I subscribe to Georgia Heard’s Heart map newsletter, Heartbeats. Last week she inspired me to use her print outs with my students on Poetry Friday.
We usually analyze a poem and write in the form of the poet or steal a line, etc. But on Friday, after the AR dance, we needed a break. I turned on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. My students spread around the room and played with paper. I was surprised at how focused they became on a Friday!
We’ve returned to our heart maps to write poems from them. Some wrote as Georgia suggested, a letter poem to the thing you love most. Some wrote a poem like Danusha Laméris’s poem The Heart is Not.
Dear pillow,
You comfort
My head
Every night
And
Keep me warm
Until
It is morning
Where the sun
Rises.
When I go to school
I miss you
Because
You’re my
Object with a story.
James, 4th grade
I love how Marifaye took the map idea to a literal design making her heart look like a map. I sent this one to Georgia through Instagram. Marifaye wrote about her cat Carson. I feel partial to this poem because I was involved in matchmaking Marifaye to Carson. Carson was a stray kitten in my mother-in-law’s yard this summer. He was fostered by my friend Corrine. Then Marifaye’s family adopted him. He has found a soft place to land.
My Cat Carson:
How I love you so so much
makes me smile every touch
you make me happy
when I’m sad
hearing you purr
and watching your tail flap
hearing you meow, begging for pets
then you take off,
as fast as a jet.
as soon as someone comes get me
I just can’t wait
to see my baby
my baby cat,
Carson.
Marifaye, 5th grade
Avalyn was drawn to the model poem by Danusha Laméris.
The Heart is Not
a bowl
it’s not something you could just place
your thoughts,
emotions,
memories in
until it overflows.The heart is not a bowl
it’s not something you could just
discardThe heart is not a bowl
it’s not just a
pretty
decoration.
Avalyn, 5th grade
Reflections on the Teche 
Love these maps – I just to use her ideas all the time in my classroom. Fun to see!
Your post gave me a moment of nostalgia – writing poetry is something I miss from my past life as a teacher.
After reading your post and seeing your student’s examples, I am excited to try with my students. Thank you for including the link to Georgia Heard’s website. I have subscribed to her monthly newsletter.
These are amazing! And also now I’m subscribing— I didn’t know about that!
These are wonderful, Margaret! As always, it’s such fun to read and enjoy your students’ writing. There’s so many good things going on in these poems! I have to say, I am a kindred spirit with James with his love for his pillow. I love how you’re always up for trying something new in your classroom!
Margaret, I enjoyed all three of your students’ poems. Please tell James, Marifaye, and Avalyn that all of their poems will be showcased on the Heartnotes Padlet. Thank you for sharing their work.
Margaret, thank you for sharing these beauties. I’m going to write those heart map topics in my journal and try them. They are inspiring prompts. I think James’ pillow poem is my favorite today. “It is morning / Where the sun / Rises.”
[…] Last Friday and into the beginning of this week, my students worked on heart maps inspired by Georgia Heard. To see their “maps” and poems, see this post. […]
Gorgeous poems, Margaret! I also love your Poetry Friday logo and the colorful creations from your students. 😊