Happy National Poetry Month! So here's a challenge: Write A Poem A Day! This was a friend's suggestion and reluctantly I said "Yes!" (even with the '!'). What was I thinking? Anyway, to stir the creative juices, I wrote my first poem. It went something like this:
Pink balloons flew by the gentle summer mountain.
A child tells time and mom is at peace
Morning light & rainbow colors
A happy day to live, love and remember.
What do you think? Ok...moving on.
Being in the business of Digital Literacy, what better way to work those skills than to dive into several great programs and get Students writing poetry. My favorites come from the folks at ReadWriteThink.
Starting with Theme Poems (http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/theme_poems/) Select a shape, brainstorm words that have you thinking about the shape, then put words to phrases and, in a snap, you have a poem! They are easy to print, save or even save as a draft for the next time around. These are perfect starting with our K-Friends and up.
Next, Acrostic Poems (http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/acrostic/) I like how RWT defines what the poem is and walks the user through each step, making it a more independent activity. In this one, you simply select your topic, again brainstorm ideas or words, then put those words or ideas into the proper format. Easy save & print steps and they have a nice finished product.
And then, Diamante Poems (http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/diamante/). As with the others, there is a definition, easy to follow instructions and then again, the steps to save & print.
Kids Magnetic Poetry Kit (http://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/Kids/kit) takes me back to the days of arranging magnets on our fridge. This fun program has a large menu of words to choose from. Simply drag & drop the words onto the platform to create the poem. Label it & print it instructions are simple as well. I find that our older Students really like this program. How do I know? You should hear how quiet it gets in the Lab! (Smiley face goes here!)
And then, there's this nifty poetry creator from the folks at Scholastics - Poetry Idea Engine. (http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/poetry_engine.htm#) The walk-thru instructions help Students create limericks, haikus, cinquains and free verse type poems. I like how they not only define each poem, but give easy to mange step-by-step instructions. One word of caution, printing in color gives a full sheet of olive green background. While it is delightful to look at, you're likely to run out of ink in fast order when printing the whole class's creations.
For other ideas, visit Poets.org (https://www.poets.org). There, you will find materials, poems of the day and so much more. Sign up for email alerts or to participate in any of the events. Definitely a nice resource to keep and share!
Enjoy the month, creating Poetry!
