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A Poem for Charleston
I don’t usually post or write poems in response to current events, political issues, etc. It’s just not me. But last week, I wanted to write a poem using a random word from a Twitter or Facebook friend. I had decided to write a poem that included an apple, somehow (probably because I am in
poetryactions and bookalikes for Snow School
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) OK, I perhaps went a little overboard with Sandra Markle’s Snow School, which I loved! This book was so full of wonderful, vivid action, so my first poetryaction is simply a list of verbs. It’s my way of thinking of all of the things the
Iron Man [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! When I was up in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota in late April, doing a two-week poetry tour, I visited this 36-foot statue of an iron miner in Chisholm a couple of times. It looked so exposed and lonely in the snow.
poetryaction for Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise
In Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise (Sean Taylor), I love the contrast between the dark, majestic language and the silly, everyday tone when Hoot Owl’s hunting methods don’t work. It makes me picture a kid pretending to be a superhero or something and talking all superhero‑y and then breaking off to say, “Oh, wait. I’ve
Skyping with Leigh Anne Eck’s SPARK poets!
I Skyped with Leigh Anne Eck’s 4th- and 5th-grade students recently as part of their SPARK Camp. The students had been writing wordplay poems based on the lesson plan I shared here. Besides talking with them a bit about where my ideas come from and what my writing process looks like, I also got to
poetryaction and bookalikes for Wolfie the Bunny
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) [Addendum: I didn’t even realize when I scheduled this post that it was for the day after the #SharpSchu book club on Twitter where Ame was one of the guest stars. She is hysterical!] Dot in Ame Dyckman’s Wolfie the Bunny got me thinking about
Dandelion [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Honestly, nature blows my mind just about every single day. This image makes me think of: 1) an alien eyeball 2) each little pappus (new word for me) could be a broom or feather duster 3) being tickled And here’s my?first draft.
poetryaction and bookalikes for Santa Clauses
Yes, I know it’s almost summer, and therefore not the right season for Bob Raczka’s Santa Clauses. Too bad! I didn’t hear about this wonderful book until halfway through December, and I wish I’d seen it earlier! So I’m sharing this poetryaction way out of season. It’s a fantastic picture book about Santa’s life as
poetryaction for Spiky, Slimy, Smooth
This picture book all about textures made me really think about how things feel. Couple that with the fact that I’ve been doing a mindfulness meditation recently that invites me to really think about how things feel against my body (the stool rung against my feet, the chair against my butt, the collar to my
Writing Zenos at the Young Authors Conference
Last week, I shared my wordplay lesson plan based on Nikki Grimes’ poetry prompt and then day 1 and day 2 of student poems. Those were from the last two days of the Young Authors Conference. The first two days, I had tried something else, something I planned to do all week: zenos! I love
In Praise of Junk Food
Happy Poetry Friday! In May, we wrote odes. Over the top odes, free verse odes, perhaps ridiculous odes. But it was fun! The approaches of my Poetry Sisters (aka Poetry 7, aka Poetry Princesses–and, yes, we’re at work on a crown sonnet again, so the Princess title will be revived!) are so varied and each
Wordplay Poems from the Young Authors Conference, Part 2
One more day of wordplay poems here! Monday, I shared the lesson plan. Yesterday, I shared a gallery of poems. And today, here’s a gallery of the rest of the poems! Thank you, students! Teachers, please note: Most of these are their notebook version, not copied over neatly yet. That’s because these students spent time
Wordplay Poems from the Young Authors Conference
Today and tomorrow, I’m sharing student poems from my sessions at Success Beyond the Classroom’s Young Authors Conference at Bethel University. I shared the process/lesson plan yesterday, and I’m excited to share student work here. Teachers, I know you’ll find some awesome poems here to use as mentor texts/examples if you do wordplay poems in
Wordplay Poems in Your Classroom
Last week, I taught all week at Success Beyond the Classroom’s Young Authors Conference in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. I love this event every year. It’s an opportunity for me to lead the same writing workshop 12 times in a row with 4th-8th graders, mostly kids who are strong, enthusiastic writers. This year, I
poetryaction for The Iridescence of Birds
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I loved Patricia MacLachlan’s untraditional biography of Matisse, The Iridescence of Birds. It made me feel like I knew the heart of Matisse, like I knew what made him tick. I have written several long biographies, and I don’t have the courage to write like
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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