Help your kids have fun practicing their print handwriting skills with this FREE Animal Poem Print Copywork unit.
Poetry is in the air in my 4th grade classroom! We are reading and writing poems every day for the next few weeks. I always like to start my poetry unit with something that has a low intimidation factor (and … Continue reading →
This year I wanted to start the school year with an activity that infused reading, writing, and critical thinking while building classroom community and some personal connections. Inspired by an I…
Are you looking for a way to help your students with poetry comprehension? The FREE March Edition of A Poem Each Week is a great way to start.
Robert Frost once said “There are three things, after all, that a poem must reach: the eye, the ear, and what we may call the heart...
What is blackout poetry? Poetry writing that all students can feel successful with. Here's how to teach it. Freebie included!
Middle school students are at their best when teachers understand their needs and provide opportunities for movement in the classroom.
April is National Poetry Month, and what better time is there to teach and explore poetry with your students?!?! I love to spend the month of April having students read, write, and share poetry in our classroom. At the beginning of my poetry units each year, I find that my students are often intimidated by poetry, especially when it comes to writing it. Over the years I have tried to find the perfect activities to ease them into writing their own poems. One of my favorite activities is taking my students on a Haiku Hike!! Several years ago I found this book, Haiku Hike from Scholastic. The story and poems in this book were written by a class of 4th grade students. The idea behind the book is that the students in this class went on a nature walk, and instead of taking pictures of the different things they saw, they used the form of haiku to capture different moments and scenes in nature. I loved this idea so much that I decided to implement it in my own classroom. Here’s how it works... What is Haiku? Before you take students on a Haiku Hike, you will need to make sure that they are familiar with this poetic form. Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry that is often used to describe nature or the seasons. Haiku is a three line poem that follows a specific pattern based on syllables: Line #1: 5 syllables Line #2: 7 syllables Line #3: 5 syllables I would suggest creating an anchor chart to discuss and display the elements of Haiku. Take a Hike! Once your students are familiar with Haiku, they are ready for their Haiku Hike. You could schedule a hike or nature walk as a mini field trip, but I simply take my students on a walk around the grounds of our school. Students take “field notes” throughout the hike. I ask them to take notes about what they see, hear, and feel, and encourage them to be as descriptive as possible. I also ask them to try to capture a moment in time or a scene in nature. Below is a page you can provide for students to record their field notes. Click HERE to download this FREEBIE!! Time to Write Once you return from your hike, it is time for students to turn their field notes into haiku. Ask them to write two to three poems based on their experiences and observations. They can write these drafts in a writer’s notebook or journal. Have students share their poems with you and their classmates for feedback. Then have them choose a final haiku to publish. Since students are using haiku to “capture” a scene or moment in time, you can have them use the Polaroid page below to record and illustrate their haiku. This page is also included in the free download!! These “snapshots” make a beautiful bulletin board for students to display their haiku!! This activity is the perfect way to ease students into writing their own haiku. It gets them outside to observe their environment. What better way to inspire nature themed poems, than going outdoors to explore?!?! If you are looking for more poetry activities, check out this blog post on my blog, Create Teach Share. You can also check out my Poetry Toolbox in my Teacher Shop!!
A hilarious poem entertains and inspires students to think about made-up words. Students will love thinking about ways to make up words in a creative way. Includes detailed teaching suggestions, a graphic organizer for writing new poems and more.
Who doesn't love Rumi and his great quotes and poems? I make many poster quotes over on my Facebook page Amazing Me Movement and so many of them are created wit
What is Literature? In this activity students explore this question by looking at not only novels and poems, but also songs, photos, and advertisements.
Enjoy this page of very funny poems...your gateway to a site of rhyming fun!
5 Easy Peace Day Activities for your Classroom, from Flourish Schools. Keep it simple: you don't have to create a truck sized dove, focus on the message.
Hi y’all. Let me just say that poetry is quite possibly one of my favorite things to teach. I use it in all content areas. Walk into my room, and you’ll probably find a poem about the rock cycle hanging next to a poem about skip counting. II use a few different forms of poetry ... Read More about Where I’m From Poetry
Comparing poems fosters critical thinking and deep discussions. Because of their short form, using poetry pairings is a great way to expose students to a variety of writers and writing styles, subjects and themes. Here's 32 pairs of poems, a total of 64 poems, to share with your students throughout the year, during National Poetry Month or to run a March Madness Poetry Tournament in your classroom.
Teach kids empathy and compassion through mindful, fun lessons, discussions, and activities that build social awareness and community.
This week, every teacher is teaching Habit 1: Be Proactive. We have so many great things going on. Below are a few things that kindergarten...
Students use "Birches" by Robert Frost to start them on their own poem. They'll think of something unusual they've seen and write a poem of how it got that way.
Teaching blackout poetry is an engaging way to help spruce up your poetry unit. Show a few examples, and your students will be eager to create a blackout masterpiece of their own. Keep reading to learn what blackout poetry is and just what you need to do to teach it. So, you’re thinking about teaching… Read More »A Beginner’s Guide To Teaching Blackout Poetry
Thought provoking & inspiring poems about life, desires, and resilience. Inspirational and deep poems that make you think positively & feel more at peace.
Who doesn't love Rumi and his great quotes and poems? I make many poster quotes over on my Facebook page Amazing Me Movement and so many of them are created wit
Earlier this month, I shared a mnemonic I use with my 2nd and 3rd graders for teaching story elements. This mnemonic is part of a larger strategy called 'Picture It!,' developed by Victoria Naughton (2008). Each letter of S.T.O.R.Y. represents a story element, and students can use the graphic mnemonic for identifying and visualizing the common features of fiction texts. Learn more about this great strategy here! S.T.O.R.Y. Poem Many people make up a silly stories or poems to increase retention. I am one of those people. :) According to Brain Training 101's article How to Improve Your Memory, 'A mnemonic device, such
A collection of funny poems to make you think about life and go "oh yeah". Featuring the wit and wisdom of Carol Ann Duffy, Sandra Beasley, and more.
Funeral poems are a wonderful way to pay tribute and celebrate the life of your loved one. This collection of poems has been chosen for their comforting words.
Try these fun poetry activities for high school students and engage even the most reluctant learners in creative thinking and poetry writing!
Today I am excited to welcome Kim from English Oh My as our guest blogger. She has some great ideas for teaching students to comprehend poetry in a manageable way. Enjoy! Happy April, and Happy National Poetry Month! Poetry is a timeless genre, and it is a part of most English Language curriculum. When I tell […]
We are going to read Green Giant by Jack Prelutsky and create mental images. I'm excited to see what they end up creating. I wrote the poem ...
The Desiderata by Max Ehrmann was written decades ago but the lessons are timeless. Click through to see the 11 lessons I gleaned...
FREE 🎓 End of the Year Keepsake Boxes and Poems for Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade
This is a great way for students to practice characterization. This worksheet can be used for any novel, story, poem, etc. STEAL (learning about the character through what they SAY, THINK, their EFFECT on others, their ACTIONS, and their LOOKS) is a great way for students to learn to identify chara...
The Odyssey is a popular text in high school English. Check out these 9 poems to pair with The Odyssey. Help students practice synthesis with these texts!
Many of us had a favorite poem during our school years, beautiful poems such as William Wordsworths Daffodils, Robert Frosts The Road Less Taken and Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare were a few of my favorites. Is was not until years later that I really began to appreciate the beauty of poetry. Poems can have […]
We all want students to know how to annotate and automatically do it when they are handed a piece of literature. The trouble is, for most students annotation is something they do for the teacher, and not for themselves. They don’t take any ownership of the process and don’t see any payout at the end. ... Read more
Fourth graders took rhythms to a whole new step last week! After reviewing note values, they substitutued their own words for each not...
Memorial services give us a way to say goodbye. Your grief does not end with the cremation funeral ceremony, but your remembrance can begin there.
Hello Everyone! I am so looking forward to doing our Superhero unit with our new group of Superlearners! As I was thinking about the beginning of the year, I knew I wanted to incorporate the "Wrinkled Heart" activity that I've done the past 9 or so years. We always spend time talking about bullying and how we always need to think before we speak. I like to use Chrysanthemum or Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon for this activity. Take a giant paper heart and have kids crumple it up each time something is said that hurts the main character. After the story, try to smooth the heart. You can't get get the wrinkles out. A great hands on and visual activity to help kids understand that words do hurt. Have kids place band aids on the wrinkled heart as a symbol of their commitment to thinking before they speak! Here are a few pics from previous years. It has evolved!! Well, to go along with our Superhero unit, I decided to try using a paper superhero cape!! I think it will work. I redid the little poem as well. Take a peek! For Reader's Response Journal For your own little unit with the heart and cape ideas, CLICK HERE! Have fun with this!! And have a Super weekend!! Joyfully! Nancy
It’s raining, it’s pouring…teaching plurals doesn’t have to be boring! Here are a few plural noun activities that are fun for kids and perfect for spring.
