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:

Columbus Day Poem

I have a poem to share with you, as well as some possibilities for teaching with it.

This poem and its possibilities are from my Poetry Possibilities - Fall Edition.  There are 25 more poems and custom designed possibilities for each one in the unit.

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Back to School Time Savers

Let me help you save time and energy at this hectic time of year.  

Here are a few items that may help you get ready . . .

• Pick a Pack of Poetry Posters is a collection of 20 posters that provide a quick reference for you and your students about 20 types of poetry.  Each poster is in full color, making them attractive and inviting for display in your classroom. You can see 10 of these posters by checking out my blog series for poetry month.  This 10 part series starts here.

• Back to School Poetry Possibilities contains 19 poems about going back to school and the changes associated with fall.  Each poem has individually tailored activities, skill lessons, and writing prompts to go with it. Have you been considering using poetry anthologies? This unit will get you off to a great start! The poems are copy ready for your students.  

• If you are hesitant about including poetry in your daily teaching or if you are looking for tips to establish a poetry center, please check out my 8 part blog series about using poetry in the classroom.  It starts here.

• Poetry centers can be daunting and time consuming. If that's your fear or experience, then you may wish to try Poetry Task Cards for Elementary Classrooms. There are 52 task cards with skills ranging from simple identification of high frequency words to employing figurative language in writing original poetry.

• Do you need help getting started with poetry anthologies?  I have just the thing for you -- an introductory poem that's FREE! Go here.

• Poetry Possibilities - Fall offers 26 more poems about the season and its holidays and special events.  Like the Back to School unit, each poem has a teaching point, skill lessons, and activity suggestions.

Until next time . . .

Poetry Month Resources

Take time to celebrate National Poetry Month by checking out these resources:

• It's About Time for Poetry (in the classroom)
• Poetry Teaching Resources from TpT
• Poetry for Kids
• Teaching Poetry  
• Texting Poetry
• Poetry Teaching Resources   
• Simile Poetry
• 20 Terrific Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month 
• 5 New Twists on Poetry Month  
• 10 Poetry Month Resources for Busy Teachers  
• Shel Silverstein 
• Poetry Anthologies
• Jack Prelutsky
• Hello National Poetry Month
• Poet-tree  
• Blackout Poetry  
• Scholastic Poetry  
• April is National Poetry Month
• National Poetry Month: Useful Resources for Teachers  
• The Poetry Party  
• Grades 6-8: Poetry Workshop 
• National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events
• Phone Number Poetry  
• Hands-on Poetry Projects  
• Poetically Speaking  
• Reading Rockets National Poetry Month
• Poetry Literacy Centers - Pt. 1  
• Poetry Literacy Centers - Pt. 2  
• National Poetry Month

                                                        

You may also be interested in a blog series I have written about poetry.  It is an 8 part series called "Using Poetry in the Classroom."  It starts here and goes forward.  

Finally, just a quick reminder that I'm having a National Poetry Month sale through April 30. You can save 20% on ALL of my poetry products on TpT.

April is National Poetry Month

Check it out!

You can find Mrs. O's Linky Party here.

Texting Poetry

In this age of texting mania, engage your students in a safe "texting" activity that will produce some "phone-tastic" poetry. Challenge them to write Phone Number Poetry.  It's easy, fun, and will produce poetry with a new "ring" to it.

Have each student write his/her phone number vertically on a piece of paper.  Each digit represents the number of words to write in that line of the poem.  (If the phone number contains a zero, they should write 10 words on that line.) After selecting a topic, they can begin writing their free verse poem.

Google Doc

An alternate idea for this "texting" is to have the digits represent the number of syllables in each line.  For older, more capable students, challenge them to write lines of alliteration using 1 of the letters assigned to that number on the phone.  If, for example, one of the digits is a 2, an alliterative line could be:

Clever conversations

Or, a line for the digit 4 could be:

Giddy girls gabbing, giggling

The topic of these poems may be one you assign or the choice of the poet.  A fun, if obvious, topic is cell phones. With all the smart phones available today, students can expand their thoughts on phones to include games, web browsing, email, maps, photos, videos, yelp, ...

It's about time for National Poetry Month.  So call up this fun poetry activity.  You are sure to enjoy these "messages!"  

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Winter Poem Freebie

                                                                                                 

It’s snow time in the Midwest!  

To celebrate, here’s a free poem and possibilities for using it in the classroom.

                                             

It’s snow secret that I love poetry.  Hopefully, you will have a ball with this snow poem.

If you like this poem and its possibilities, you may wish to check out my product, Poetry Possibilities for Winter.

It is available on both TpT and TN.

If you like this poem and its possibilities, you may also like these products:

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: