Welcome to Queen Zee’s Poetic Adventures!
Inspired by classic children’s television, Queen Zee’s Poetic Adventures takes viewers to a magical world of joyful, engaging poetry lessons for kids. Created for students in 2nd-5th grades, this five-episode series is ELA and SEL-focused, aligned with Common Core standards, and, best of all, fun!
Queen Zee is the Royal Protector of the Human Soul, and her favorite way to feed and nourish the soul is to write poetry with young people. Starring Chicago Poetry Center Poet in Residence Leslie Reese, Queen Zee’s Poetic Adventures leads students through CPC’s time-tested curriculum and is based on successful lessons taught in Chicago Public School classrooms.
Each lesson includes a no-prep teacher resource guide and downloadable student workbook (editable PDF and printable), as well as points in the video to pause and work together as a class on your brainstorm and writing.
Check out the trailer for Queen Zee’s Poetic Adventures!
Free, No-Prep Educational Resource
Queen Zee’s Poetic Adventures is a free, no-prep educational resource. We designed this program for Chicago Public School classrooms, but we’re offering it to all educators in Chicago classrooms and beyond. Complete this form and check your email for instant access to on-demand videos, teacher resource guides, and student workbooks. Scroll down for more information on individual episodes.
Each Episode Includes:
- A corresponding student workbook and teacher resource guide
- Key ELA vocabulary words such as line, stanza, repetition, perspective, and more
- SEL-focused questions to inspire self-reflection and creative self-expression
- A model poem performed in various neighborhoods across Chicago
- A response poem written by a Chicago Public Schools student
- A brainstorming/prewriting exercise to lead students into the writing process
- A movement-based exercise to warm up the body and refresh the mind
- Scroll down for a list of topics and poetry covered by episode
Sign Up for Instant Access
For immediate access to all five episodes and their corresponding resources, complete this four-question form.
Episode Guide
Episode One: Poems About Your World
In the first episode, we explore Queen Zee’s world and think about our ideal world. We’ll write poems about what we’d like to see in our imaginary worlds and how we want other people to feel. We’ll also learn about lines and repetition.Episode Two: Identity Poems
The second episode examines the theme of identity. As we learn more about Queen Zee and her identity, we’ll write poems about who we are and where we come from. We’ll also learn to count lines and stanzas in a poem.Episode Three: Monster Poems
Queen Zee teaches us that not all monsters are scary, and some can even be cute. In our poems, we’ll create our own monsters by describing what they sound like, what they look like, how they walk, and where they live. We’ll practice using sensory details and writing from the perspective of our monsters.Episode Four: Recipe Poems
In the fourth episode, Queen Zee teaches us that we can write recipes for anything: how to bake a cake, how to enjoy a rainy day, or how to make a friend. We’ll create our own poetic recipes by learning vocabulary for measurements, ingredients, and instructions.Episode Five: Seasonal Poems
We learn about Queen Zee and Moi’s favorite seasons in the fifth episode. Using sensory details, we’ll write poems based on our own favorite season. We’ll also use onomatopoeia and try writing from a perspective of another person or thing.Special Thanks
This program and its free distribution to CPS are made possible by our funding partners, the Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts. Learn more about Ralla Klepak’s legacy here.
