All posts in Leslie Reese

Return to the blues

Brennemann 5th graders returned to their bluesy ideas from last week. While much of the blues are steeped in heartfelt sadness, some blues can make us laugh. Remembering that blues songs and poems have […]

Haikus and Emotional Creatures

Last week a student expressed interest in writing haiku, so I offered Nettelhorst 2nd grade teachers the option of working on haikus or emotional creatures this week. Students in Ms. Rodriguez’s and Mrs. Barbeau’s […]

Poetry Book Recmmendations

This week Brennemann 2nd graders spent time re-visiting previous lessons, and reading their poems aloud for an audience of their classmates and teachers. Since we did not write new poems this week, I’ve chosen […]

“Over the moon…”

Last week Swift 2nd graders performed collaborative poetry and music in a special morning assembly for family and community as part of the school’s partnership with Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I was very moved to […]

Introduction to “The Blues”

Last week Brennemann 5th graders talked about the blues as a feeling of sadness, and as a musical form created by African-Americans in the late 1800s. We watched video of our example blues song, […]

“Our Ideas of a World”

For our 4th sessions, I asked Nettelhorst 2nd graders to think about the kind of world they want for themselves and others. We talked about serious hopes – such as safety for all children […]

“Gems”

Today Brennemann 2nd graders read two “little” poems written by Nikki Grimes: “Moon” and “Shower.” Both poems had six lines or less, yet they packed a lot of interest. As a group we worked […]

2nd graders invite you to see…

After questioning in our first sessions and comparing in our second sessions, it was time for Nettelhorst 2nd graders to get down to the business of seeing for our third sessions. We talked about […]

Table Songs

Poet in Residence Timothy David Rey’s “Around the Table” poetry lesson got Brennemann 5th graders talking about the things that happen at kitchen/dining tables. Things such as preparing food, eating, drinking, playing games, doing […]

Can You See It?

This week Brennemann 2nd graders joined me on the carpets in their classrooms, to think about places where poems are found. Students said poems can be found in books and on walls, in computers, […]

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I’M FROM THE CITY LIGHTS / STREAMING OUT IN THE NIGHT / AND HUGE SKYSCRAPERS / TOWERING OVER THE LAKE – MELISSA E., 7TH GRADE POET