This week I will be talking about Firefly July selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, All the Small Poems and Fourteen More by Valerie Worth, Awakening the Heart by Georgia Heard, and Textbook by Amy Rosenthal. I am also writing a new narrative and writing some poems!

​

Firefly July and All the Small Poems are texts that consist of short poems. Firefly July's poems are by all kinds of different poets selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. The illustrations go beautifully with the poems and left me speechless. The attention to details, colors, and how the illustrations describe the poems. Melissa Sweet is one of my favorite artists because of her detail in illustrations and use of vibrant colors. All the Small Poems is by Valerie Worth. Worth is very talented with her exquisite language and thought. 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melissa Sweet's Illustrations

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kindergarten Kids is by Stephanie

Calmenson and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

This book consists of riddles, rebuses, wiggles,

giggles, and more. This book grabbed my attention

because of the multiple forms of poems and

the illustrations by Melissa Sweet.

It would be a great mentor text for students!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        Awakening the Heart

​

This week I read the introduction, chapter 1, and chapter 2

of Awakening the Heart by Georgia Heard. "We all

have poetry inside us" (pg.xv), Heard explains. When

introducing poetry to students, it's crucial to explain to

them that poetry is everywhere! They speak poetry,

see poetry, and hear poetry everyday. Chapter 1 talks

about the poetry environment. Students should have a

creative environment where they can be inspired. This

could be at their desk with pictures, natural items, quotes,

inspiring books, or in a designated area in the classroom.

For example, a "Poet Corner" where students can sit on

fluffy pillows or in comfy chairs to explore poetry. My favorite

thing is the poet chair. This chair would be used when

students present their poetry to their peers. They will have a

sense of confidence and pride when sitting in the poet chair.

Chapter 2 talks about reading poetry. There are three layers to

reading poetry which I explain below. Reading poetry can be

difficult but performing it helps student gain a better understanding.

After reading the poem as a class, students can dance, act out, or

choral read a poem to make it come alive. I also liked the idea of a

poem as an unfolding bud. Poetry is more condensed than a story

and its meanings are sometimes hidden (pg. 30). 

​

 

Poetry Reflection

​

I have personally never enjoyed poetry. I think it's because I struggled with comprehension when I was younger and poetry was challenging for me. All the poems that we had to read in class were never interesting to me and too confusing. This turned me away from poetry. When it comes to writing poetry, I get overwhelmed. There are so many techniques and for some reason I always think it has to have rhythm or rhyme. Even though that is not the case. I think I struggled with writing because it was so "open". You create the stanzas, language, figurative language, topic, everything. When it comes to writing a narrative, you know you will have a beginning, middle, and end paragraphs. That is not overwhelming to me. Attending public school my whole life, we were always given a strict rubric for assignments and would get points taken away for little things. I think this is the main reason students struggle with poetry because of the "freedom" and "creativity". 

 

Teaching Poetry

​

Teaching poetry has always been something I worried about. I didn't quite know how to approach it but I learned great tips from Awakening the Heart by the amazing Georgia Heard. I think the most important aspect of introducing poetry to students is sharing with them that poetry is everywhere. We speak poetry every day. It's also important to share with students poetry that has recently been created. There's a stigma that all poetry is written by "old" people that are no longer alive. I am definitely going to introduce my students to Kwame Alexander. I also really liked Poetry study centers. You can have around 10 stations but only use around 7 at a time. At these stations, students will independently explore poetry. Stations could be exploring language use (pg. 8), cracking-open words (pg. 9), word scrambles (pg. 10), listening to poetry (pg. 11), illustrating poetry (pg.13), and so on. A way for students to read poetry is to read a poetry book like The Crossover, The Playbook, Booked, and basically anything written by Kwame Alexander. 

 

                                                                                                Criteria

​

What makes poetry interesting to me? I enjoy poems that

I can relate to. Whether it's about the beach, the mountains,

family, education, friends, or empowering women.

I also enjoy inspirational poems that motivate me to do

better. One of my favorite poems is Making Room 

by Nikki Banas. It inspires me to grow, be vulnerable, and

feel every raw emotion. I also tend to be drawn to poems

that rhyme because they are more fun to read. I really like

 My Missing Shoe by Kate Miler-Wilson because it rhymes

and it's so relatable! 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

The Three Layers of Reading Poetry

​

1) Choose poems to read that are accessible, nonthreatening, and relevant to students' lives-- encourage reading projects that will invite all students into the world of poetry. 

2) Help students connect personally to a poem by guiding them toward finding themselves and their lives inside a poem. 

3) Guide students toward analyzing the craft of a poem, figuring out how a poem is built, interpreting what  poem means, or unlocking the puzzle of a difficult poem. 

​

​

Poetry Environment

​

When creating a poetry environment it's important to let the student create their own space. The space can have photographs, drawings, books, memorabilia, special writing pencil/pen, notebook, natural item, self-portrait, favorite quotes/poems, stuffed animals, or rough drafts. The students desk will be an area where they find inspiration, creativity, and confidence. As a teacher, it's crucial to have a classroom that nurtures creativity and shows a writer's community. For example, famous poems/quotes. poems by adults or children, water colored pictures of places made by the student about where they find poetry, poet's chair, poetry center with a rug and fluffy pillows, a bulletin board to honor students work, a mentor shelf, and so much more. I love the idea of having a poet's chair when a student presents their work. This could be a simple stool or decorated chair to make the poet feel confident and proud of their poetry. 

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​