All posts in Shoesmith

4th Grade Comparisons and Pajamas!

For my 3rd visit with 4th Graders at Shoesmith, it was Pajama Day! You could see students and teachers and staff walking in hallways and classrooms wearing onesies and pj’s and sleeping bonnets – […]

We Are Family @ Shoesmith 5th & 6th Grade

Holidays are often celebrated with family. This week is not only the third poetry session but the last week before winter break and 5th and 6th graders discussed the true meaning of family. A […]

What 4th Grade Ears Hear

For our second session, 4th graders at Shoesmith brainstormed about the sounds they hear throughout their day, both indoors and outdoors, in school and elsewhere. Then they wrote original poems using sound as their […]

Sensing Memories @ Shoesmith 5th & 6th Grade

For their second week of poetry Shoesmith 5th and 6th students explored their memories. They were asked, “Why are memories so important?” Students came up with interesting responses: positive memories can help us remember […]

“I Wish I Could Fly:” Shoesmith 4th grade Wish Poems

December 3rd, 2021 was my first classroom visit with Shoesmith 4th graders for the school year. When I asked students what they knew about poetry, they impressed me with responses that included: “a rhyme […]

How to eat Poetry @ Shoesmith 5th & 6th Grade

I’m excited to return in person to Shoesmith Elementary! It feels great to see students who I had virtual poetry with last year, as well as welcome new students to the Hands On Stanzas […]

4th Graders Write About Identity

In my 19th session with Shoesmith 4th graders we continued with hybrid learning, and I shared the poem “Orchard of We” by Mahogany L. Browne. Students noticed that the poet likened the many kinds […]

Little Poetry Lessons

As remote and hybrid learning continues this spring, Shoesmith 4th graders are expressing what is on their minds with more and more confidence. In the session before the week of standardized testing, students looked […]

5th and 6th Graders tell “The Truth” about Poetry

For their nineteenth virtual poetry lesson, Shoesmith 5th and 6th graders wrote collaborative poems. A collaborative poem is when a group of poets contribute individual lines to create a unified poem. Together we read […]

Becoming Famous @ Shoesmith 5th & 6th Grade

In their eighteenth virtual lesson, Shoesmith 5th and 6th graders explored the meaning of fame. They were asked, “What is fame?” For students fame means popularity, celebrated for an achievement, being remembered for something […]

Donate

Support our student poets today!

CONNECT WITH US!

Twitter Facebook-f Instagram

STUDENT POETRY

Click on a school name below to browse student poems from current school partners.

POETRY ARCHIVE

Click on a school name below to browse student poems from our archive.

RECENT FACEBOOK POSTS

TESTIMONIALS

“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.”
-Oscar S.

“Writing poetry makes me feel free.”
-Buenda D.

“Writing poetry is like your best friend.”
-Jessica M.

Search

CONTACT US

General Inquiries
info@poetrycenter.org

Programs (School & Organizational)
programs@poetrycenter.org

Reading Series and Events:
curator@poetrycenter.org

The Chicago Poetry Center is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
FEIN: 23-7400515

SEND US A POSTCARD

Chicago Poetry Center
1448 E. 52nd St, #256
Chicago, IL 60615

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