- BY: Timothy David Rey
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Students wrote memory list poems based on Joy Harjo’s poem, ‘Remember’. Lesson Note: Harjo’s work is often autobiographical, informed by the natural world, and above all preoccupied with survival and the limitations of language. […]
- BY: Timothy David Rey
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Blackout Poetry: A blackout poem is created when a poet takes a marker (usually black marker) to already established text–like that from a newspaper–and starts redacting words until a poem or image is formed. […]
- BY: Joy Young
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For their 6th poetry session Hamline 6th graders explored persona poetry. I asked students to imagine seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. The word persona refers to the mask actors wore in ancient […]
- BY: Leslie Reese
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I was so inspired by Swift students who put so much effort into using their senses to write and re-write their color poems this week! Bravo! Ms. Urquiza2nd Grade Yellow Isby Ethan R. Yellow […]
- BY: Teresa Dzieglewicz
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We continued talking about the purpose of art and poetry today, while reading several poems of Naomi Shihab Nye. We listened to her perform “Gate A-4” and then we read “Red Brocade.” We decided […]
- BY: Russell Price
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This week the young viking writers were tasked with writing nature poems. The students read “Earthly Meditations” by Robert Wrigley, “Dear One Absent This Long Time” by Lisa Olstein, and “Today” by Billy Collins. […]
- BY: Teresa Dzieglewicz
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This week, in 8th grade, we read one of Eve L Ewing’s “Retellings.” We discussed the role of poetry in standing up to injustice and the ways that poetry can help us imagine different […]
- BY: Michelle Alexander
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At this session the Sayre students brightened my day with their inquisitive capacities. We asked “What are questions like? What are they not like? How does it feel to ask a question? How does […]
- BY: Joy Young
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For our 4th week of poetry, Twain 6th graders explored ideas about technology and its positive and negative influences on our daily lives. Students mentioned positive things about technology such as phone alarms to […]
- BY: Leslie Reese
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Today, 4th grade students tapped into their senses. We read a poem written by Noah – 6th grader – called “The Memories of South Troop,” and noticed how the poet described details of their […]
- BY: Leslie Reese
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Last semester I had the pleasure of working with 3rd grade students at Twain, and this Wednesday I returned to begin a residency with 5th graders. It was an inspiring day. Between the four […]
- BY: Leslie Reese
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This Tuesday, I met with some third, fourth and fifth grade students at Dubois Elementary School for the first time. Their ideas and energy were infectious! Some students made an impression on me when […]
- BY: Poetry Center
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The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free, public monthly in-person reading series and generative writing workshop hosted and facilitated by Marty McConnell. The Blue Hour reading includes a brief open mic followed by […]
- BY: Ola Faleti
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For our last session, Waters 6th graders discussed how to give good instructions. First, we did an activity where one student instructed another stuent on how to draw an animal. How is that different […]
- BY: Alyx Chandler
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This week we “ate” poetry and talked about what memories we had that were connected to food. Students wrote poems sharing their favorite dishes and who they love to eat it with! Check out […]
- BY: Alyx Chandler
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During our fourth poetry workshop for the 6th graders, we talked about space poetry a week after watching the eclipse. We first learned all about the United States Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s collaboration with […]
- BY: Tor Warren
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Today at South Loop Poetry Club, our poets got to work on our own handmade poetry books. Some of us paired up, while others worked on themed poetry. Some wrote new poems, and others […]
- BY: Timothy David Rey
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Students created concrete poems, which rely on their visual depiction to express meaning more clearly. Here are some of their beautiful examples of that form! Lesson Note: “Art has a way of bringing to […]
- BY: Larry Dean
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Our inevitable last classes occurred this week. I brought in one of my own poems to share, giving students the opportunity to quiz me on its particulars. “Finding Bigfoot,” inspired by the TV show […]
- BY: Fullamusu Bangura
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Hello again, dear reader! Last week, Grissom’s 6-8th grade students turned into cosmic metaphor explorers. This lesson was inspired by Joy Young and began with a quick question: what’s something you wish you could […]
- BY: Joy Young
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It’s exciting to be back at Shoesmith again. I saw familiar faces, met new students, and was greeted warmly by teachers and staff. Last Friday for their first session of poetry, 5th and 6th […]
- BY: Tor Warren
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Last week at poetry club, we finished up our unit on poetic forms and took some time to reflect on our work in the past few weeks. Then we used lines from our previous […]
- BY: Mayda del Valle
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This week Ms. Murray’s 4th graders explored the ode, a popular poetic form used to celebrate a person, place, thing, or even an idea. We started off by talking a bit about Pablo Neruda, […]
- BY: Timothy David Rey
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Students created Diamond Poems using parts of speech and their wonderful imaginations. Lesson Note: A diamante poem is a poem in the shape of a diamond. It can be used to compare and contrast […]
- BY: Poetry Center
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Behind the Scenes of Our First Video Series: Queen Zee’s Poetic Adventures After months of project planning, script writing, and rehearsals, the Chicago Poetry Center filmed its first ever “poetry on demand” video series this month. Queen […]
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“Writing poetry makes me feel like I can see myself, like I can see my reflection, but not in a mirror, in the world. I write and I know I can be reflected.”
-Oscar S.
“Writing poetry makes me feel free.”
-Buenda D.
“Writing poetry is like your best friend.”
-Jessica M.
