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April Fool’s—It’s Camouflage! #ClassroomConnections
April Fool’s is coming up, and it’s a day I have to be on my toes. I’ve had cream cheese deodorant (yep) and other “fun” tricks over the years. With both kids grown, I just now have to be on the lookout for whatever Randy is up to! But remembering the cream cheese makes me
Animals Are Building—Are You? A STEM Activity for Students #ClassroomConnections
All around, you can find signs of animals getting ready for a new year. They’re building nests or repairing damage to last year’s dams. Most homes could use a good spring cleaning after a long winter! Here’s a cool STEM activity from the teaching guide for Meet My Family: Build a Beaver Dam! The guide
Ready to Write Some Zoo-Ku? #ClassroomConnections
I so love it when kids (or grown-ups) do their own writing inspired by something I wrote! A virtual book club of 2nd graders at Spradley Elementary in Frisco, TX, read Lion of the Sky and wrote their own zoo-ku in response. Aren’t those fabulous? Can you guess the animals? I love seeing how students
Talent Is a Ticket [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) So, this month, our Poetry Princess challenge was from me: Roll a set of metaphor dice and write a poem inspired by your metaphor. If you don’t have metaphor dice, try an online metaphor generator, like this one: https://perchance.org/ve4axzbkx4 I feel kind of
Ready for Read Across America Day? #ClassroomConnections
Read Across America Day is coming up soon, which immediately makes me think of Dr. Seuss! It’s March 2, and you can find out more here. Meanwhile, if you don’t have any guest readers for your classroom, share a readaloud! I’ve got tons (okay, maybe not tons, but lots) right here. There’s nonfiction, fiction, and
Riddle-ku by 2nd graders! #PoetryFriday
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Y’all might know I love mentor texts and use them in my own writing a lot. And few things make me happier than when my own books inspire other people to write. That’s why I’m super excited to share these riddle-ku, written by 2nd graders
Look for Signs of Spring #ClassroomConnections
A leaf is a leaf. It bursts out each spring when sunny days linger and orioles sing. –Laura Purdie Salas, from A Leaf Can Be… Up here in Minnesota, it’ll be a while yet before spring comes. But those of you in other areas might already be seeing buds on trees and shrubs that
Love Your Family for Valentine’s Day #ClassroomConnections
Valentine’s Day is a great time to talk about how we love our families, even though our families might be different from our friends’ families. My book Meet My Family, a rhyming nonfiction picture book celebrating all kinds of families in the animal world, is a wonderful lead-in to this discussion. Sing and move to
Writing Alone, Together #PoetryFriday
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Well, I realized this morning I hadn’t done a Poetry Friday post for this week. With not setting it up last weekend as usual, and then WRAD and many deadlines during the week, I totally forgot about it. Until 3 a.m. today. I went back
Melting Snowman Art Project #ClassroomConnections
Wow! Art teacher Leah Newton emailed me recently to share this very cool art project related to Snowman – Cold = Puddle. She’s got a great lesson plan where kids learn about color theory and the states of matter AND make lovely art at the same time! Don’t miss it. And teachers, nothing makes writers
Four Forever, and Help Needed with Names
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Two things first: Teachers, before I move on to my Poetry Friday post, I need your help! I’m revising a picture book and need to find names for several kid characters whose families come from different areas in the world. The kids are
Happy Anniversary, National Geographic Society! (And…brinicles!) #ClassroomConnections
The National Geographic Society was founded on this date in 1888. I love their books for kids, I subscribe to their magazine, and Randy and I have attended a number of their traveling lectures. I’m super proud to have poems in two different National Geographic anthologies (both edited by the amazing J. Patrick Lewis). Do
Snowmelt #PoetryFriday
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook (I’m @LauraPSalas on all of them), you might see my #OutsideEveryDay photos. I try to get outside most days and take a close-up photo of something that catches my eye. I don’t write poems to the
Migration North Is Starting!? #ClassroomConnections
In our icebox winter here in Minnesota, it’s hard to believe there are any birds flying north at this time! But a few species are beginning their journeys. If you’re talking about migration in your classroom, I’ve got two books you might want to share (and activities that go with both—just follow the links). Also,
An Audience of One #PoetryFriday
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’m trying to deepen my poetry practice in 2021, and one thing I’m doing is a book study of Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook. In last week’s practice, I chose a poem to imitate. One way I want to stretch myself poetically is to imbue
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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