Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month and we are certainly excited! Our school will be celebrating throughout the month and will showcase our love for poetry on April 12 at 6:30. Students, teachers, families, and community members are invited to join in the festivities by sharing self-written works or a favorite poem written by someone else. Costumes and props are welcome, but not required. Don't feel like sharing? That's fine! Come and enjoy the poetry reading and the other activities. See you there!

In our class we have been writing cinquains! We have written partner poems about characters from Julius the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes. To finalize our fairy tale unit, students are writing individual poems about a fairy tale character of their choice. Come check out our display in the hall! To write your own cinquains at home, you can use the graphic organizer that we used in class. It's the second page.

The students especially like humorous poems. They like to find the rhyming words and giggle when they hear something absolutely crazy. Some popular poets that the students will enjoy are Kenn Nesbitt, Jack Prelutsky, and Shel Silverstein. You will enjoy visiting any of these sites and sharing the fun side of poetry.

To enjoy some other fun poems and even learn how to write your own poems with advice from poet Bruce Lansky, visit Giggle Poetry. There you will find games, poet interviews, and suggestions for how to present poems (suggestions for props, etc. - super ideas for our upcoming Poetry Night).

For students who want to write poetry, but need a more concrete format, check out the Poetry Idea Engine. There, students select words to create limericks, haiku, cinquains, and free verse poems. This is a great springboard for creating self-written poems.

So, now we come to the part where I issue your challenge: visit some of these sites and receive a prize for completing any or all of the following activities:

* present a poem of your own or one of your choosing at Poetry Night
* post a poem you have authored as a comment
* bring a poem you have authored to school
* perform a poem for the class using props
* find another fun poetry site not suggested here and post it as a comment
* bring an art project to school based on a poem you like
* CHOICE: come up with a poetry activity on your own and share it as a comment or bring it to school

Enjoy National Poetry Month!!!

The Parade of Legs

Yes, it's been a bit since I have posted. Between the Science Festival and the wicked cold I have had, I have not taken the time to post. However, now that the Fest is over and I am feeling better, I have a new post! :-)

First, I would like to know what you liked best about the Science Fest this year. Which activities were your favorite? Why? Also, to help me plan next year, what activities did you like least? Why? How could it be better? Leave your comment in the comment box (remember you can comment using ANONYMOUS and sign your name). There will be a classroom reward for posting.

Next, I would like to offer you a challenge! Go to The Parade of Legs and follow the directions. This is a parent/student activity that will help your child see that there are many ways to solve a problem. Please allow your student to attempt to solve the problem on his/her own before stepping in to help. I am constantly amazed by what incredible thinking skills these students have at such a young age...I bet you will be, too! At the bottom of the screen (on The Parade of Legs page), there are links to pages that explore different strategies for solving this problem. Bring in a solution for a PRIZE!!! Have fun learning! Can you write your own problem like this? Write one in the comment box for your classmates to solve. Yes, I will offer a prize for this challenge, too! Excited to read your posts!