All posts in Poems

The Golden Shovel 

This week we explored the Golden Shovel form created by Terrance Hayes. We discussed how even now, there are forms of poetry still being created and invented. Hayes was inspired by one of our […]

Practice, Practice, Practice

In our 2nd to last week together at Henry Elementary, we spent our time together editing poems and talking about performance techniques in prep for our 7th grade reading! Check out some of the […]

Group Poems + Writing our Beliefs

In our 2nd to last week at Social Justice High School, we watched and read the poem “Rise” by Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner and Aka Niviâna. These two poets share how climate change has and will […]

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 […]

Future Goals

O-School students thought about the future for their 19th week of poetry. I asked students “What do you wish to do in the future?” We discussed how the future can sometimes be scary, we […]

Of Haikus & Murder

This week at Howe, we were murderous and full of sensation. On Monday, we talked about beats, stomping and clapping our way through the 5-7-5 form of the haiku. After reading haikus about racial […]

Summertime! (3rd grade)

As the weather changes and things start to warm up, it felt like the perfect time to read “Knoxville, TN” by Nikki Giovanni. We watched a video of her reading the poem from Knoxville […]

Extended Metaphors! BOOM! WHOOSH! (And Onomatopoeias)

At Smyser Elementary, we learned about extended metaphors and onomatopoeias through Maya Marie Washington’s poem “Alien.” Students were tasked with writing their own extended metaphor poem where they turned into one non-human thing. Check […]

Myths from long ago . . .

Things became mythical for Twain 6th graders for our 7th week of poetry. A myth is an ancient story or legend explaining the early history of a group of people or about a natural […]

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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