IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for BLACK HISTORY MONTHH

 

Now that Groundhog Day, the 100th Day, and Valentine's Day have come and gone, you can give more time to BLACK HISTORY MONTH. A unique way to study this topic is with and through poetry. (I love combining different disciplines for more efficient teaching!) POETRY POSSIBILITIES for BLACK HISTORY MONTH provides 12 original, copy-ready poems. Each poem has a teaching point about poetic elements and forms. Also supplied are custom made skill lessons, activities, and poetry writing prompts; the poetry possibilities.

Another distinctive product for BLACK HISTORY MONTH is BLACK HISTORY SQUARE PUZZLERS. These fun brain teasers exercise critical thinking and problem solving, build perseverance and stamina, and stimulate the brain while disguising it as fun. Similar to Scrambled Squares, these differentiated puzzles must be reconstructed so that the images match on every interior side.

Black History Month

It's about time, teachers, for Black History Month. Are you looking for some curricula? Have you tried teaching through poetry?

Black History Month Poetry Possibilities offers 14 poems (copy ready for their anthologies) about these notable African Americans:

• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Harriet Tubman 
• Garret Morgan
• Granville T. Woods
• George Washington Carver
• Matthew Henson
• Jackie Robinson
• Leontyne Price
• Muhammed Ali
• Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr.
• Rosa Parks

While each poem provides important information about each of these people, the teaching possibilities extend the learning in myriad ways.  For example, this poem about the astronaut, Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr., provides lots of information about the man and his accomplishments.  But the poem provides many more opportunities for learning.  Note the unusual form of the poem.

That form is quite effective in presenting information.  So, why not have your students apply it to another subject?  It could focus on another notable African American, or it could be applied to something closer to home - mom.  

This teaching possibility is described in #2 below.

As you can see above, the Poetry Possibilities provide suggestions for other subject matter, as well.

Each poem has a teaching point that applies to poetry.  After all, students should learn to appreciate poetry as a literary form. 

That teaching point leads to another teaching possibility:

A quick review of basic grammar is always a good idea.

The teaching possibilities need not be limited to language arts and history.  The 3rd possibility for this poem invites students to employ a Venn Diagram in comparing the astronaut to another man of science, George Washington Carver.  A template is provided:

By using some or all of the Poetry Possibilities provided for this collection of poems, you will have plenty of curricula for this special month.

Life teaches us to make good use of TIME, while TIME teaches us the value of life.

You may also be interested in these poetry units:

February: Do What You Love

One of the things I love to do with my students is immerse them in poetry because it offers so many teaching possibilities. Naturally you can focus on poetic structures and poetic devices. But have you ever used poetry to teach reading skills? Because poetry is usually short and the message concise, it's a perfect venue for studying vowel sounds, contractions, punctuation, parts of speech, syllables, rimes, inflections, .... The  possibilities are nearly endless. It's always good practice to relate these skills to what is being read. Practicing skills in isolation may transfer to reading skill building; then again it may not.  

Does it sound daunting to combine poetry with ELA skills?  It doesn't have to be. As the ELA coach for my elementary building, I determined that poetry was generally intimidating to my teachers, or at least viewed as a luxury that may not receive much attention. Resolving to change that, I began giving my teachers units of poetry with "possibilities" for using it in the classroom.  Since I work with K-5 teachers and students, these Poetry Possibilities units have applications for all elementary levels.

Poems have reading skills already built into them.  All you have to do is look at it with a "reading skills eye." Thus, if the poem is replete with a particular consonant blend, use it in a guided reading lesson about that blend.  If the poem has a sprinkling of contractions, devise a review lesson about contractions using the poem.  As an example, look at the following poem, noting that it has several compound words in it.

Due to the structure of a poem, it is easier for young children to locate the compound words. If you reproduced this poem on sentence strips for use in a pocket chart, that would facilitate identifying the compound words as a group.  With a little magic and masking tape, you could make the compound words come apart. Alternately, you might focus on the punctuation and how it helps the reader to read with expression and fluency. Or, you might choose to conduct a mini-lesson on contractions. For example, the Possibilities for the above poem include:

If you are interested in more seasonal poems with teaching points and skill suggestions, visit my TpT store here. For February poems and possibilities, I have 3 (!) products: Black History Month Poetry Possibilities, February Poetry Possibilities, and  Poetry Possibilities for Winter.  Another unit, 100th Day of School Poetry Possibilities, is useful this time of year, as well. (Better yet, it's FREE!!) 

As a reading specialist, I highly recommend using poems for guided reading lessons and review lessons.  It has always been a favorite activity of my remedial students if for no other reason than they had less text to conquer.  Just a word of caution: reading poetry is principally about creating enthusiasm for reading.  Take care not to defeat that goal by always turning poetry reading into a skill drill.

As proof of just how much I love teaching with poetry, I present my Poetry Possibilities units:

New Year’s Poem Freebie

It’s about time, teachers, ... for the New Year.  And we all know that the New Year brings resolutions. If you are not already using poetry regularly in your classroom, I hope you will resolve to do so in 2013.  If you are using poetry, resolve to create anthologies for your students.  Already making anthologies?  Great! 

Just for the New Year, I have a humorous poem to which every teacher and most students can relate. 

To help you start off the New Year right, I have created some possibilities for using this poem in your classroom. 

                                                 

If you decide to have your students write list poems, you may wish to display this poster. It is especially helpful in a writing center.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

I wish you all the best in the New Year!

This poem and its possibilities are from my product, Poetry Possibilities for Winter.  The list poem poster is from Pick a Pack of Poetry Posters.

                                                                      

Both are available on TpT and TN.  If you like these products, you may also be interested in these:

     

Black History Month

It's about time, teachers, to get ready for Black History Month; a month to celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans who have done so much to make our lives better.

Assigning your students to report on noteworthy people is fine, but, let's face it, a little boring.   Couple that with the time constraints we all face for prescribed curricula, and you have a common conundrum: how can I blend what I WANT to do with what I HAVE to do?  In the case of Black History Month, I find that poetry is a perfect way to solve it.   For example, the following poem gives you the heart of Matthew Henson.

But just reading a poem doesn't seem worthy of the study of Black History. So, I try to incorporate required curricula with some creativity. I call it Poetry Possibilities, just to remind myself that I don't have to do EVERYTHING every year. Rather, I can choose what is most appropriate to this year's class, and what appeals to me at this time. Honestly, sometimes I do all of the listed ideas; sometimes I just copy the poem and share it with my class.

As you can see, one of the things I could assign my students to do is design a postage stamp just for Matthew Henson. I was impressed to learn that there are more than 60 U.S. stamps honoring black Americans. Check it out for yourself at: 

http://library.thinkquest.org/10320/Stamps.htm. 

For Black History Month, I have collected 14 poems, which means you can use 1 poem per day for nearly 3 weeks. Each is accompanied by a teaching point covering a variety of skills, including: types of poetry, poetic devices, poetic structures, choral reading, text innovations, creative writing, and a host of reading skills. Because I am committed to differentiated instruction, I have included enrichment opportunities and research topics. You will also find graphic organizers, art projects, and book links.

This is just one piece of my Black History Month poetry unit, Black History Month Poetry Possibilities. This unit has a cousin unit that is absolutely FREE, called Poetry Possibilities -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I hope they help to make your Black History study more enjoyable.