pedablogical

30 Poems You Can Write for National Poetry Month

Mar 31

By Traci GardnerLiterature, poetry, ReadWriteThink acrostic, diamante, found poem, free verse, haiku, headline poem, parallel poem, parody, sonnet, two-voice poetry Comments Off

April is National Poetry Month, sponsored by Academy of American Poets and other poetry organizations. Last year, we posted thirty poetry activities, one for each day of the month of April—and the good news is that we’ve got an updated poem-a-day activity for you this year too!

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 can 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? And remember that even if you don’t have time in class to write a poem each day, these poetry activities will work any day of the year!

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]

April 3 to 9 on ReadWriteThink

Apr 03

By Traci Gardnerclassroom activity, lesson plan, ReadWriteThink Billie Holiday, Drop Everything and Read, Earth Day, haiku, Marian Anderson, Maya Angelou, Pocahontas, poetry Comments Off

The first days of April always make me think of the Prologue to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, and of Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.”

So many April poems, it’s little wonder that April is National Poetry Month. This week, ReadWriteThink has poetry activities, lesson plans, and calendar resources to support you. Have a great week!

New Resources

• Visit the Thinkfinity Community for links to 30 different poetry-writing resources. (For grades K–12)
   
• International Reading Association launches Learning Pages partnership with ePals to engage schools, parents, and students across the entire suite of ePals products with their own collaborative programming.
   
• Prepare students and their families for Drop Everything and Read Day (April 12) with the new Make Time for Reading tip sheet.
   
• ReadWriteThink has a new collection of tips and activities translated into Spanish for use at home that you can use to explain how families can help their children develop as skilled readers and writers.
   
• New lesson plan: What’s Under the Slide? Making Inferences Using Microscopes (for grades 3–5)
   
• Get ready for Earth Day (April 22) with interactive STEM games and lesson plans for teaching students to think green.

From the Calendar

• April 4: In 1928, Maya Angelou was born. Ask students to read some of Angelou’s works and reflect on how one’s life and experiences can influence one’s writing. (For grades 7–12)
   
• April 5: Pocahontas married John Rolfe on this date in 1614. Explore the fact and fiction of the legend of Pocahontas through research and discussion. (For grades 7–12)
   
• April 7: Jazz and blues singer Billie Holiday was born in 1915. Identify powerful and descriptive images in Holiday’s song “Strange Fruit” for a mini-lesson on tone and about the lynchings in the South during this time. (For grades 9 –12)
   
• April 9: In 1939, Marian Anderson was denied permission to sing at Constitution Hall. After exploring historical background materials, write a letter to a newspaper editor about social injustice. (For grades 7–12)
   
• Look ahead to next week for literacy activities on copyright, Gary Soto, Seamus Heaney, Noah Webster, Poem in Your Pocket Day, and the RMS Titanic.

Connecting with Other Teachers

• Connect with teachers across the country and around the world in our Reading & Language Arts group forum in the Thinkfinity Community.
   
• Will you write a haiku for Thinkfinity? Talk about Thinkfinity as a whole, your favorite partners, lesson plans you love, useful resources, or outstanding webinars. Whatever inspires you. Post one poem or several.
   
• 2011 marks the sesquicentennial or 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Sign up for the Civil War Stories from the Smithsonian’s History Explorer, a 30-minute webinar on April 20th at 4pm or on April 23 at 1pm.
   
• Keep students at the center of learning by registering today for the Supporting Students in a Time of Core Standards Virtual Conference Series.
   
• Thinkfinity is planning to invite educational figures to discussion events. Who would you like to connect with in the Thinkfinity Community?

If you have feedback or questions about ReadWriteThink, all you have to do is contact us. Have a great week!

 
[Photo:French Lilac Detail by farlane, on Flickr]

March 20–26 on ReadWriteThink

Mar 20

By Traci Gardnerclassroom activity, lesson plan, ReadWriteThink Caldecott, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, chickens, earthquake, haiku, Kate DiCamillo, nuclear energy, poetry, Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams, tsunami Comments Off

Spring is finally here. National Poetry Month is just weeks away. No matter what grade level you teach, ReadWriteThink has lesson plans and related resources to support you.

New Resources

• Answer students’ questions and discuss current events with Thinkfinity.org’s classroom resources on earthquakes & tsunamis and nuclear energy.
   
• Spring into Writing! Create a haiku about the season with the grades 3–5 lesson Seasonal Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season.
   
• Need some egg-citement in your life? Then, listen in to hear about some books featuring adventurous chickens on Episode 32 of Chatting About Books: Chicken Adventures.

From the Calendar

• March 21: It’s World Poetry Day! Explore a poem by Billy Collins, create themed poetry collections, annotate favorite poems, or try your hand at acrostics, diamante, letter, or shape poems. (For grades K–12)
   
• March 22: Randolph Caldecott was born on March 22, 1846. Create a classroom literary award modeled after the Caldecott Medal (For grades K–12)
   
• March 24: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof premiered in New York in 1955. Introduce students to the characteristics of drama with Reader’s Theater. (For grades 5–12)
   
• March 25: Celebrate Kate DiCamillo’s birthday today. After examining the characters in one of DiCamillo’s stories, students write original short stories featuring animals as central characters. (For grades 3–6)
   
• March 26: Poet Robert Frost was born in 1874. Celebrate Frost’s birthday and his poetry by exploring his innovation in the sonnet form. (For grades 3–12)
   
• Look ahead to next week for resources on National Poetry Month and the birthdays of César Chávez, Anna Sewell, and Hans Christian Andersen.

Connecting with Other Teachers

• Want to ask questions, exchange ideas, & share resources for teaching reading & language arts? Join our Reading & Language Arts group forum.
   
• What books do you recommend to get kids laughing and learning? Share your favorites in Humor and Giggles in the Classroom.
   
• Join the discussion on Bullying and Civic Education in the Thinkfinity Community.
   
• Thinkfinity is planning to invite educational figures to discussion events. Who would you like to connect with in the Thinkfinity Community?

If you have feedback or questions about ReadWriteThink, all you have to do is contact us. Have a great week!