I am so excited that I figured out how to link my image for the party back to my blog!  Oh the joys of the little things in life.
Pam

New Item:
To go along with my popular Poetry Slam product, I created student templates to use for the final copy.  I have several ideas for this cute little booklet.  It can be printed and put together as a whole sheet or students can cut along the line to create a half-size booklet and keep the instruction page in their writing notebook.  I would staple at the top for the 1/2 size.  Another idea is to cut and paste them into a booklet made out of construction paper where both sides can be used.  I didn't create page numbers on purpose.  I want my students to create them along with a Table of Contents.  This also allows other teachers to pick and choose the poems for their class.  I will have students write rough drafts and revisions in their writer's notebook and final copies onto the booklet.  I included a rubric too!

Poems included:  Acrostic, Couplet, Quatrain, Cinquain, Diamante, Haiku, Limerick, Ballad, Parody, Lyrics, Bio Poem, Concrete, Free Verse, Informative.

Link to Poetry Portfolio









Pam

This is the perfect time of year to teach limericks!  Leprechauns and St. Patty fun!  Speaking of fun, I have to share my wonderful time in DC!  I got to see some great family and friends for my actual birthday.  I know I celebrate Pamuary but this was the actual day!  My brother even had a countdown to midnight that night!  I am so glad they embrace my fun!  I then enjoyed watching my daughter cheer for Cheer Extreme Coed Elite at the Battle of the Capitol.  They were flawless!  The talent still amazes me every time I see them.  Isn't this a cool picture of her and her stunt partner?  I know you probably think that freaks me out but I am used to it now.  My brother has a hard time watching her cheer.  It is dangerous at times and it should be considered a sport!

Oh, back to the fun limericks, I have a free instruction sheet and template for writing limericks!  I will keep it free in my store for two days!  Stop by and download!  Use the limerick instruction page on your smart board or run off a copy for each group.  This assignment can be placed in writing centers too.  It is cute for bulletin boards or poetry portfolios.  Enjoy!







http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Limerick-Instructions-and-template

Pam

I like to start off the year with Acrostic Poems.



Then we work on Biopoems.  These are so precious!  I put these in the front of their writing portfolios.  I put the portfolios out during conferences for parents to see their progress so far.  Kudos to my kiddos for doing such an amazing job!





Pam

We had so much fun writing Haikus!  We read Grandfather's Journey which is a wonderful biography about a Japanese man who travels back and forth from the US to Japan.  He longs to see the beauty of each country.  His grandson, who is the author, gets to know his grandfather more when he decides to travel to the US to have the same experience.  Then his grandfather's stories come alive!  I used this slide from my poetry unit to teach the students the Haiku pattern.  They paste the mini version of it in their poetry journals and start to write!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Types-Elements-and-Analyzing-Posters-Presentation-Booklets
Here are some student examples!  They turned out really cute.  I picked two of them to post under the Haiku poster in my room and then I chose several to post on my writing bulletin board.


Pam

Since I am on spring break right now, I am not in the classroom.  However, I am always searching through amazing ideas from teachers all over the world.  EVEN WITH MY TOES IN THE SAND!  Who doesn't like poetry?  It is one of my favorite lessons to teach!  I like it so much that I teach poetry throughout the school year.  I teach poetry elements through song lyrics and poetry writing usually through monthly or subject themes.  By Poetry Month, my students are ready for review and we create booklets of their own poetry and have a Poetry Slam!  You can see on my Free Plans tab how I implement lyrics and poetry each month.

Click the site below to find Laura's site where she posted links of places to find great Poetry materials and ideas.!

Click below to see how my class analyzes lyrics from popular artists! In this 14 page booklet, you will find 8 song lyrics with artist, song title and questions to follow. Also included is a general list of questions that can be used with any song. Some poetry elements included in the questions are rhyme scheme, artist's purpose, figurative language, mood/tone, and specific questions about the meaning of the lyrics. I do one a month and my students beg for me to do more! Of course I download the song for them to listen to as well! Artists include: Bon Jovi, Luther Vandross, John Cougar Mellencamp, Roberta Flack, Steve Miller Band, Bono, Taylor Swift, and Mariah Carey.