Poetry

My students have been immersed in reading and writing poetry this month. We’ve been talking about line breaks, rhythm, and imagery.

Last week we took a common classroom object, our white board, and looked carefully at it. We brainstormed a whole list of things we noticed, then chose the best and arranged them with rhythm. Here’s what we came up with:

The White Board

By Room 102

The white board in our classroom is

            big,

            dirty,

hard, and

smooth.

We put stuff on it

            with markers

            and magnets.

It’s awesome,

            marvelous,

            and cool

Until ----

            Mrs. L. A. puts homework on it.

I was thrilled with the collaboration. They had fun and I especially appreciated the twist in the last line. So, this morning, I introduced the idea of personification. We had read a few poems that made use of it, and spent a few days on “Who Likes the Wind” which has a kite, a boat and thistle all talking. The idea of these things acting like people inspired a great bit of fun. I turned back to our writing about the White Board and wondered how it would have described itself. The students were up for the challenge:

The White Board Talks

By Room 102

I like people to draw on me

I like when people stick stuff on me with magnets

I like when people erase the drawings;

            it tickles.

I like when people use me.

BUT

I do not like when Mrs. L.A. writes homework on me.

It has been fun to watch my students play with words.

I love National Poetry Month.