This month I am playing with poetry with poet-teacher-blogger friends. Feel free to play along.
I am also playing alongside my students. We brought out the cookie sheets of magnetic poetry. I talked about two similar poem forms, the How to poem and the Things to do poem. You can read their poems here.
I also played with my Word Swag app in my phone to create a more beautiful and professional looking image.
Here’s another on the cookie sheet. I can’t remember who brilliantly suggested using cookie sheets for magnetic poetry, but it works great. For an itinerant teacher like me, it’s a convenient way to carry them. I also have some in a tin which works equally as well. The lid of the tin serves as a composition space.
I have a new student, Maddox, in 4th grade. Sometimes kids walk into my classroom already knowing how to be a poet. Here is Maddox’s first poem.
How to Be a Storm
rock the ships below
boom like a thundering drum
blast the air with a gale
use your wrath in a tempestuous storm
then let the sun shine again—Maddox, 4th grade
Reflections on the Teche 
So much to love here. What a great teacher you must be! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
WOW, Maddox! “use your wrath…what a great line”
Keep writing poetry, Maddox! I’m saving that as a mentor text for “How to be a (blank).” Brilliant! I downloaded WordSwag, but haven’t played with it yet. Adding to my weekend “to dos.”
Whoa! I love all of these. Such wonderful language! Things to do poems are a favorite of mine, Margaret, and I love “dress up a rusty gate.” Maddox, you’ve crafted a powerful poem here! Well done!
Wow! What riches on your blog today. Just downloaded Word Swag and totally pulling the cookie sheet out for magnetic poetry. I haven’t played with it yet because I know the tin lid isn’t big enough for my needs and I can’t imagine sitting on the floor in front of my fridge trying to write lines!