All posts in Poems

Love Letters

For our final poem of the residency, the 4th graders at Smyser tackled love poems, but not your ordinary love poem. We read “Love Letter” by Nathalie Handal and analyzed the form she used […]

‘I’m thinking about you, like what I’m having for dinner tonight.’: Simile Poems

Students read, ‘Thinking About You’ by Mike Taylor before writing their own simile-filled poems! Lesson Note: “You don’t need permission to make your art. No one needs an artistic license or a permit to […]

When Flowers Have a Nice Future

Get ready for a rainbow of poetry! First graders have been talking more and more about what makes poetry poetry. In Monday’s class, we talked about how poetry can be a way of playing […]

A Picture is Worth ______ Words

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth 1,000 words….and writers of ekphrastic poetry would probably agree! Ekphrastic poems are poems written in response to an image, often a work of art. So for […]

‘We made it for sick people and the world/ so we can continue living’: Potion Poems

Students read the poem, ‘Truth Serum’ by Naomi Shihab Nye before writing their own potion-themed poems. Lesson Note: “I respect anyone who’s pulled an idea out of their brain and fully brought it to […]

Revision Party Day! (5th)

We had a fantastic revision party today! We talked about various revision techniques (including talking about if we had kiki or bouba poems!). Each student chose a poem they were interested in continuing to […]

‘Throw Abraham Lincoln’s hat in…’: Potion and Recipe Poems

Students read ‘Truth Serum’ by Naomi Shihab Nye before penning their own potion and recipe poems. Students discussed TRUTH, LIES and how both can sometimes hurt and often STINK to high heaven! Lesson Note: […]

Unique Sound Poems

For our third sessions together, Swift 2nd and 3rd graders explored sound. We talked about the word, explore, and tried to compare being an explorer in nature to being an explorer of poetry. We […]

“Silky because you like soft things” Texture with South Loop Poetry Club!

Last week at South Loop Poetry Club, our poets read “The Texture Of Your Soul” by Linda Winchell, using feelings as sensory intrigue to represent our feelings as emotions. We got out the markers […]

Visual Poems are Worth 1,000 Words

This week the 4th graders at Smyer wowed me with their visual poems. See for yourself! Ms. Erzumly’s Class: Audrey, Raven, Santiago, Maya, Anonymous   Ms. Edward’s Class: Samuel, Daniel, Erica, Tara, Grace

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“Writing poetry makes me feel like I can see myself, like I can see my reflection, but not in a mirror, in the world. I write and I know I can be reflected.”
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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