April is Poetry Month

How are you going to celebrate?

"What you learn through reading and writing poetry will stay with you throughout your life," Michelle Obama said in a statement about a national initiative to support the study of poetry. "It will spark your imagination and broaden your horizons and even help your performance in the classroom."

Introduce your study this year by reading Naoshi Koriyama's poem an"Unfolding Bud" by and showing a video clip of budding flowers to remind students that it sometimes takes T.I.M.E. for their understanding of a poem to blossom. Then, play the video once or twice again and invite students write their own poetic response to viewing these lovely flowers. Your students may see the images as symbolic of relationships, historical or current events, characters in literature or people they know. Consider writing along with the class and then share your poem with your students. Click here for links to April is Poetry Month 2012 .

Here are websites suggested by other educators:

Traci Gardner's 30 Poems You Can Write for National Poetry Month

George Ramos recommends Poetry International Web for contemporary poetry from around the world.

Tom Worthen Smithfield says, "There are thousands of free poetry lesson plans available at Poetic Power . The website allows you to select your grade range and desired category for teaching. This is a great resource for teaching students how to write and create poetry."

Cynthia Roberson recommends The NY Times Learning Network -Poetry Pairings - Pair a poem to NY Times News Article. What a great way to teach poetry and non-fiction reading at the same time!

On November 21, 2011, First Lady, Michelle Obama launched The National Student Poets program is created by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, of which the first lady is honorary chair, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services through a partnership with nonprofit group, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Even if you've never taught poetry before, teach high school or college, the resources here on this website and ideas in my book TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL LANGUAGE ARTS: Incorporating Twenty-First Ce... can help you prepare your students to participate actively in local, state, and national program supporting student poets. See particularly Chapters 7 and 8, "Taking T.I.M.E. to Teach Poetry" and "Versing Life Together".

Search the Language Arts Resources Tab where you'll find ideas for poetry projects, poetry notebooks, patterning and performing poetry, writing meaty personal essays about poems, and also ways to grade students' original poems.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by William Zimmerman on April 8, 2012 at 3:10pm

MakeBeliefsComix.com also is offering fun graphic writing prompts for National Poetry Month -- visit the Printables sections and click on the Poetry section at: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Printables_Categories/

There also is a Digital Write-Able at: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Digital-Write-Ables/Poetry_Month.php

It offers you a space online to write a poem that you can put in your pocket.

Also, in the Environment & Ecology category there are graphic writing prompts for Earth Day.

Enjoy!

Permalink Reply by Anna J. Small Roseboro on April 8, 2012 at 5:02pm