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Tip #5: Make a Face [Poetry Tips for Teachers]
Tip #5: Make a face. Keep an appropriate expression. Don’t grin during a sad poem or look serious during silly verse. If you were to smile while reading this poem, for instance, your students might be a little disturbed–or think you are!
Tip #4: Slow Down [Poetry Tips for Teachers]
Tip #4: Slow down. Read slowly. Much more slowly than you would read prose. Poems are dense and compact and a lot to take in! Here I am reading the poem–as slowly as I can:>) [soundcloud url=“https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/198628798” params=“color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=“100%” height=“166” iframe=“true” /]
2015 Progressive Poem: What’s My Line?
Hi, everyone! It’s Day 4, and thus Line 4, of the 2015 Progressive Poem, created and curated by Irene Latham.? I missed participating last year and am happy to be back. OK, I confess I am a fan of short poems. And short lines. (My Ireland poem from yesterday feels long to me, and it’s
Tip #3: Post It [Poetry Tips for Teachers]
Happy Poetry Friday! I’m hanging out with the wild Poetry 7 again! This month we wrote raccontinos–say what? I’d never even heard of them! (Make sure to go to Tricia’s post, where she explains the form a bit.) Anyway, I was in Scotland and Ireland this past month (wow), and I wrote my poem in
Tip #2: Define It [and 15 Words or Less Poems]
Tip #2: Define it! Is there one particularly difficult word in the poem? If so, define it for kids before you read the poem. That way, not knowing the meaning of the word won’t stop them from comprehending and enjoying the poem. Before reading the poem draft below, for example, I would define Kabuki for
Tip #1: Twice Is Nice [Poetry Tips for Teachers]
Tip #1: Twice Is Nice When you introduce a poem, read it twice. Poems are dense with language and images, and they often hold way too much info to absorb in a single hearing. Generally, read the poem through one time without any direction to your students. THEN, if you like, you can give them
National Poetry Month and Poetry Tips for Teachers
Welcome to National Poetry Month and Poetry Tips for Teachers! I’ve met lots of teachers who feel nervous or uncertain about performing poetry for their students. And I’m the first to admit that I’m no professional performer! But I’ve gotten better and lots more comfortable with performing poetry out loud. So this month, I’m going
Thanks for Rocking My Blog and Welcome to National Poetry Month
Thank you to all of you who stopped by during March to celebrate my launch of? A Rock Can Be…, my third and final Can Be… book with Millbrook Press! I had fun looking for rocks to fit your donated words, especially when I was traveling in Scotland and Ireland. So many amazing rocks…sigh… If
Perfect [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! I have bad wrists, so I use these Perfect Push-Up things during yoga and when I do push-ups. This image makes me think of: 1) my old spirograph (one of my fav toys) 2) being hypnotized 3) big fans we run when it’s
A rock can be… snazzlicious
This photo doesn’t do it justice–please search online for a clearer one. It is amazing!
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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