Have you ever woken up from a dream and scratched your head in complete confusion? This week we talked about all the strange and whimsical things that happen behind our eyes when we drift […]

During our final two sessions, first graders selected one of their class poems to revisit and recreate. Ms. Cooley’s class agreed to focus on their color poem, which tied into other projects they’ve been […]

During our final two sessions, first graders selected one of their class poems to revisit and recreate. Ms. Armand’s class agreed to focus on their bravery poem, inspired by Maya Angelou. Students used markers […]

Students made the old-school paper in-class pass time called a ‘Cootie Catcher,’ which is a form of origami used in children’s games. Parts of the catcher are labeled with words that serve as options […]

In honor of the fact that we’ve had every season all at one time in Chicago this week, we talked about our favorite seasons. We read Nikki Giovanni’s “Knoxville, TN” and talked about what […]

This week we read Fatimah Asghar’s Microaggression Bingo and discussed how each detail built up to a larger and more overwhelming whole. The students discussed how weird it felt for there not to be […]

  Hello hello! Last week, Waters students explored the ever-relevant epistolary poem. Epistolary poems are poems in letter form. We read “Another Night at Sea Level” by Meg Day, a poem rich with imagery […]

For our 8th sessions at Swift, we read “Honey, I Love” by Eloise Greenfield. We counted the poem’s stanzas, looked for all of the rhymes, and talked about our favorite sections. We brainstormed lists […]

Last week, Sayre’s 8th graders took a detour from their ick poems to write about people and things that they love. After watching Rudy Fransisco’s performance of “If I Was A Love Poet,” students […]

After some schedule changes and a week off, we were back at Perez to finish off our personification poems. There were so many great pieces written this week, some to the universe, the ocean, […]

What are the ingredients that makeup who you are? A gallon of sassyness, infinite bowls of Kung-fu kicks, 10 cups of fortnite and snacks. This week in Ms. Murray’s 4th grade class we talked […]

Students found all the constituent elements of similes on their worksheets. The class made tin foil hearts. We read “Papaya Tree” by Thanha Lai, and students looked at how similes are constructed. Students wrote […]

Students read Gwendolyn Brook’s poem about superstar singer and activist, ‘Paul Robeson’ and then wrote about community and fame from their viewpoint. Paul Robeson by Gwendolyn Brooks That timewe all heard it,cool and clear,cutting […]

My first week with Grissom’s middle school students could not have been more welcoming. Student poets did not hesitate introducing themselves and sharing what they already know about poetry. Together, we read “This Body […]

Last week at South Loop Poetry Club, we read Austin Kleon’s “Newspaper Blackout.” Some students were already familiar with the form, so we talked about how the source of a blackout poem can affect […]

Students read Sylvia Plath’s poem ‘Metaphors’ and then wrote their own metaphor-based poems. They also did some free writing around the topic of Values that you will see here. Lesson Note: Mrs. McClain, 7th […]

Cats jumping on us from out of nowhere, dandelions, bottle caps, and more are some of the things that the speaker in Dean Young’s “Quiet Grass, Green Stone” describes, confessing, “Me who wants to […]

For our 2nd week of poetry, Hamline 6th graders explored the concept of self-portraits. Students looked at the artwork of famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who was known for creating unique self-portraits of herself. […]

This week the young viking writers had fun exploring using AI and Google to edit, construct, and translate their poems. We played a few text-generating games and I am so excited to publish the […]

For our most recent sessions, Swift 2nd and 3rd graders generated ideas that inspire us to see fun images with our mind’s eye. We talked about out-of-the-box thinking, before students brainstormed lists for “Swan […]

What is a favorite sound you have? Is there a sound you would rather not have to listen to? This week, our after-school poetry club talked about the symphony of sounds we hear every […]

Students created Jorge Enrique Adoum imitations via his poem, ‘Development, ‘ that ‘sets the stage,’ much like the initial phases of a story or play. The poem uses descriptive language and imagination to create […]

Today, we read “Another Planet” by Dunya Mikhail and discussed the personification and similes that she used to help create this new world for the reader. (This lesson was adapted from a lesson by […]

Today, we read “Another Planet” by Dunya Mikhail and discussed the personification and similes that she used to help create this new world for the reader. (This lesson was adapted from a lesson by […]

On the second day of our 6th Grade poetry residency at Sayre Elementary, we compared stories about what we did over the weekend and what we noticed–in particular: the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and […]

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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.

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-Buenda D.

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