I made a list of pets and a list of juicy words. We talked about the format of a skinny poem and with a template, off they went to create. Then as students finished we uploaded to Padlet. This give an opportunity to confer and revise with students. 


Next week, I will be hosting Poetry Friday at DEOWRITER.

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Poetry Friday: Process for I Come From Poems

Thanks to Sylvia at Poetry for Children who is hosting today. She has a teacher rarified Sneak Peek of the 2019 poetry titles.

DISCLAIMER: I usually am teaching poetry lessons with a limited time amount. It may be thirty minutes or forty-five minutes. And as when I was in the library, I had to do over several weeks. If I were teaching in a regular classroom, I would probably teach in a different way.

I’ve been thinking about my process for working with students with creating poetry. A lot of times, I’m a “pantser” (versus being a planner). So last month I had an opportunity to work with two third grade classes on a more complicated version of the “I Come From” poems that George Ella Lyons has offered to the world. If you search on the Internet, you will find a variety of templates to use.

I decided to adapt a template into a format that I have used with students for a several poetry forms.

The first week I subbed in December, I used this form after sharing a lot of examples (particularly ones that I’ve shared in earlier blog posts).

At the end of writing time, I gathered them up so that I could type their drafts (if I were in a classroom full time, I would probably have them type them).

When I returned the second week, I handed out the drafts. I shared from my own experience in submitting poems that I get to look at the draft and the “editor” suggestions. I had them reread and make changes.

I met with these two boys and they shared what they wanted. Students got to choose which lines they wanted to use.

On this second class, I offered this for those who wanted to write their poem.
Nathan reread his draft and decided that he wanted to revise in a big way by using the above format.

He was so pleased with the outcome.

To showcase the class poems, I’m in the process of creating a Padlet for their work.

Poetry Friday: Showing the Poetry Postcard Love

Thank you Karen for hosting Poetry Friday.

Congratulations to Bridget Magee, Gail Aldous, Brenda Davis Harsham, Molly Hogan, and our Poetry Friday Host, Karen Edmisten. Please email me with your addresses so I can mail you a copy of HERE WE GO by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell.

Aren’t these awesome?  These are the post cards I received in January.  They really made my month brighter.

And it’s that time again…get ready for the NINTH Annual Student Poetry Postcard Event coming in April.

Would you like to receive one?  Sign up HERE:

Poetry Friday: Super Bowl Sunday

Thank you Penny for hosting today at her blog.

Are you ready for Super Bowl Sunday?  Are you a Patriots or a Falcons fan or maybe a kitty bowl or puppy bowl fan?

In THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY for CELEBRATIONS, by the fantastic duo, Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell, I have just the poem to celebrate this unofficial holiday.

These girls, now fifth graders, recorded this for me two years ago.

TOUCHDOWN!

Happy Friday!

Happy Poetry.

Poetry Friday: Poetry Camp and Cynthia Grady

Thank you Catherine at Reading to the Core for hosting Poetry Friday.

One week (or six sleeps as I tell my kinders) until I go to Poetry Camp!  I can hardly wait.  This is the brain child of Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell.  It’s happening at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.

There are so many people I have connected with online, through the Progressive Poem, poetry prompts, inclusion of my poem in a Poetry Friday Anthology, and poetry swaps and next Friday, I get to meet them.  This is better than Christmas.

So in honor of the upcoming camp, I am featuring a poem from Cynthia Grady’s book, I Lay My Stitches Down; Poems of American Slavery.  It’s illustrated by Michele Wood.  The poems and illustrations compliment each other well.  It’s a must see book.

Cynthia explains that the poems are “unrhymed verse, ten lines of ten syllables to mimic the square shape of the quilt block.”  Shes included three references in the poems: a biblical or spiritual reference, a musical reference, and a sewing or fiber reference.

Each poem is named for a traditional quilt block. It was difficult to select which poem to share.

Kaleidoscope

The little time we have to call our own
be filled with gardening, feeding chickens
mending clothes, and music making: shaking
stones in the basket, clapping hands, stomping
feet. Sometimes a banjo and fiddle be
played, or hollowed-out tree drum and washboard.
But lo, the singing! Piecing shouts here to
Bible stories there, interweaving  tunes
and hollers, singing up a frenzy of
song!  Be a kaleidoscope of sound: Joy.

(use with permission by Cynthia Grady)

With author’s and illustrator’s notes at the end and a list of resources, this is a poetry books that you can lose yourself in for hours.

I am thrilled to be meeting Cynthia next week at Poetry Camp.

Happy Friday.

Happy Poetry.

Poetry Friday: Giddy About This

Poetry Friday is hosted  at Reading to the Core.  Thanks, Catherine.

On Saturday, I received my copy of The Poetry Anthology: Celebrations compiled by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell.
It will be awhile before my celebration day occurs:  Super Bowl Sunday.  I surprised my self by writing this poem as I am not a football fanatic like my co-worker, the PE teacher.  She could have written this.

This page is from the student anthology.  I am so excited to be a part of this community.

Designed for librarians and teachers and there’s a student version available.  In April, during National Poetry Month,Susan Blackaby  and I will be doing a reading and poetry activity at the Barnes and Noble near my school. (While not an independent book store, as there isn’t one for kids in Vancouver, WA, this B/N does support the schools well).

Happy Poetry.

Happy Friday.