Posts filed under 'Poetry Friday'
Today’s PF is once again courtesy of Randi Allison. Thanks, Randi!
I am from the quiet sea of Canada.
The white snow sparkles brightly.
If you don’t know Canada, then you can’t know the snow.
I am from the quiet sea of Canada.
The long green grass shivers silently from the wind.
If you don’t know Canada, then you can’t know the prairie.
I am from the quiet sea of Canada.
The skies go on and on for as long as you can see.
If you don’t know Canada, then you can’t know the skies.
I am from the quiet seas of Canada.
Elliott
age 9
Inspired by the read aloud of David Bouchard’s: If You’re Not From the Prairie
March 5th, 2010
We’d like to introduce you to Randi Allison. Some people collect dolls, some collect baseball cards, Randi Allison collects children’s writing. For more than 25 years Randi has taught and shared her love and gift of literature with both children and adults alike. Randi has collected over 1300 children’s writings over the years. The children’s writings are beacons of light shining hope, faith, and courage. Randi is the author of Tastes Like Chocolate, thoughts from young people, (Crane Press, 2007). Randi currently lives in Colorado with her husband and continues to share her love of literacy with the children and adults of Douglas County School District, Colorado.
With all the snowy weather a lot of the country has seen, we thought we’d share this poem by Nate:
I am inside with my big brother
and he says,
“Let’s go out and walk in the snow.”
My big brother walks into the snow.
I follow and walk in his footprints
and I think,
someday when I’m grown up
I am going to walk
just like him.
Nate
age 7
In Nate’s own words…
The day I wrote this poem it was in January right after my brother’s birthday, and my brother said, “Let’s go outside and walk in the snow.” We got on our boots and jackets and mittens and scarves, we headed out. As we were walking I was behind my brother and I looked down and I began to walk in his footsteps, thinking, ‘someday I want to be just like him.’
February 12th, 2010
Here in Portland, the snow has taken an unseasonable absence and the sun is expected to stay with us all weekend. But some 500 miles southwest, our friends in the Washington, D.C. area are expecting up to 28 inches of snow by tomorrow night. And so this Poetry Friday, we wanted to provide an opportunity for some reflection amid the storm warnings and snow plows…
This week’s poem was written by Siv Cedering, a Swedish-American writer, poet, translator, illustrator, sculptor, and composer. Though she passed away in 2007, her diverse body of work continues to be recognized and admired throughout the U.S. and Europe. Counted among Cedering’s fans are Pat Johnson and Katie Keier, who use the poem for a think aloud as they model visualizing with poetry to aid comprehension in Catching Readers Before They Fall, due out next month.
When It Is Snowing
by Siv Cedering
When it is snowing
the blue jay
is the only piece of
sky
in my
backyard.
“When It Is Snowing” originally appeared in Color Poems, published by Calliopea Press in 1978. It is used with permission of the estate of Siv Cedering.
February 5th, 2010
The past couple of days have been quite frosty here in Maine, so this week’s poem comes from a Mainer, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who lived through a couple of Maine winters.
Snow-flakes
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Read the rest of the poem
here. December 18th, 2009
Hanukkah starts tonight, so here is a children’s poem for the occasion by Aileen Fisher.
Light the Festive Candles
by Aileen Fisher
(FOR HANUKKAH)
Light the first of eight tonight—
the farthest candle to the right.
Light the first and second, too,
when tomorrow’s day is through.
Read the rest of the poem here…
December 11th, 2009
This week’s poem comes from Steven Layne, whose new book Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers, is now available for full preview online!
Aliteracy Poem
Steven Layne
Mrs. Thompson’s second graders are amazing!
The principal says they can comprehend anything—
even a medical textbook.
Mrs. Thompson’s second graders are incredible!
The superintendent says their oral reading is completely seamless—
like the gentle flow of an eternal spring.
Mrs. Thompson’s second graders are fantastic!
The P.T.a. president says they finished the reading workbook and
the phonics workbook before the end of the Third Quarter.
Mrs. Thompson’s second graders worry me.
you see, i’m the aide who works in Mrs. Thompson’s classroom,
and i know something that the others don’t.
Mrs. Thompson’s second graders don’t like to read.
From Life’s Literacy Lessons: Poems for Teachers by Steven L. Layne. Copyright 2001 by
the International Reading Association. www.reading.org.
December 4th, 2009
Kimberly Hill Campbell’s recent book Less Is More: Teaching Literature with Short Texts Grades 6-12, shows how short texts engage a wide range of middle and high school students. She shares her discover of the power of short texts to support her students’ skills as readers, writers, and students of literature.
In the section on poetry, Kimberly shares her classroom strategies for helping students discover that poetry is something to be read and enjoyed in and out of school.
This week’s poem comes from one of her students, Trish, who used Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself as inspiration for her own poetry:
Song of Myself
(Inspired by Walt Whitman)
I run and become one with my soul
I run and kisk at my ease
Observing your every move.
My moves, every structure
Of my skills, form’d from
this turf, this atmosphere…
I, now, 16 years of age begin,
Hoping to play until I can
No more.
November 13th, 2009
“Using poetry is a quick and manageable way to invite children to look at a writer’s craft,” writes Aimee Buckner in her book, Notebook Know-How: Strategies for the Writer’s Notebook. In an activity called “Poetry Pass,” students look at several poems and pick one to copy in their notebooks and use for reflection. They then try to emulate the style in their own poetry or prose. This week’s poem comes from one of Aimee’s student, Marissa, who was inspired by “&sun&” by e.e.cummings.
Snowflakes
snowflakes
e
very
one
is
not
the
s
am
e
f
a
ll
ing
d
o
w
n
to
th
e
ground
November 6th, 2009
In his new groundbreaking book, Metaphors & Analogies, Rick Wormeli explores how teachers can use metaphors to help students grasp difficult concepts, whether they are learning math, science, or poetry. For this week’s Poetry Friday, read some examples from Rick’s book that came from teacher Bill Ivey who introduced his poetry unit at the Stoneleigh-Burnham School by asking students to incorporate a major component of poetry — metaphors — in order to describe poetry. Here is what his students wrote:
Poetry is a cloud in the sky. We can’t guess a cloud’s shape, color, or the weather that the cloud will make. Sometimes a cloud covers the sky, but sometimes it shows all the sky.
- Ashley Chung
Poetry is a face, which is always changing its expression.
- Jessie Bartolotta
Poetry is a black hole that you fall in and can’t get out of.
- Alyssa Cote
Poetry is the breaking point from reality. It tips the meanings, causing a downpour of ideas waiting for questioning. The poet reveals each thought through the piece of paper which speaks not on its own, but with beautiful assistance.
- Erin Moore
Poetry is a form of emotions. You don’t need to share it on your body, write it out, read it, hear it; it is like a rainbow. First it rains and then out comes the rainbow. First you feel your emotions, then your pen hits the paper like sparks and away you write.
- Alissa Ames
How would you describe poetry with a metaphor? Leave your thoughts in the comments section and preview Rick’s entire book online now!
October 30th, 2009
This week’s poem, Straight Line, comes from Georgia Heard. Georgia and coauthor Jennifer McDonough are wrapping up a three-blog book tour later today at Carol’s Corner. Earlier in the week, they stopped by A Year of Reading and Miss Rumphius Effect to answer questions about their book, A Place for Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades.
Georgia and Jen will be conducting a live webcast on Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. EST. If you are interested in participating, e-mail zmcmullin@stenhouse.com
Straight Line
by Georgia Heard
All the kindergarteners
walk to recess and back
in a perfectly straight line
no words between them.
They must stifle their small voices,
their laughter, they must
stop the little skip in their walk,
they must not dance or hop
or run or exclaim.
They must line up
at the water fountain
straight, and in perfect form,
like the brick wall behind them.
One of their own given the job
of informer – guard of quiet,
soldier of stillness.
If they talk
or make a sound
they will lose their stars.
Little soldiers marching to and from
pretend
their hair sweaty
from escaping dinosaurs
their hearts full of loving the world
and all they want to do
is shout it out
at the top of their lungs.
When they walk back to class
they must quietly
fold their pretends into pockets,
must dam the river of words,
ones they’re just learning,
new words that hold the power
to light the skies, and if they don’t
a star is taken away.
One star
by one star
until night grows dark and heavy
while they learn to think carefully
before skipping,
before making a wish.
October 23rd, 2009
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