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How might you use writing to tap into your personal passions? Are you writing a piece that makes you "ache with caring"? And in a chock-full, busy-every-minute life, how can educators find time for writing that is deeply meaningful, with the lens of replicating this experience for students?

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"My hope is that as you explore heart mapping with your writers, you will fall in love with the stories and poems, truths and courage that will unfold--both theirs and your own." Georgia Heard in her newest book, Heart Maps.

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A recovering hater of information writing, this post is my first step towards bringing information writing to life for my third graders! It is a vision and collection of possibliities for infusing information writing across the curriculum through the day.

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  Back in March, I had the pleasure of attending the Michigan Reading Association conference in Grand Rapids, MI. I had been preparing my own presentation for the event and had neglected to… Continue reading →

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Have you ever found a poem?  I’m not talking about something with stanzas, line breaks, and the other traditional things that typically make a poem a poem.  I’m talking about finding something poetic in ordinary prose, on a street sign, in an advertisement, or even inside of a fortune cookie.  The Arrow Finds Its Mark: [...]

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Our first Guest Blog Post of the summer is written by Sarah Mulhern, who is a sixth grade teacher in New Jersey.  Sarah blogs at The Reading Zone. When Stacey first asked me to write a guest blog for Two Writing Teachers I immediately accepted.   Then I realized I would have to think of something [...]

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photo by Irargerich www.flickr.com

It seems on Wacky Wednesdays that I am on a bit of a poetry kick. Last week, I discussed acrostic poems and how they can be useful tools in the classroom for creative writing skills and assessing subject matter knowledge. This week, I have found this wonderful book at my public library, and I just have to share it and some lesson ideas for poetry with you. Teaching poetry to kids is not always easy. When we find tools, we must share them!

Falling Down the Page is a new book of list poems, edited by Georgia Heard. In her introduction, Ms. Heard shares with the reader that she has compiled a book of list poems, and “the list or catalog poem is one of the oldest and most accessible of poetic forms.” She mentions a famous list poem most of us adults know–”Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman. She also discusses how these poems connect to one another and how list poems can take on many forms; so when teaching poetry to kids, these are important concepts to point out. Georgia Heard also suggests some lesson plans for poems: “After you read a few of these poems, I bet you’ll feel inspired to write one of your own. Think about your day. Jot down what you notice. And let your (list of) words fall down the page.”

Students will love these list poems that you read while teaching poetry to kids. Take for example the very first poem in the book, “Good-byes” by Eileen Spinelli. In her poem, she is discussing how hard it is to say good-bye to summer, and her list in her poem includes, “castles rising from the sand,” “Annie’s caramel popcorn stand,” and “matinees and indoor games.” OR How about Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s list poem, “On the Menu For School Today”?

-an excerpt
“Label planets
in our sky.
Learn how numbers
multiply.
Count coins.
String beads.
Shake bells.
Plant seeds.”

Once you share this book with students during your lesson plans for poems, then allow them to write some of their own list poems as Georgia Heard suggests. They could start with an actual list or a word web to brainstorm ideas, and then put these ideas into poetry form. One thing you will want to do when teaching poetry to kids is point out how these list poems are not simply a list, such as a grocery list, but the poets have chosen their words carefully and put their ideas in a poetic form–there is a reason for each word being where it is. Of course, students will not perfect this in a day or two, but it will be fun trying!

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Where do you turn in times of deep trouble? How do you console yourself when your whole world has turned upside down? How can you provide solace to others, especially children, who have lived through traumatic events like the tragedies of September 11, 2001?

Poet, author, and teacher Georgia Heard tried to answer such questions when asked “to gather poems of comfort to read to the New York City children who witnessed the World Trade Center tragedy.” The anthology she edited, This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort, includes eighteen poems, each one illustrated by a different picture book artist. Many of the illustrators describe their inspiration for the illustrations and their hopes that their contributions might help provide comfort. In an Author’s Note, Heard says, “I tried to choose poems that touch upon our feelings of fear and loss, remind us that we are not alone in despair, and assure us that dreams can be born even from tragedy.” The poems in this wonderful collection fulfill her objective and more.



The title poem, “This Place,” by Eloise Greenfield, and several others address grieving and assure young readers that tears are an acceptable and possibly even a necessary part of the process.

Touching poems about friendship and togetherness include “To You” by Karla Kuskin, which speaks to someone whose company would enable the narrator to “do anything at all.” “A Little Girl’s Poem” by Gwendolyn Brooks describes a child’s wishes for children all over the world: “Life is for us, and is shining. We have a right to sing.”

Both “Hold Fast Your Dreams” by Louise Driscoll and Langston Hughes’s “Dreams” remind readers to hold onto their hopes and dreams so they can eventually find joy. A favorite of mine, “Trouble, Fly” by Susan Marie Swanson, addresses trouble directly and asks it to “Let our night be a night of peace.” “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry describes a retreat to still water to “rest in the grace of the world.” Additional poems describe life in New York City and the resilience of its inhabitants. The publisher, Candlewick Press, and contributors donate part of the proceeds to Save the Children.

I return to this collection again and again, when teaching, in school visits, to comfort myself in difficult times. Of course, poetry alone is not enough to save us in times of tragedy. But it can help lessen the pain of listeners and readers alike by reminding us of our shared losses and strengths.

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Last year, at Wild Rose Reader, I won a copy of Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems, the new Georgia Heard poetry anthology with a poem in it by Elaine Magliaro. Publication got pushed back a year, and I was so delighted to recently receive my copy from Elaine. What a fantastic group of poems! Even though these are all list poems, there's still a huge, wonderful variety in the shapes and forms. Even though all boil down to a list at some level, it never feels repetitive or boring. This anthology includes poems by so many of my favorite poets--it's amazing! Usually with poetry collections, I post several excerpts to entice you into checking out the collection for yourself, but with an anthology, I feel more hesitant to share someone's entire contribution.

Luckily, there are some posted online already:

You can see Sylvia Vardell's post here, which shares Georgia Heard's poem, "Recipe for Writing an Autumn Poem," as well as some terrific ideas for sharing the poems in the classroom.

Check out Elaine Magliaro's wonderful "Things to Do If You Are a Pencil."

Read "Ways to Greet a Friend," by Avis Harley.

In this fabulous poetry resource for teachers, by J. Patrick Lewis, scroll to page 6 to read his "What Is Earth?"

This is a truly terrific anthology. I love all the concrete nouns and images. Every poem feels stuffed to bursting with things--things kids will recognize, understand, relate to. But those things are now parts of larger ideas, and kids and grownups won't look at those things the same way ever again.

Race out to grab this anthology--I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Pat suggested that I work with my students to create a Living Poetry Anthology (I believe Georgia Heard first presented this idea in one of her books.) during my first year of teaching. As the overzealous person I was in my first year of teaching, I did it. My students each recopied three [...]

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I find inspiration in the oddest places. For a much needed break, I checked out a cute, little used bookstore nearby. Bookstores are sanctuary! Several books fell into my lap and inspired me. A book of poems by e.e. cummings. He wrote great words, such as, snowflake and rainbow mind. Don't you just want to illustrate those words? A book on botany came home with me--it will be great for my FFG research. And this very cool book--Beyond Time by Gwen Frostic. The date on the book is 1970 by Presscraft Books. The pages have colored rough edges with that handmade paper feel. But these woodcut illos are frickin' amazing! Did you ever see some art that inspires you into new directions? Here's a peek. I'm sure I haven't given the pages justice.
Oh, that tree spread, gives me chills. Yummy.

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