Slice of Life Day 28. Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.
Join the Poetry Friday round-up at A Year of Reading.
I signed up my morning ELA group for voting on the March Madness Poetry going on at Think, Kid, Think! The poetry rounds are open to public voting, but this year Ed DeCaria invited students to participate. I jumped in with both feet not knowing what I was getting into.
We missed the first voting round because I was dealing with getting the site unblocked from our school network. While the technology department is usually very accommodating, it took a few back and forth emails to accomplish this. The site was all ready for Monday morning’s round 2.
My students knew nothing about this, and frankly, I hadn’t prepared myself much either, so Monday was not the best day to hit them with new words like ersatz and mellifluous. For each match-up, Ed selects a random word. The author has 36 hours to write a poem with his/her given word. Some of these words were new to me, not to mention new to my students. So with the wonders of the Internet and Google, we entered each word, read the definition, discussed it, then went back to the poems. I read them aloud and asked for a show of hands. For each poem, the voters had to make a case for the one they chose. This created an impromptu discussion of technique, and I discovered that the poems I thought were the best crafted work did not always appeal to the students.
For example, they selected Karyn Linnell’s poem “Mellifluous” over Kathy Ellen Davis’s one using the word “Hiatus.”
“Despite all her welts, Mellifluous sang; this golden voice was now her own./
And to this day a mellifluous sound is one with a smooth and sweet tone.”
They enjoyed the storytelling way this poem worked and how, like some myths, it explained a word. One of my students compared it to the myth of Echo.
Later in the week, we checked the results. Once again we were discussing words and poetry. How cool is that? I asked my students to select one of the words to use in their own poem. This activity happened on “Day without your Desk” so they were strewn all over the floor with pillows and blankets, a great way to write poetry. Vannisa, 4th grade, chimed in about how she was on hiatus from her desk. She loved saying this new word. Here is her poem.
A hiatus for you
A hiatus for me
A hiatus for usWe all need breaks
Too much information
To stuff in our headsWe need a vacation
To a special destinationWhat’s that place called?
Oh yeah that’s right
Imagination
Reflections on the Teche 
What a great activity. I agree with Vannisa. Hiatus is a great word. I love how you jumped into something not really knowing what it would entail. I hope they invite kids in next year, and I hope I remember it. By the way, I haven’t forgotten about writing for your tech Sunday blog. Planning on sharing the little bit I know about QR codes.
I admire your sense of adventure in this piece. I have been thinking a lot about perspective at home and with kids at school. I like that you wrote about the students choosing different poems for different reasons than you, and they were able to speak to their choices.
http://Www.parentingandpedagogy.blogspot.com
Sounds like your experience was worth the hassles/surprises! Two thumbs up for Vannisa’s poem đŸ™‚
Sounds like the MM is working beautifully for you all, Margaret. Vannisa’s poem is terrific, expresses what we all think! Maybe they can share with Ed & he will post some of their poems!
How fun that you have brought your students into the fun. And how wise that you chose the just right time to do it.
Yes! She captured just what I was thinking about a hiatus – much needed, but elusive.
Wow, Margaret, this is fascinating! As a participant in March Madness, I’ve been very curious about the classroom vote – just how it works – and you’ve given me good insight. Say, my word is up in Round Three – pseudonymous – what a beast of a word. Will your classroom be voting on Round three? Shameless plug, I know. Here’s my voting page http://www.thinkkidthink.com/14-insubordinate-vs-15-pseudonymous/
Buffy is also in Round Three with “flagrant” Happy voting!
I can’t even pronounce it! Yes we voted this morning. I recognized you but did not want to influence the vote. I am way too intimidated to participate. You are all so brave and such wonderful poets.
Margaret – I also shared it on Facebook because I think others, not just participants but voters and those following the contest will be very interested by your post. Thanks!
Thanks for giving this insight into how you’re using March Madness with your students. I love your idea of having students choose a March Madness word to use in a poem–and Vannisa’s hiatus poem is terrific.
How fun. I don’t have a class that I can have pop in and vote. But I did show a second grade my round. Love the Hiatus poem.
Thanks for sharing this experience! It was my first year as an “authlete” and I loved that they incorporated the classroom vote this year. I’m so glad your class registered and is enjoying the process (and the poems!)
Great activity! Wonderful poem as well. Thrilled to hear from the classrooms this year how the MMpoetry event is sparking discussion. đŸ™‚
Great poem, Vannisa!
My class is voting this year, too, but with spring break this past week, we’ve been represented by a small core group of devoted readers. I’m looking forward to next week when we can have rich conversations and vote together again!
Vannisa is very wise. What a great activity for your students!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Margaret. I really wanted/needed this peek inside a MM classroom. It helps give me perspective. Love “Day without a desk” — what an awesome idea!
Thank you for sharing your classroom experience with MMP2014! Those classroom votes are very meaningful – real barometers of how our poetry rests with students. I am hearing from classrooms that have shared the poems, and they say they have held some very good conversations too. Be sure to take a look at Ed DeCaria’s Poemetrics to extend the conversations after MMP2014 is over! Thank you all for your involvement, interest, and support.
Thanks for the insight! I particularly loved the exceptional poem at the end. If it were in March Madness, I would have voted for it. I think it described my personal philosophy on children’s poetry. When I write a poem, my main question is “Will someone enjoy this? Does this add a tiny smidgen of brightness, creativity, laughter, or joy to the world?” If the answer is yes, then I think the poem is a success. – Karyn Linnell
Would so love to have that vacation myself soonest. đŸ™‚ Always great to read about your classroom experiences, Margaret!