All posts in Bret Harte

Bret Harte 2nd Graders Imagine Monsters!

For my 7th time meeting with Bret Harte 2nd graders, we looked at Maya Angelou’s “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,” and talked about things that we are afraid of. Then we had some fun with […]

Words Are Power

On December 7, 2021 I met with Ms. Evans’ 6th/7th grade class and we talked about the power of words. Using a lesson created by Joy Young, we looked at metaphor and repetition, and […]

“We Would Like to See”

For our 5th session together, I challenged Bret Harte 2nd graders to enjoy some out-of-the-box thinking, by joining unlikely things together. These are called “Swan of Bees” poems. Read on to find what fun […]

Bret Harte 2nd Grade Dreams….

For our 4th session Bret Harte 2nd graders talked about happy daydreams, and nightmares, and sleeping dreams in which weird things happen. We even wondered if animals have dreams? Enjoy this sample of dream […]

Show-Not-Tell: Senses in Poetry

Building on our previous lesson in sound play, students at Bret Harte explored the use of the five senses to “show-not-tell.” This concept is important for advancing poetic expression as it encourages the use […]

A Heart is Like a Beating Drum!

After writing poems about wishes and sounds, we turned to something more challenging for our 3rd lesson: comparisons. As poets live in the world, and observe what goes on – both inside of themselves […]

Crack! Sound Play

For the sixth and seventh graders at Bret Harte, poetry may be their last session for the day, but the energy generated each class is always palpable. Starting with reflections on their favorite sounds, […]

Listening to the World: Sound Poems

My ears were filled with sound when I visited Bret Harte 2nd graders for our second session. The classroom was alive with sounds of chairs scraping the floor, and pencils rolling and falling from […]

Bret Harte 2nd Grade Wish Lists

On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, I met with 2nd graders at Bret Harte Elementary for the first time. They were so energetic and ready to share their creative brain power with me! We talked […]

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I’M FROM THE CITY LIGHTS / STREAMING OUT IN THE NIGHT / AND HUGE SKYSCRAPERS / TOWERING OVER THE LAKE – MELISSA E., 7TH GRADE POET