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Archive for the ‘Poetry’ Category

Even More Reasons to Write a Poem

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, tagged , , , , on April 7, 2015| 11 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for Tuesdays Slice of Life Challenge.

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for Tuesdays Slice of Life Challenge.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

My writing critique partner and blogging friend, Catherine Flynn, wrote her own version of Some Reasons to Write a Poem by Bob Raczka from the newly released Poetry Friday Anthology of Celebrations. I commented that her poem would make a great mentor text for student writers. Then, of course, I had to try it myself. And with images. I’ve combined my words and images in two videos. One I made with my new favorite toy, Nutshell. The other I used an old favorite app, Animoto. Animoto gave me more flexibility in using my images. But I like the quick creativity of the Nutshell. Whatever video application you use, try out making a poem movie. And share on Twitter using #digipoetry.

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A Handful of Stars

Posted in Books, Poetry, tagged , , , , on April 6, 2015| 8 Comments »

Join the IMWAYR meme.

Join the IMWAYR meme.

Today I am joining the roundup of kidlit books at Teach Mentor Texts. Click on over for more reviews.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

I am the guest writer on Laura Shovan’s blog today, Author Amok. I wrote about Ellen Bass’s poem The Orange-and-White High-Heeled Shoes.

handfulofstars

When Cynthia Lord offered an ARC of her latest novel A Handful of Stars on Facebook, I commented and was added to the list. A copy came this week, just in time for Spring Break reading.

I was immediately drawn in to this story when Lily chases her blind dog into a blueberry field. Lucky is stopped by a migrant girl, Salma Santiago, who becomes a new friend to Lily. Salma is artistic and wants to help Lily raise money for an operation for Lucky. She joins Lily in painting mason bee boxes. The two become fast friends.

Lily is a complex character. She lives with her French Canadian grandparents who own a general store. You get the sense that the family is still grieving the death of Lily’s mom even though Lily does not remember her. The dog Lucky is her connection to her mother. Lily is also dealing with the change in a childhood friendship. Salma brings hope to Lily. Salma opens up Lily’s mind about art, migrant workers, and friendship.

Cynthia Lord creates a story that not only touches; it also teaches. I learned a lot about blueberry harvesting in Maine (which is different from blueberries in Louisiana.) Through Pépère, Lily learns life lessons. I’ve been wanting to experiment with black-out poetry and Zentangle. I made a copy of a page in which Pépère speaks to Lily about how Lucky (dogs) can teach us. I highlighted words to create a poem and drew Zentangle designs to black out the words. Zentangle can be meditative. Kind of like doodling.

Lucky
wants to see.
He seems happy to me.
We learn from dogs.
They don’t ask ‘why me?’
They find a new way to be happy.

Setting something free
takes faith.

Handful of Stars Zentangle poem

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Celebrate Religions and Traditions

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Digital Learning, Poetry, tagged , , , , , on April 4, 2015| 6 Comments »

Discover. Play. Build.

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

Since this is Easter weekend, and I will be celebrating with my family, I am combining my weekend posts into one. Continuing my April commitment to digital poetry, a weekly celebration link up, and DigiLit Sunday all in one.

I think I am getting the hang of Nutshell now. You have to take the pictures on the spot because that’s how the app knows to take video. You have to keep in mind that after you take the picture, the phone is still capturing video.

I did not go on an exotic trip to Laos, but very close to my own town, there is a Laotian village complete with a Buddhist temple, Wat Thammarattanaram. This weekend they celebrate Songkran, the Laotian New Year. Yesterday we attended the opening prayer service.

For us in the Christian tradition, it is Holy Week. I began the week with Palm Sunday and a procession led by bagpipes to celebrate Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem. This video I took while participating in the procession of the palms at my parents’ church, St. James Episcopal Church in Jackson, MS. I uploaded it into iMovie and wrote a simple haiku using the title slides in iMovie.

There is stark contrast here in these two traditions. We felt uncomfortable seated on the floor in the Buddhist Temple; however, Bea, a Laotian woman with good English, welcomed us to sit with her and turned to tell us the story of what was happening throughout the service. This kindness made us feel more comfortable.

Today I celebrate the many religions of the world.
I celebrate that traditions are passed on generation to generation.
I celebrate resurrection and renewal.
I celebrate celebrations.

Link up your Digital Literacy posts. Happy Easter!

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Honey Bee #DigiPoetry

Posted in Digital Learning, Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , , , on April 3, 2015| 16 Comments »

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Join the roundup with Amy at The Poem Farm.

Join the roundup with Amy at The Poem Farm.

An invitation:  Many bloggers in the kidlitosphere are celebrating National Poetry Month with all sorts of special projects.  Jama has a roundup of them here.  I invite you to post on Twitter with #digipoetry.  What is digipoetry?  Well, anything poetry.  If you write your poems on a blog, that’s digital.  If you use an app, digital.  If you post on FB, digital.  So anyone is welcome to join.  The hashtag came about because of a tweet from Leigh Anne (@Teachr4) who simply asked me and a few other Slice of Life bloggers, “What are your plans for April?”  We didn’t want to be any more specific with this invitation.  No challenge involved.  You don’t even have to write a poem every day.  You can post student work, your work, or somebody’s inspiration.  All passionate poets welcome.

Thistle bee

Thistle bee

I have been playing around with taking video and writing a poem.  Yesterday I posted a serious poem.  Today, it’s lighter with a little bee dance.

Pollinate
Propagate
Cultivate
Bees buzz in
Carry dust into the wind
So Life goes on…

-Margaret Simon

 

 

 

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Maundy Footwashing

Posted in Digital Learning, Poetry, Spiritual Growth, tagged , , , on April 2, 2015| 8 Comments »

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

The maundy in Maundy Thursday means foot washing.  Our choir works on anthems that speak of Jesus’ death.  It is a somber service.  The attendance is low.  I think many are uncomfortable with the idea of baring your feet for the priest to wash.  Many are uncomfortable with the thought of death, death by torture.  I am uncomfortable.

My daughter had a pedicure this week in preparation for a wedding she will be in this weekend.  The small Asian woman gently removed embedded nails, shaved off calloused skin, and massaged her legs and feet.  The woman was low.  We were sitting high.  She was performing a service.  She looked up again and again checking Maggie’s pain level and asking with her eyes for reassurance that she was doing the right thing, offering peace and comfort through her service.  I imagined the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair.  Humbled and low, looking up to Jesus for approval.

I understand the theory behind foot washing as a way to humble ourselves by washing each other’s feet.  Years ago when I was teaching in an Episcopal school, my headmaster asked me to do the foot washing.  I thought he meant that I would be the example, the one having my feet washed.  But no, I was doing the washing.  Students lined up with their feet bared.  As I washed child by child, I began to feel an extreme weariness.  Afterward, I was physically exhausted.  I cried.  The experience was profound.

For Digital Poetry, I offer a video from a recent walk in the park.  A small poem accompanies the video.  The only sound is the running of water.

 

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Dig Deep for Poetry

Posted in Digital Learning, Poetry, Writing, tagged , , , , , , on April 1, 2015| 10 Comments »

 

 

Dig poetry

 

My friend who doesn’t write sent me the joke poem above.  My response was “You understand me. I dig deep.”  I have committed myself to write everyday this month about poetry.  I am not promising an original poem each day (but who knows?). To share our poetry activities this month, we are using #digipoetry.  Leigh Anne (@teachr4) made this button for our blog posts.  Feel free to use it, too.

 

DigiPoetry buttonWednesday is a good day to wonder.  I wandered over to Wonderopolis and found a wonderful article about dolphins and echo-location.  To think about writing a poem, I collected words and phrases from the article.  After many false starts (rough drafts), I read about Nikki Grimes’ tanka contest.    Nikki Grimes’ contest for kids in grades 3-6: Tanka writing

Sometimes when writing doesn’t come easily, a form gives you the structure you need to create.  A tanka is similar to a haiku. There is no rhyme and a syllable count of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7.   Nikki Grimes has a book coming out in May, Poems in the Attic, which includes tanka.  (Click the link for more information.)

I used PicMonkey to create this image poem.

dolphin-203875_640

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Let’s Keep Writing!

Posted in Digital Learning, Poetry, Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing, tagged , , on March 31, 2015| 15 Comments »

SOL #31

SOL #31

Here I am on the last day of March!  I wrote 31 slices of life and joined a community of teacher writers at Two Writing Teachers.  What a wonderful month of writing!

My students wrote daily, too.  Together we learned:

  • Writing daily connects you to your life.  You see things differently.
  • Writing daily can be fun!
  • Writing daily can be hard!
  • Writing daily leads to new understandings.
  • Writing daily means taking a deep breath and diving into the deep water.
  • Writing daily is a practice that will last your lifetime.
  • Writing daily gives life new meaning.
  • Writing daily makes a difference.

Some of us in the TWT community are not ready to stop writing daily.  We are committing (but not promising) to contribute in some way to National Poetry Month through digital poetry, personal poems, student poems, writing activities, reflections on poetry, etc.  We will use the hashtag #DigiPoetry on Twitter.  Please join us for more fun and fabulous poetry.

I will be posting on Laura Shovan’s site, Author Amok, on April 6th for her series “What are you Wearing?”  I will also add a line to Irene Latham’s Progressive Poem on April 12th.  Lots going on in the Kidlitosphere in April.

 

Taste life twice quote

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Take a Walk with Me

Posted in Gratitude, Poetry, Slice of Life, tagged , , on March 30, 2015| 17 Comments »

SOL #30

SOL #30

Inspired by Michelle at Literacy Learning Zone.

live happy

Take a walk with me

  • across the grass buried in oak pollen, where spring winds have sprinkled twirly birds.

Take a walk with me

  • past the grancy graybeard dressed in fuzzy blossoms that light up the sky.

grancy graybeard

Take a walk with me

  • to the bank of the bayou where spiderwort pops out purple.

spiderwort

Take a walk with me

  • under the canopy of red buckeye raising fiery red sparklers.

red buckeye

Take a walk with me

  • when dog’s meet with nose kisses and neighbors chat about fresh air and good grace, then walk on

Take a walk with me 

  • with a friend, our dogs (Lucy and Charlie), full of laughter and joy.

Take a walk with me.

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Exercise Faith

Posted in Poetry, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged , , on March 26, 2015| 8 Comments »

SOL #26

SOL #26

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

I want to go on living even after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me. I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.– ANNE FRANK

Exercise Faith, a poem reflection using words of Anne Frank

A grandiose idea
life after death
your own life continuing on
and on, like the cycle of nature,
seed, seedling, sprout, grow, die, rebirth.

This gift of words
life after death
your own life continuing on
and on, with words on paper
floating in clouds like rain
coming down, going up, coming down again.

Developing my most inner self
reflecting on events, ideas,
life after death
continuing on and on,
like monks in meditation, singing Om
breathing in, breathing out, breath of life.

Expressing all that is me
honors God in me
knowing life after death
continues on and on,
like a rainbow rising over the storm
shining its promise, eternally.

I shake it all off,
dust from the shelves,
throw compost on earth,
spread life after death
on and on, shaking off sorrows,
leaving only good soil, good growth,
good courage…reborn.

–Margaret Simon

bridal lace

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Spring Found Poem

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , on March 17, 2015| 17 Comments »

SOL #17

SOL #17

IMG_4376

The azaleas are blooming. Spring is finally here.
For this slice, I collected lines from other bloggers to create a SOL Spring found poem. At first I thought this would be an easy way of getting out of writing; however, I had to read quite a few blogs (never a bad idea) to get these lines. Then to decide how to put them together. In the end I enjoyed the exercise, but it was not easier than writing.

Because these words
have to tell the truth.

Each time I step outside,
I feel hope.
Something is different.
The silence gone.
I hear the snow crackling.
The ground breaking.

The clouds seem to have made a window.
I look out to a beautiful blue sky
Springing forward.

The pitter-pattering is punctuated
with swooshing and swishing of cars.
For already they have forgotten the dark.

Lines from Tara Smith, Catherine Flynn, Cathy Mere, Kim Doele, Meandering Maya, and Write Kim Write, and Julie Johnson.

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