All posts in Haines

Odes After School

Poetry students in Haines after school program talked about the difference between biography and autobiography. We then read “Ode to My Size” by Peter Acosta, in which the young poet accepts and celebrates that […]

‘100 push-ups/ 100 sit-ups/ 100 squats’: Superhero Poems

What makes a hero (both real or imagined), and how can we learn from them (even the villains) and the inner-hero inside of us? We explored those concepts and more in What I Learned […]

Haines Word Power

Last week Haines 4th grade after-school session was joined by Principal Moy! We talked about the power of words. Then each took a turn coming up with lines to create a first draft of […]

‘In a tiny house’: Food and Memory Poems

In this lesson, we talked a lot about food and our likes and dislikes and what makes our ‘taste’ uniquely ours. Poems need not always be hard to decipher. Distilling a moment is often […]

‘that I can’t get off my mind.’: Meditation Poems

Students participated in a short meditation and breathing exercise. I read I Close My Eyes by David Ignatow. After the meditation, they were asked to write whatever came to mind. Classwork was conducted in […]

‘Steal alone with tears’: Poetry & Images

Students explored the world of images, community, and protest, as they wrote both individual and group poems after reading, Paul Robeson, by Gwendolyn Brooks. and my poem, 9 Minutes (for George Floyd) . Students […]

What If?

On February 10, Haines after-school poetry group spent time wondering and asking questions after reading Langston Hughes’ poem “If-ing Around,” and “Whatif” by Shel Silverstein. Langston Hughes’ poem is written in the voice of […]

’20:46 PM’: Time-of-Day Poems

Students read Peggy Trojan’s deceptively simple poem, Noon Hour, We talked about the two-word title, the two stanza poem, short lines, putting big ideas into small containers, empathy, marginalized characters, and the one period […]

Haines Wishcraft

After a break for munching snacks, students at Haines showed me how to get to our after-school meeting place for poetry where we got acquainted and wrote “Wish Poems.” Enjoy! Brooklynn T. I wish […]

‘painted precisely’: Portrait Poems

Students read Instructions to the Artist by Billy Collins before crafting their own portrait-inspired poems. Lesson Note: According to findings by the leading researcher on the power of writing and journaling for healing purposes, […]

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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