Category: Student Work

Poetry Friday, Week 21: Preparing a Poetry Lesson

5/25/2023

Patricia at Reverie is hosting Poetry Friday this week. Patricia is sharing a beautiful cento in honor of her fortieth wedding anniversary. Congratulations, Patricia.

Maybe I put the cart before the horse by posting the student poetry project last week. So this week, I'm sharing my process.

I Am

I am a blue dragonfly flitting
from word to word
I wake to the joy of sunrise
I dream of the ocean and the full moon
I am a blue dragonfly flitting
from word to word
I understand my fingers are typesetters, typing words into poems
I worry about those I love
in the middle of the night
I believe the world needs more kindness
I am a blue dragonfly flitting
from word to word

© Jone Rush MacCulloch

I started with writing in my note book figuring out what I might say. I wrote a list: fruit or vegetable, animal, verb, color, machine and location.
Thinking about students, decided to provide a few more options as shown below.

Because I was in the class for two days. students were able to create the hands on one day and write the poems the next day. I wanted the students to think a little about the collage so they had this planning sheet. Not that they had to stick with it when creating the collage.
I find it helps a little.

I brought in a container of papers and items for collage (benefits of creating mixed media). I gave them a half sheet of 8 X 10 to collage on. Collage first. Trace hand. Cut out It is so interesting that some students were challenged to trace their hand and then cut it out.

I offered papers with words that might have some connection with students. At least one student wrote and cut out his own words. I wished that I had more photos in my paper stash of a variety of animals. Students are resourceful because some of the kids drew their animals.

Mrs. Fisher's Fifth Graders Poetry Art

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Poetry Friday, Week 20: Fifth Grade "I Am" Poems

5/18/2023

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Janice at Salt City Verse is hosting us today. She is sharing some pretty wonderful new releases.

This week, I finally was able to teach the poetry lesson I planned for the end of March and ended up having to cancel my sub job due to an illness. It was a combination of creating a collage of the student's hand and then writing "I Am" poems. FYI, this is a class with 16 boys and 7 girls.