Even First Graders Can Write Poetry..

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  Sorry I have been away for so long.  Now that I am back into the swing of things, I will be much better about posting!

As a district, Shrewsbury educators have been looking for some guidance with our writing curriculum.  In the past we had no "formal" writing program, so teachers spent their own money and time trying to find the perfect way to teach writing.  Last year, our district decided to start the Shrewsbury Writing Program.  A teacher was asked to volunteer from each grade (1-4) to meet and discuss writing by looking at state standards and always remembering to look at the vertical alignment.  Through many discussions and agreements, disagreements and adaptions, the Shrewsbury Writing Project has created guidelines and suggested lessons and materials by trimester.  What a relief!  So, the three genres of writing that First Grade is to focus on are Narrative
  Writing, Persuasive Writing, and Poetry.  I have always taught poetry, in that we read poems and discussed our mental images.  We would look for rhyming words and find sight words.  When I received this guide I was so excited to see that having the kids write their own poetry was going to be a focus.  How much fun is that.  Kids are so creative and it gives them a different writing outlet than just writing story after story after story.  So, in the past couple of months we have talked about acrostic poems, read poetry, even wrote our own name acrostics.  We also look at a metaphor winter poem and the kids got to insert lots of describing words about winter.  Today I decided I really wanted to see the kids creativity with free verse poems.  Regie Routman has written a wonderful book:

In the book, she features poems that actual first graders have written.  This was empowering for my kids because it showed them that they to could write their own poems.  Here are two examples from the book.




We talked about what type of words poets use and how they place their words.  We also talked about how poems need to show rhythm, but do not necessarily rhyme.  We talked about our Poetry Wheel that was created by the SWP.  Here is what it looks like.

We brainstormed "juicy" words, feeling words, and words we use when we talk about our senses.  Finally it was time for the children to give it a shot.  Everyone was very excited about this new challenge.  Well, to say that they did great is an understatement.  I am so impressed with their creativity, word choice, and structure.  Here are just a few that blew me away!

 MOUSIE

By Bennett

 I get scared when I

       see a mouse

    I like to eat cheese

cheese please!

  I'm as gray as dust

    I scram scram

    scram when I

          see a cat! YIKES!

Most people think I am

           scary

I give you the shivery shivers.

       those cat claws make me

          really really scared

I am a mouse  you might find me in your house!

          
           

 My Cat

by Jack

I am a cat

I like to lay down

on the couch

I run down

I run up 

I run everywhere

to catch a mouse!

scccraapp went 

my claws on 

the door!

I catch the 

mouse! I hide

under the table

I have dinner!

 

Gymnastics

By Kamran

         FLEX

           ABLE

          BEND

      STRETCH

        SWING

           BALANCE

                     BEAM

                   Kamran

The Car in my Video Game

By Nicholas

My car is fast

my car is not good at the

turns

it wins fast going straight

But

I still like it.

The Soccer Game

By Alexa

Soccer soccer

soccer it is so

much fun soccer

soccer soccer the

game has just begun!

CC

a work in progress by: Cienna

I scratch! I catch: 

The toy bug on the wall!

This next poem was written by one of my students who uses the computer to do much of his writing.  He used an awesome website that has tons of poetry forms ready to use.  Check out this site, and take a look at his awesome poem!

ETTC's Interactive Poetry Templates

Fish

By: Ian

The kids can't wait to write more poems.  I am so proud of them! Great job kiddos!