EXPECTANTLYNext to the lamp, an
Open book and a steaming cup of
Tea.
In the chair, she sits with
Closed eyes, listening
Expectantly.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015
My One Little Word for 2015 is NOTICE. In this poem, I prepare myself for whatever 2015 will bring!
Tricia has the first Poetry Friday roundup of the year at
The Miss Rumphius Effect.
Click through to sign up for the National Poetry Month giveaway!
**Congratulations to Donna MacDonald, winner of Lee Wardlaw's WON TON, A CAT TALE TOLD IN HAIKU. Please contact Lee with your shipping address. **
Acrostic poems are written by taking the letters of a word or name and using them as the first letter of each line of the poem. I like to use acrostics in both in my writing and in my teaching, even outside the language arts classroom. In social studies for example, acrostic poetry can be a very useful way of exploring a topic. Sometimes I give students an exercise to write an acrostic poem about Canada. Most of them end up starting with the word “cold”!
After starting with this students have the makings of an essay outline with paragraphs about Canadian climate, vegetation, history, culture (we are known worldwide for saying “I’m sorry” a lot), political system, and a conclusion.
*A printed dictionary is essential for this exercise. All the more reason to do it. Kids should use dictionaries more often.*
Both in and out of language arts, there are several ways of approaching the writing of acrostic poetry. Say we wanted to write a poem about “Mothers”. We might write something like:
This is the simplest kind of acrostic – basically it’s just a list of adjectives that fit the word you choose. Another thing to do is to use short phrases or sentences instead of single words.
Make our breakfast
Open their hearts
Think of us first
Hold us tight
Enjoy our successes
Read to us
Say “I love you” to us every day.
Now we have a more detailed description of mothers. This poem talks about the things mothers do for us. But that’s not the end for acrostics. Another approach is to go back to single words, only this time all the words together make sentence about your word. Like this:
Now finally we can go back to our phrases and sentences. Only this time we can make them connected into one idea. Kind of like this:
Maybe we don’t appreciate that they’re the
Ones who make us who we are
They selflessly, carefully
Help us grow. To them
Every child is like a seed in a flower garden.
Rising up, our petals open in their
Sunlight
The great thing about using acrostic poetry in the classroom is that students can write about any topic that interests them, and at a level they are comfortable with. More advanced students can write with complete sentences while struggling students will get a sense of accomplishment from completing the simpler word list form.
Even within a topic, students can narrow their focus to suit their interests. Writing about Canada, some students might focus on sports:
While some might prefer to focus on wildlife.
Caribou
And moose
Narwhal
And seals
Ducks
And Canadian geese.
We’d all love to get more poetry into the classroom, as well as new ways of approaching curriculum materials in general and the development of writing skills in particular. Acrostic poetry is a great way of doing all these things.
As writers and poets acrostics can help us to get to know our characters or explore our themes. Certainly as a verse novelist, a simple acrostic can sometimes salvage an otherwise unproductive day.
And we all have those.
Gabrielle Prendergast is the writer of the feature film HILDEGARDE, starring Richard E Grant. HILDEGARDE was also published as a novel by Harper Collins Australia. She wrote for the cartoon series Gloria’s House and Fairy Tale Police Department and worked on the drama series White Collar Blue. Her middle grade novel, WICKET SEASON was published in the Spring of 2012 with Lorimer Publishers. AUDACIOUS and its sequel CAPRICIOUS will be published by Orca Books in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Gabrielle is also a creative writing teacher and mentor specializing in helping gifted young writers (11-21), reluctant writers of all ages and pre-literate writers up to age 7.
Books are piled everywhere, clamoring to be read.
A perpetual to-do
List (never completed, never shorter) sits
At my place at the table. I
Need to vacuum and dust, not to mention
Check papers and write lesson plans. But
Everything can wait while we have this cup of tea together.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2010
Last spring, we took our fourth graders to a leadership camp, where they took part in all kinds of team-building activities. One activity was a giant platform teeter-totter that could hold an entire small group of students. Their goal was to arrange themselves on the platform so that it was still and balanced. The group I was with was not having an easy time with teamwork, and they attacked this challenge, as they had the others, without communication and planning. The camp counselor and I watched as the platform tipped up in one direction and they all moved to the other side of the platform, tipping it up in the other direction. Back and forth, crises after crises, no communication, no planning, no balance (but lots of squealing and bouncing and fun).
Balance, to me, is NOT when the platform of my life is completely still and level. That would be impossible to achieve for more than about 5 minutes at a time. But balance is also NOT those times when the platform of my life tips back and forth wildly. What I'm trying for is a life that dips slightly on the one side when work piles up a little too much, but that also dips slightly the other way when I put all the work aside and take time for me -- for exercise, time with friends, blogging, sleeping in. The tilt has been towards the work side the past few weeks. I'm inching my way over to the "me time" side, beginning with a cup of tea, and Poetry Friday!
Elaine has the roundup at
Wild Rose Reader this week. I'll be putting aside my to-do list tomorrow morning to come and read the week's offerings. See you then!
Holly, my dog, says it's cold outside, so she'd rather stay inside.
A fun inside activity is writing ACROSTIC poems. They're a breeze--and not an icy, cold breeze either.
Start with an easy acrostic using your first name. Write the letters vertically, one underneath the other. Here's how Holly's name would look:
H
O
L
L
Y
Now, use each letter as the first letter for that line. Since we're using Holly's name, we'll make the poem about her.
Happy all the time
Often takes naps
Likes to explore
Loves to eat treats
Yip-yaps at birds and squirrels
If you want a challenge, make the lines work together--like a mini-story.
Happy dogs, like Holly,
Often give other pets and people
Lots of slobbery
Licks--which are really doggie kisses--and they aren't
Yucky at all!
And if you want a super-duper challenge, expand your ACROSTIC to more than one word. Try telling your poetic story using these words:
D
O
G
G
I
E
D
A
Y
C
A
M
P
Have fun and stay warm!
For more adventures with pets, visit Mayra Calvani's new blog:
By: Mary Lee,
on 1/2/2015
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By: Caroline Starr Rose,
on 4/9/2013
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By: Cynthia Reeg,
on 2/23/2009
Thanks for sharing with us today, Gabrielle. I love how many different directions you can take this. I could see this as a great tool for character study.
I love acrostic poems. You are so talented. I have my own poetry month celebration going on at my blog as part of A to Z Month.
Here is a link:
http://mary-anderingcreatively.blogspot.com/
Mary Hill
So perfect for National Poetry Month!