All posts in Skinner West

Chilly Receptions

Continuing a seasonal focus, this week we read Robert Hayden‘s “Those Winter Sundays.” Beginning with the first line, I asked what “Sundays too my father got up early” suggested—did he also get up early […]

Destination Unknown

It just so happens that Chicagoland was recently beset upon by a passel of snow, which makes this week’s poem a very topical selection: Robert Frost‘s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” After […]

How to…

This very busy week, I continued with the 2nd graders, at the midpoint of their residencies, and began classes with the 4th graders. It was terrific to see so many familiar faces after a […]

Peace of Mind

The 2nd graders wrapped up their tenth week by reading a well-known poem by internationally-famous poet, William Butler Yeats. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” describes a place the speaker longs to go to. I […]

Dear World

This week at Skinner West, I started each class by selecting two students (a boy and a girl) to read Emily Dickinson‘s “This is my letter to the World.” Beforehand, I asked them to […]

Weather or Not

After nearly a month’s break, I was happy to return to Skinner West this week. It was great to be back in all the 4th grade classrooms! With some snow on the ground and […]

Unanswered Questions

For our final classes of 2014, we read another poem with an unusual title, Randall Mann‘s “?” When it was first distributed, some students asked if the poet had forgotten to give it a […]

Similes Gone Wild!

Last week, we discussed Lucie Thésée‘s poem, “Poem.” When the students received their handouts, many thought it odd that it was titled that way, and I asked why the poet might’ve called it by […]

Food Likes and Alikes

Our last class was a few days before Thanksgiving, so I brought in Bill Knott‘s fantastic poem, “Feeding the Sun.” It begins, “One day we notice that the sun / needs feeding,” and the […]

Animal Magnetism

Last week, we did things a little differently. The students partook in a joint collaborative effort between the Poetry Center and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; you can read a little more about it here. […]

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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