Mar 31
By Traci Gardnerpoetry, ReadWriteThink poetry
April is National Poetry Month, sponsored by Academy of American Poets and other poetry organizations. ReadWriteThink includes links to poetry lesson plans, websites, and classroom activities on the calendar entry for April 1.
I wondered, however, if we had enough resources on the site to write a different kind of poetry every day. I began with student interactives and then hit the site’s search engine to come up with the list below.
Each day has a link to a different kind of poetry writing, either a specific poetic form, like sonnets or acrostics, or poetry focused on a particular topic, like seasonal haiku or color poems. The materials range in grade levels, but could usually be adapted for any age (even college students).
So here’s the challenge for you and students: I found a different poem for every day of the month. How many different poems can you write?
Cross-posted to the NCTE Community ReadWriteThink.org Group and the Reading and Language Arts Group on the Thinkfinity Community.
[Photo: Magnetic Fridge Poetry by Minimalist Photography, on Flickr]
Mar 29
By Traci Gardnerclassroom activity, lesson plan, ReadWriteThink Anna Sewell, bullying, Cesar Chavez, DEAR, fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen, Libya, Literature, poetry, reading, Spanish, Truman Capote
Hope March is heading out like a lamb for you. After all the snow and rain of the last weeks, we could all use a nice, pleasant transition into April. As you plan your classes for the last days of the month, ReadWriteThink has lesson plans and related resources to support you.
New Resources
From the Calendar
- March 30: Black Beauty author Anna Sewell was born in 1820. Through Sewell’s novel, explore cruelty to animals and extend the discussion to current events. (For grades 3–12)
- March 31: César Chávez was born on this day in 1927. research a civil rights leader and do a creative writing piece, followed by a short story, with their group. (For grades 7–12)
- April 1: April is National Poetry Month! Students are assigned to be “poets of the day” and are provided several models to create, illustrate, and present their different poems to the class. (For grades K–12)
- April 2: Hans Christian Andersen was born on this date in 1805. Compare one of Andersen’s stories to the original story with
the Venn Diagram tool, write fairy tale autobiographies, and explore satire with the movie Shrek. (For grades K–12)
- Look ahead to next week for literacy activities on Maya Angelou, Pocahontas, Billie Holiday, and Marian Anderson.
Connecting with Other Teachers
If you have feedback or questions about ReadWriteThink, all you have to do is contact us. Have a great week!
—Traci Gardner
[Photo: Young Irish Lamb Sitting. by moonjazz, on Flickr]
Mar 28
By Traci GardnerBedford Bits, composition, social media assessment, blogging, checklists, dictionary, hero, OED, twitter
Last week, the OED announced a new batch of words that have been added to the dictionary. Among this year’s inductees are OMG, short for “Oh My God,” and LOL, short for “Laughing Out Loud.”
My favorite part of the announcement is the background on the word LOL: “the letters LOL had a previous life, starting in 1960, denoting an elderly woman (or ‘little old lady’; see LOL n./1).” Other fun new words include ego-surfing, smack talk, meep, and muffin top.
OMG! It’s hard to compete with all these new words, but I’ll try. LOL! Here’s a run-down on the new entries posted on Bedford Bits last week.
A Few Extra Reminders
Finally, let me hear what you want to know about teaching writing or about using digital tools in the composition classroom by leaving a comment. Your suggestions will shape upcoming posts.
—Traci Gardner
[Photo: 15 by Cofrin Library, on Flickr]
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Hi, I’m Traci Gardner, known in most circles as Tengrrl. I’ve been exploring and writing about the best ways to teach composition using digital technology for over 20 years. You may have come here because you’re looking for my 
