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NCTE and Morning Is…, a list/cento poem
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Whew! What a couple of weeks it’s been–NCTE one week and Thanksgiving the next. I’m grateful for both, but I’m glad to be quietly at home now :>) NCTE was difficult for me this year. I think it’s partly because I hadn’t been in FOUR
How Animals Survive Winter – a Memory Game
Brrr! Winter is well on its way here in Minnesota (some say it was on its way back in August–haha), and the animals have figured out how best to survive it. If you read Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle with your students, you can follow it up with this memory game to help reinforce the ideas of
Hawk, Inspired by Valerie Worth’s Small Poems
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Happy Thanksgiving! I was at NCTE last weekend, and I have so much to be grateful for about that. I’ll share some pics and stories next Friday! Meanwhile, this month, we were writing poems in the style of Valerie Worth. I so enjoyed
I Need You Need Me
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Today, Friday, I’m in Columbus, OH, for NCTE! It’s my first time attending since 2019, and it feels exciting and overwhelming. I’m not nearly as organized and prepared as I like to be for a big conference, but that’s just the reality of life lately.
Give Sheep Some Wool!
It’s mitten season! It’s the perfect time to read If You Want to Knit Some Mittens! Illustrator Angela Matteson made some really cute activity sheets to go with If You Want to Knit Some Mittens. Here’s a little craft project for your students! You can give Sheep some wool, just like a real sheep grows
Recipe for a Song–and NCTE!
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) How on earth is it Friday already? Eep! I’m just re-sharing a few things today, as I’m immersed in prepping for some speaking engagements Monday as well as for NCTE. First, I’m doing a webinar with SCBWI on Monday! Whee–more info here. Second, here’s
NCTE and a Thanksgiving Poem
One of the things I’m grateful for is that I’m going to NCTE this year! I haven’t been since 2019, and how I’ve missed it. When it had to be canceled in 2020, I was heartbroken. Not only did I miss seeing all my NCTE friends, but 3 (3!) of my books had been named
We’re Bats, an Award, and NCTE!
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Well, no trick or treaters came by on our chilly Tuesday night, so now I’m battling those peanut butter cup treats all by myself! Last week, I didn’t make it in with a bat poem, so I’m sharing this one this week. I’ve written a
A Thankful Venn Diagram #ClassroomConnections
I can’t believe it’s time to think about Thanksgiving! This will be the first time in more than 10 years, I think, that both our daughters will be here for Thanksgiving. Maddie’s lived overseas all that time, and Annabelle was out of state some of those years too. Lots to be thankful for! I’m also
Her Time Will Come, a Bouts-Rimés Draft
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Well, I feel guilty even posting this. Not only did I NOT get to the live write with my poetry sisters last weekend, I barely know what this form is. I just took the rhymed pairs that my more diligent wordsters donated and
Zap! Clap! Boom! at a St. Paul Saints Game
Our local minor league baseball team, the St. Paul Saints, teams up with Mackin Education all summer long with a volunteer author reading a book at every Sunday home game. One day last month, I was the Reading Tree reader, and I shared Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of a Thunderstorm. It was cloudy all
Immovable
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’m swamped with a new part-time job (royalties are down, and family expenses are up), a new contract to write four work-for-hire books, and several different presentations to work on–yikes! So, I’m sharing this silly poem about Highland cattle that I wrote after our first
I’m Reading Finding Family Aloud for Lerner’s Nonfiction November
Hi, everyone! Thanks for all the birthday wishes–I had a lovely day :>) I got fun gifts, like an Irish dance night next Friday night! And today, I’m sharing a gift Lerner has for you. How’d you like a great nonfiction picture book read aloud to your students every day in November? Sounds great, right?
My Two Centos’ Worth
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Here’s a cento I wrote a while back (okay, okay, in 2008), in response to a challenge from poetry sister Tricia Stohr-Hunt. She challenged everyone to write a modified cento using titles of favorite books. I chose mostly from favorite poetry books and had a
A Fabulous Fall Storytime!
I got to celebrate fall with a storytime at the South St. Paul Library last month! I have loads of books that include fall, such as Lion of the Sky; Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle; Colors of Fall; A Leaf Can Be…; and Shrinking Days, Frosty Nights. We sang songs, read poems, talked fall facts…it was really
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Are You Looking For?
Go to my Poetry page for:
- National Poetry Month projects through the years
- Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
- Introductions to several favorite poetry forms