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Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

Progressive Poem

Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged Irene Latham, Live your Poem, Progressive poem on April 17, 2014| 10 Comments »

The 2014 Progressive Poem is the creation of poet Irene Latham.

I have been anxiously awaiting this day when the Progressive poem would head my way. As I watched the poem progress, I worried about the meter and rhyme. This poem had form and sometimes form can be intimidating. But this group of poets are anything but intimidating. I started participating in the kidlit Poetry Friday group over a year ago and have felt warmth, welcome, and encouragement. Pardon me while I get preachy. A collaborative project is not about you, the individual. It is about the product of the whole. It’s about being present and showing up when it’s your turn. Like being one voice in a chorus, you must blend in and fade out. I took this call seriously, so my line is not a punchline. It is not a Wow line. But I feel it belongs in this poem with this group of words. Carry on, Irene. I pass the baton on to the master, the creator, our leader, and our friend, Irene Latham at Live your Poem.

Sitting on a rock, airing out my feelings to the universe
Acting like a peacock, only making matters that much worse;

Should I trumpet like an elephant emoting to the moon,
Or just ignore the warnings written in the rune?

Those stars can’t seal my future; it’s not inscribed in stone.
The possibilities are endless! Who could have known?

Gathering courage, spiral like an eagle after prey
Then gird my wings for whirlwind gales in realms far, far away.

But, hold it! Let’s get practical! What’s needed before I go?
Time to be tactical— I’ll ask my friends what I should stow.

And in one breath, a honeyed word whispered low— dreams —
Whose voice? I turned to see. I was shocked. Irene’s

“Each voyage starts with tattered maps; your dreams dance on this page.
Determine these dreams—then breathe them! Engage your inner sage.”

The merry hen said, “Take my sapphire eggs to charm your host.”
I tuck them close – still warm – then take my first step toward the coast.

This journey will not make me rich, and yet I long to be

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Backyard Amaryllis

Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged amaryllis, Haiku Deck, katauta, Sarah Hazel on April 16, 2014| 2 Comments »

Backyard Amaryllis by Sarah Hazel

My friend, Sarah Hazel, is an artist. She created this beautiful painting yesterday and posted it on her blog (I love her blog title!) Finding my Glasses.

Thinking about the letter K put me on a quest for a kyrielle. The kyrielle didn’t come to me, but a katauta did. Now I’m not really sure how a katauta is different from a haiku. It is a Japanese form with 5,7,5 or 5,7,7 syllable count. The word katauta means half poem. So I’m thinking if a kyrielle is not singing to me today, then maybe I’ll write a half poem.

Joy surprises me.
The morning amaryllis–
a prayer flag waving…
–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

Click on the link to see the poem in Haiku Deck.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app

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A Room for Writing

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged a room, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Acadiana Wordlab, poetry on April 15, 2014| 7 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

I’m taking a break from the ABC’s of poetry to take you to a room. On Saturday at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Valentine Pierce, a performance poet from New Orleans, presented a workshop for Acadiana Wordlab. She is a force in a room. She performed a few of her poems and had me rapping out the beats of my words as I tapped the pen to the page. For one of her prompts, she asked us to write about the room we were in. When I first walked into the room, Clare and three other women were wearing red. I commented, “I didn’t get the memo to wear red.” And then Clare introduced Valentine. So thus began my poem about the room.

A glance around the corner at the boardroom. ChipperHatter Architects

This Room is for Writing

I did not wear red today
to honor sweet Valentine.
I am wearing green
like the peridot of my birthstone.

I didn’t expect to give birth today
here in this blood-red chair
that pushes back on my shoulder slump.
Sit up, girl, and write a poem!

Shout it out like the rockets
speeding off the racetrack of the wall.
Lay your life down on the black boardroom table.
Place your heart on the frosted glass.

No one will mind if you cry a little.
They are crying, too,
for their children, their crazy aunts,
and for that empty beige wall

waiting for someone’s art
splattered in paint,
dripping down to the carpet
under our rock hard feet.

We stand sure;
All of us together
know that I will not be shamed
for not wearing red.

–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

Please check the progress of the Progressive Poem in the right bar. I am coming up in 2 days!

The Writing Process Blog Tour continues with Clare Martin at Orphans of Dark and Rain.

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Celebration Jabber

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Poetry, Writing, tagged ABCs of poetry, Amy Ludwig Vanderwater, Barbara Crooker, Betsy Hubbard, Nature poems, The Poem Farm, Two Writing Teachers on April 12, 2014| 7 Comments »

Public domain image

I am celebrating another week of poetry. This was testing week. I had the time (while monitoring a small group of 5th graders) to read and to write. I spent some time with my new favorite poetry book, Gold by Barbara Crooker. A poet-blogger friend recommended it. I love Barbara’s style. I sat with the poem At VCCA, I Hear a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, and Think of Martha Silano. I used the line This morning deliquesces. I had a dictionary nearby, so I looked up deliquesces. Then jumped over to the J’s. I found some great J words: jazz, jay, jettison, joyful.

I love playing with words. Thanks for being a part of my month of ABC’s in poetry.

I wish Storybuilder would appear in WordPress, but you have to click the link to see it.

http://goo.gl/971wHa

Jabber

The blue jay jazzes up to the birdbath
looks left, then right
bobs his head up and down
jettisons oak leaves and pollen curly Qs
lifts his nutcracker beak
to let the water flow down his throat.

I watch from the porthole of my kitchen,
think I should clean it today. This king
of jays shouldn’t have to drink dirty water.
This morning deliquesces, softens edges
of the dark night. I want to join
Mr. Jay making his daily rounds,
here and there, collecting
for his new nest. I would gather
blossoms from the fruit tree,
place their fragrance in your path
to let joyful praise of simple beauty
give your heart wings.

–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

For this poem, I just wrote. I didn’t change much from the written draft to the typed one. This rarely happens to me. I did play around with the line breaks. I enjoy reading about other poet’s processes. Amy Ludwig VanDerwater shares her process on her site The Poem Farm. At the Two Writing Teachers, Betsy Hubbard shares a process she learned from Georgia Heard. I celebrate being a part of a community that learns together.

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Why Poetry?

Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged Chris Lehman, I am From, Kevin Hodgson, poetry, TeacherPoets on April 11, 2014| 10 Comments »

Poetry Friday Round-up is at Today’s Little Ditty.

For National Poetry Month, Chris Lehman has invited teacher/poets to join together to read, listen, and discuss poetry. Chris posed this question to the group, “Why Poetry?” Inspired by Kevin Hodgson, I tried out Tapestry for my response. Click on the link to view my response.

https://readtapestry.com/s/6Bs7sVEW7/

Earlier in the week, I posted about my writing life responding to fellow blogger/writer Sandra Sarr’s questions. I am From poems have been around for a while and are written in many middle grade classrooms. But I wanted to take a different spin on the I am From and write about where my writing life comes from.

I am from a short story contest in tenth grade.
I won for my row.

I am from Dear Diary, “I want to be a writer
if only someone would give me the confidence.”

I am from “Where is Papa going with that ax?”
to “Blue is cackling something awful this morning.”
from Children’s Literature class to
the National Writing Project Teacher Institute.

I am from retreats, marathons, and critique groups
holding me accountable to find an authentic voice
and make writing a daily practice.

I am from pen to paper,
fingers to keyboard,
opening my veins and bleeding
my words,
trusting them to
the world.

–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

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Elocution

Posted in Poetry, Teaching, Writing, tagged elocution, Kenn Nesbitt, soundcloud on April 7, 2014| 5 Comments »

E is for Elocution. My younger students are preparing for elocution, memorizing and reciting a poem of choice. They tend to select funny poems, and one of the funniest kid poets is Kenn Nesbitt. Erin picked out “I Think I’m Related to Big Foot” and memorized it quickly. I recorded her little 2nd grade voice reciting the poem. I love the giggles at the end. She can’t keep from laughing. She also has very large dimples that make her even more adorable.

I think I’m related to Bigfoot,
though nothing has ever been proved.
I sort of suspect he’s a cousin,
just seven or eight times removed.

Read the rest of the poem here.

If you use Safari as a browser, you may not be able to hear the Soundcloud. Linda Baie found the solution here: http://help.soundcloud.com/customer/portal/articles/1464535-why-can-t-i-hear-tracks-using-safari-
Thanks, Linda.

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DigiLit Diamante

Posted in Digital Learning, Poetry, Teaching, Writing, tagged diamante poems, Interactive, Pic Stitch, Read Write Think on April 6, 2014| 10 Comments »

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

This beautiful wisteria vine grows outside my bedroom window. I think I write a poem about it every year. Today for DigiLit Sunday, I am posting a collage made with Pic Stitch. One of my favorite teacher sites is Read, Write, Think. Supported by two amazing organizations, International Reading Association and National Council for Teachers of English, this site offers a wealth of literacy-based lesson plans. I also love the interactive applications available. I made a diamante poem on a Read, Write, Think Interactive. For students, the app works well because it prompts them for each word. The form for a diamante creates a diamond shape with 7 lines:

Title
Two adjectives
Three -ing words
A phrase that connects title to ending word (antonym or synonym)
Three -ing words
Two adjectives
Ending noun, antonym or synonym

Link up your Digital Literacy post with Mr. Linky.

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Celebration and Centos

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Poetry, Teaching, Writing, tagged book spine cento poems on April 5, 2014| 11 Comments »

Happy Celebration Saturday. Ruth Ayres is gathering celebration posts over at her blog, Discover. Play. Build.

First I want to shout out and celebrate fellow poet-blogger, Laura Shovan. For her birthday month, Laura posted Pantone colors as writing prompts. As a prize for my participation, she sent me a package of prompts, colors and postcards. What a great gift! Thanks, Laura.

Sometimes you try a poetry activity and think it didn’t go so well, but then the kids ask for it again. So when C came up, my students asked to do Book Spine Centos. I said, “OK, but you have to spend some time and try to make them have a theme, not just see who can stack up the most books.” Making a well composed cento poem is harder than it looks.

So with a little collaboration and an ever-growing classroom library, my students went to work. While some were perusing the shelves, Vannisa quietly went to the side and lifted the title, “Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry,” and wrote a couplet poem.

by Margaret Simon
A thousand mornings
view from the window seat
blackbird singing
state of wonder

By Nigel
Once upon a marigold,
The Twits
wake up missing
side by side.

By Kendall
Roll of thunder, hear my cry
day by day.
A jar of dreams
choosing up sides
worth
things not seen–
eye of the storm.

If you like this idea, step on over to 100 Scope Notes with Travis Jonker and view his 2014 gallery.

Today, I celebrate a week of poetry writing and reading in my classroom. Poetry makes everything better, even storms.

The thunder is very loud,
rain falls from the cloud.

Perfect nonsense is what I say,
I like this rainy thundering day

Roll of thunder, hear my cry,
don’t be so loud, I hear you nearby.

Give me back the blue sky,
or else everyone will be on standby.

The lightning flashes bright,
making the sky turn black and white.

The thunder stops as my teacher reads the poem,
the peacefulness makes me feel at home.

Vannisa, age 10, all rights reserved

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C is for Collaboration

Posted in Poetry Friday, Teaching, Writing, tagged couplet, haiku, Kevin Hodgson, line lifting, Michelle Haseltine, notegraphy on April 4, 2014| 12 Comments »

Poetry Friday Round-up is at The Poem Farm.

Some days don’t go as planned. As you know, I am trying to do a poem a day using ABCs of styles, forms, and techniques. For Day 3, letter C, we got so wrapped up in book talks that we had little time left for writing.

As we reviewed the results of Round 4 on MMPoetry, we found the words for the final round. Incontinent, kerfuffle, confabulation, and defenestrate. After discussion, collaboration led to a haiku using the word defenestration. I showed my students this new app I learned about from Kevin Hodgson and Michelle Haseltine, Notegraphy. It works well for a collaborative haiku.

The line lifter lurked on my students’ blogs and left some cool response poems. The kids were so excited that their poems had been hacked! Thanks, Kevin.

Me –
the mold on the wall,
sticks to you like thoughts in your head
that you can’t ever shake loose
or clean with a swipe
or maybe I am more like a poem
that one shares on the Web
which then whispers melodies of meaning in your ear
all day.

– Mr. Hodgson
Sixth Grade Teacher
Norris Elementary School
aka, the line lifter
🙂

Kaylie stopped by our class blog and saw no poems using the letter C. That didn’t stop her from contributing. She wrote a beautiful couplet about pelicans.

The pelican flies out towards dawn
Past the orange sunrise and so on

They travel in pairs across the sky
When the bayou has gone bone dry

They long for the feel of the wet on their feathers
The bayou is where their hearts are tethered

The pelican flies out towards dawn
Past the orange sunrise… on and on and on…
–Kaylie, all rights reserved

Please click on over to Caroline Starr Rose’s blog where I am the guest writer. My post is more about anaphora.

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Writing Bad Poetry like Billy Collins

Posted in Poetry Friday, Teaching, Writing, tagged ABCs of poetry, bad poetry, Billy Collins on April 3, 2014| 5 Comments »

I am convinced that writing poetry is a gift from God. The magical words that float around my classroom amaze me.

I am also the mellifluous sound of a pencil writing on paper.
–Kendall

I know the title is confusing. Bad poetry? From Billy Collins? If you do not know the poem Litany by Billy Collins, then you must go to these sites and read or listen to it. Bet you can’t keep a straight face. In print on Poem Hunter.

Recited by a 3 year old on YouTube:

And…Billy Collins himself:

I explained to my students that Billy Collin’s poem was so bad it was good. They got that. Having primed them with this poem, I let them loose to borrow the structure, think outside the box, and create wildly creative metaphors. I was amazed by the results and would love to share them all. You can read them on our class blog: Slice of Life Challenge at kidblog.org.
The lurking line lifter struck in the wee hours of the morning, so read the comments, too.

I am excited about the poem I caught on this fishing trip. I was thinking about how writing poems together connects us.

Our Ship

We are all on this ship together
whether or not it sails.
We are side by side like the freckles on your mother’s face.
We are closer than the love bugs on the windshield.
You, and I, and he, and she.
We are not like the blown away balloons
at the 3 year old’s birthday party.
We are not the shavings of wood mulching the flower bed.
No, we are this way, that way,
you know what I mean,
intertwined like the vines of wisteria,
joined and connected, tumbling and reaching.
Give me your hand.
I will give you mine.
Let’s go on this voyage together.

–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved.

Vannisa wins the prize of being published on this blog with her poem. She just looked around the classroom and found metaphors galore.

Everything in the Classroom

You can be the air that comes through the vent
You can be the memory I regret
You can be the board I write messages to
You can be the painting that just sits
You can be the pencil sharpener, only useful when needed

As for I,
I could be the mechanical pencil that doesn’t need you
I could be the clip that makes you sit
I could be the eraser that deletes your notes
I could be the person who creates you, the memory I regret
I could be the thermostat, who shuts you down

–Vannisa, all rights reserved

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