I was in a fifth grade classroom in February during writing workshop, and a student flagged me down, eager to share her work. Now this is a student who (historically), I have been much more likely to encounter reading on the sly than writing during workshop.
Category: poetry
Nourishing Your Teacher Soul
When your "to-do" list is super long at back-to-school time, should you take time for poetry, writing and friends? A resounding yes! How are you making time to nourish your teacher soul during these challenging times?
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Starting the Year: Poetry
Let's start the year with poetry! I've shared some tips, resources, and favorites that will get everyone excited to put pen to paper.
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I Remember
What is a memory? What makes a moment memorable? Were they moments of utter joy and warmth? Or was there embitterment, stress, and even trauma that made it special? For me, the 2020-2021 school year had many moments that were both. As much as I would like to move forward from last year, those memories… Continue reading I Remember
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My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness
Poet and educator Georgia Heard discusses My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness and talks about how both poetry and mindfulness invite us to slow down, be present, listen more deeply, while quieting our restless minds.
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Seen, Valued, Heard: Poetry to Establish Community
The 2020-2021 school year will likely be different than any other school year we’ve ever known. While last year ended with emergency remote learning in most places due to COVID-19, the year began like all others before. We had the opportunity to get to know our students deeply and establish classroom communities. I teach on… Continue reading Seen, Valued, Heard: Poetry to Establish Community
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Teaching From Home: Another Poetry Lesson
Today I share a poetry lesson from one of my favorite resources. This lesson is ready to use in your classroom too!
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Teaching from Home: A Poetry Lesson
This is an invitation to write a poem with me today! You might also find this post helpful to you as a teacher and wish to share it with your students.
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Poetry Pathways: Expanding The Possibilities of Genres You Teach
Instead of being delegated to April only, poetry can be a pathway. We can make the deliberate choice to lead our students down this road on our way to learning and sharing new information, telling a story, discovering a person from history, persuading others, playing with language, responding to reading, opportunities for collaboration, and alternatives to morning work. Poetry should be woven into the fabric of your curriculum and, can be the new road you travel down to reach many goals and objectives. Please include your favorite poetry titles in the Padlet linked in the post!
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On a Snow-Melting Day + Giveaway
Prepare yourself for some exquisite words to get your writing week off to a wonderful start.
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Focus Lessons: A Review and Giveaway!
Reading Ralph Fletcher's newest book, Focus Lessons, revealed memories of my childhood much the way photos can be revealed in a pan of solution. Slowly, vividly, and magically.
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Finding Interdisciplinary Opportunities in Writing Workshop
What happens when the next unit in third grade writing workshop is poetry and the classroom teacher stumbles across an anthology of bilingual poetry? This post describes how a third-grade homeroom teacher and a Spanish teacher collaborated to implement an interdisciplinary, bilingual poetry unit.
