Final Poetry Projects

Last year, my students completed a very flowery final project for their poetry unit. As 6th graders, they created Powerpoint poetry books and in some classes, had books made representing the best poetry in their class. This year, I needed to create a different approach. They are getting older, and they have shown they understand different forms and elements of poetry. As 7th graders, the students will create chap books. I explained to the kids that chap books are no-nonsense approaches to demonstrating to a publisher what a writer is capable of. They were asked to for-go the pretty clip art and glitter and produce writing, only writing they are proud of. They created several different form poems for their books. I am excited about the type of writing they are doing. I can tell they are too! Each class last week, we had writing workshop time. I supported the students with a mini-lesson and shared a sample poem I wrote. Each day, they surprised me with their enthusiasm and ability to follow complicated form poem requirements, like the Villanelle! Each day, I wrote along side them and we shared our struggles and asked one another for rhyming words. For the past week, my classroom was really a community of writers. I had to give myself a little pat on the back for that one. Thanks for reading!

Time Off

Unlike many other teacher-people, I stuck around this February break. I have heard a few complaints about the lack of sun, warm temperatures , boredom... so this post is to convince myself not to partake in any such negative rambling...

Things I Have Enjoyed This Week Off:

1. I'll start with the obvious; sleeping in.
2. QT with my furry friend
3. QT with my "dog-phews," Clark and Brian
4. Making dinner all on my own for Matthew (I shouldn't count Monday and Tuesday. I heated up left over pizza on Monday and made a chef salad for Tuesday, but I did roll together turkey and ham into neat little spirals- that's something.) He's usually in charge of cooking- I am a mean prep chef though...
5. Reading books on my Kindle I would be too embarrassed to purchase at book stores for their stickers declaring their membership in Oprah's Book Club...
6. The chickadees I caught dancing around under the grill out front.
7. The female cardinals Mokey chirps at from the back windows.
8. The half bald squirrel stealing bread crusts from the garbage cans.
9. Catching up on laundry, using my new dryer sheets
10. Vacuuming with my new device, so much better!
11. Organizing my closet and moving my 1000s of cardigans to them bottom bar
12. Catching up with my favorite "Bravolebrities" (A totally guilty- I mean really guilty pleasure)
13. Not getting freaked out by "resolutioners" at the gym who do not wipe off equipment, they are either done with their resolutions or do not work at schools and maintain their normal schedule
14. My taxes are done and I didn't owe too much to the state
15. The steals I found on Piper Lime (a vegan bag and faux pearl earrings)

so many more I am not mentioning- but it's a start.

What did you like about this past week?

Poetry 180

I am in the middle of teaching one of my favorite units (although we're on break this week), Poetry. I am happy to report most of my students can identify instances of personification, metaphor, alliteration and assonance, but they lack the confidence it takes to bite into a poem... They are still worried about whether they are "right." I have tried from the beginning of the year to instill in them inquiry, versus memorization of teacher dribble and regurgitation. For 7 years they have learned to memorize and spit out what is on the state test... what about just thinking, connecting, questioning? Regardless, this has spurred me to take a different approach.

I found the website poetry 180, 180 poems for the 180 days of American High School, or something like that, awhile ago. Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the US, selected the poems for the website. While at Barnes and Noble, I stumbled upon two anthologies based on the website. I'm hoping my delve into contemporary poetry will inspire my students to contemplate the friendly side of poetry... we'll see... Here is one of my favorites from the second anthology (180 More Extraordinary Poems for Every day Life).

POEM
Bill Knott

Fingerprints look like ripples
because time keeps dropping
another stone into our palm.

I would ask my students... can you find the simile? Who might the speaker be?

Poor attendance, poetry and Presidents' Week

I received a saddening e-mail from my assistant superintendent last week. I have very low enrollment for my summer program for creative writers. (And by low enrollment, I mean none.) I am certainly not a marketing expert, but I know this means I need to take more aggressive action. I have started lobbying in colleagues classrooms, writing announcements to be read over the PA system in the mornings, and punishing naughty seventh graders with the assignment of creating posters for the hallways advertising my course. It would be nice not to have to teach summer school this year, although I will do it. I am hoping high school students are so wrapped up in the aftermath of midterms that they haven't thought about their summer plans and once they hear some of my announcements, they will be spurred into action.
This was the first full week of my poetry unit. I am disheartened at my students' reaction. I don't remember my kids from last year being like this. It's been more difficult to prove to them they know quite a bit all ready. I think I need to re-think my approach. Each new batch of seventh graders reacts differently. Next week, I will give them a poem of the day for the warm up. This will increase the likelihood- I hope- of each kid finding at least one poem they think is "okay." As an adult who loves poetry, loves thinking about it, writing it and researching it, I am having a more difficult time thinking about what my kids will relate to. Honestly, they reference Shel Silverstein frequently, which is fine, but that seems to be the only style of poetry they are familiar with and respond to... What's a teacher to do?
Not that this is an excuse, but the kids have seemed especially out there lately. Perhaps it's the stress of midterms facilitating an unsound mind. Most teachers say they can tell when it's a full moon. Kids start acting more wild or weird than usual. As a middle school teacher, my tolerance for the strange is pretty high, but last week was completely and utterly strange.
Several examples I cannot/ will not share specific details, but they involve students making threats to do harm to themselves and others, writing sexually explicit reading log entries and biting . Oh the poetry I could write...
That brings me to my last subject... next week is a vacation week. Thank goodness for Lincoln and Washington. If they did not have birthdays in the same month, middle school would get pretty hairy. In the 1970's, during the energy crisis, state officials developed Presidents' Week as a way for schools to help conserve energy. New York and few other states have maintained the tradition. I, for one, am very grateful. A lot of non-teaching folk think it's silly to have holiday break and then not even one month later have this February break. Those people have never experienced a bite on a pinky finger from a stressed out 6th grader...