Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life March Challenge
Poetry Friday round-up is with Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty
If you take the book jacket off of The Word Collector, you see a golden collection of words.
Wonders of words
Fill constellations.
There is an angel
On my shoulder
As I write … praline, crimson…
Sounds of words roll
Over my tongue,
Taste sweet…Argentina…
Musical… infinity of words
To release into the air.
Amen.–Margaret Simon (c) 2018
The librarian knows of my attachment to all things Peter Reynolds. I introduced her to Dot Day and helped her plan activities in the fall. Last week, she had a Scholastic Book Fair. I shopped on Friday and put some wishes into a bin. I never had a chance to go back and purchase any. When this sweet librarian saw me she said, “I saw Word Collector in your book fair bin.”
I said, “I know! I’m so sorry I never had time to come back and buy anything.”
“No worries. I had extra funds from the sales, so I bought a copy for the library. I put it aside for you.” And she handed me Peter Reynolds gold!
I shared the book with my students and as I did, I said, “Be a word collector. As I read, make your own collection of words.”
My students wrote and wrote. Their lists covered one, then two pages in their notebooks. Given 10 minutes on the timer, they turned their lists into poems. Amazing poems.
Madison decided to make word combinations, so she randomly matched together two word pairs. When she finished, she realized that all her combinations could describe stars. She titled this masterpiece Stars.
Stars
Azure Wonders
Emerald Willows
Drifting Whispers
Geometric Symphony
Aromatic Kaleidoscope
Marvelously Effervescent
Harmony Lore
Breezing Beyond
Onyx Liberty
Tranquil Silence
Cascading Glints
Brilliant Waterfalls
Onomatopoeia Collections
Hopeful Grace
Mused Clovers
Constellate Alligator
Utopia YonderStars Of The Sky
I wrote about Dawson last week, about how he was not using line breaks yet in his poems. I showed him how he could, and now he’s writing meaningful poetry. I love what he wrote about his decisions for the line breaks. “I decided to do it like this with line breaks and words because it sounds like a song that you could play. If you read it again, watch go ahead, read this again while playing joyful music in the background.”
With Willows
soft as a whisper,
with royal flocks
prancing around in your dream,
let it be known
there is wonder in your heart.
Reflections on the Teche 