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Tip #1: Twice Is Nice [Poetry Tips for Teachers]

April 1, 2015 26 Comments

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

April 1, 2015 12 Comments

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

March 31, 2015 10 Comments

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

A rock can be… magical

March 30, 2015 6 Comments

Rocks can be… ubiquitous

March 29, 2015 4 Comments

Rocks can be… exciting!

March 28, 2015 No Comments

Perfect [15 words or less poems]

March 26, 2015 80 Comments

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