Poetry Project Entry (by Jane)

          Poetry month is always an exciting time for the students because they get to explore a very creative type of writing: Poetry! In class 4-324, the students and teacher decided to enhance this special monthly writing celebration with an extra special poetry project.

       The way this project works is that for each day of May, a different student posts a favorite poem on the class blog, telling why they chose it, what makes it special, and any additional information they'd like to add.Family members, friends and classmates can then comment on the poem the student chose. Katie started off the project with a favorite poem of hers: "Things" by Eloise Greenfield. Ever since, the whole class and their families have reacted enthusiasticly, and has anticipated reading the next poem each day.

         Day two was Ida's day to post her poem. Her poem was "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, and she got comments on the beauty and serenity of the poem. Day three was Allie, and she did "Stupid Pencil Maker" By Shel Silverstein. her comments were all about the humorus tone of the poem and that her choice was a great one. Day four was Andrew and he did "Magical Eraser" by Shel Silverstein. He got comments on how even though the poem was fictional, it still related to things that happen each day! Day five was Eric, and he mixed things up with an original poem he wrote himself called "The Game Of Stuff You Love". He got comments on how well he wrote this poem, and how his repetitive lines really influence his feelings about baseball. Day six was Dylan, and he did "Ice Cream Stop" By Shel Silverstein. He hasn't received any comments yet, but this poem is fantastic, so I'm sure some are on the way! Day seven was Adina, and she did "Old Snake" by Pat Mora. She hasn't received any comments yet either, but her poem is incredibly creative and special. Day eight was Emma, and she did "The Owl And The Pussycat" by Edward Lear. Her readers commented on how they agreed with her that her poem brings back happy memories from their life. Day nine was Mayu, and she did "I Wonder Why Dad Is So Thoroughly Mad" by Jack Prelutsky. She got comments on how her readers thought this poem was laugh out loud funny, and can really connect to their own lives. Day ten was Leela, and she did "Owl" an original poem she wrote herself. She received comments on how beautifully written this poem is. And finally, today was Ellis. He did "Funky Snowman" by Calef Brown. It just came up today, but I heard it myself, and it will get an uproar of applause from the readers.

           So far, this creative poetry month idea has been a success. It has created an open window of fun learning for our class, one that we will never forget. Some more amazing poems are on the way, like one by assistant principal Ms. Garraway, and we'll keep you updated when they get here!