All posts in Shoesmith

Conversation With Poets @ Shoesmith 5th & 6th Grade

For their tenth virtual poetry lesson Shoesmith 5th and 6th graders became chatty with “conversation” poems. Due COVID-19 we can’t interact with others face to face without being six feet apart. We discussed how […]

4th grade Winter Impressions❄️

Before reading and discussing “winter poem” by Nikki Giovanni, I asked Shoesmith 4th graders to share their winter season likes and dislikes. When I asked how winter during this pandemic is different from previous […]

Some Kinds Of Love @ Shoesmith 5th and 6th Grade

Shoesmith Elementary’ s 5th and 6th graders discussed the meaning of love for their ninth poetry lesson, just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend. Students were asked “what are different types of love?” Students […]

Another Planet @ Shoesmith 5th and 6th Grade

For their eighth virtual poetry residency Shoesmith Elementary’ s 5th and 6th grade explored the possibility of creating new planets. A planet is a sphere, an object in space that orbits around the sun. […]

The Things We Worry About @ Shoesmith 5th & 6th Grade

For their seventh virtual poetry residency Shoesmith Elementary’ s 5th and 6th grade explored ideas about worries. Usually worries involve being fearful or anxious about a situation that can possibly occur in the future. […]

4th grade “Memory as Photographer” Poems

I was excited to ask Shoesmith 4th Graders what does it feels like to be wild and free? Students described the feeling as “crazy, not in control,” “feeling like a robot that has broken […]

Let’s Celebrate @ Shoesmith 5th & 6th Grade!

For their sixth virtual poetry residency Shoesmith Elementary’ s 5th and 6th grade students explored ideas about celebrations. Student were asked the questions “What is a celebration?” and “In what ways do we celebrate?” […]

“Even 4th Graders Have the Blues”

As distance learning has continued, I met with Shoesmith 4th graders via computer audio and video once again – this time to talk about the blues; and the lament as a poetic form that […]

What learning is like for Shoesmith 5th & 6th Graders

For their fifth virtual poetry residency Shoesmith Elementary’ s 5th and 6th grade students explored ideas about learning. They were asked the question, “How does it feel to learn something new? Students responded with […]

4th graders Go To Work in the “Crazy Ideas Factory”

For our first poetry session of 2021, Shoesmith 4th graders taught me about oobleck, and then went to work in what I like to call the “Crazy Ideas Factory.” That means they played with […]

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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