April is National Poetry Month

In honor of National Poetry Month, I've been posting some of my favorite poetry books on my Facebook page. Not all of my blog readers have "Liked" my FB page, so I thought I'd share 5 of my favorite books of nature poetry here.

If you haven't liked my page, I invite you to do so now- Michelle Cusolito, Writer.

Here are 5 of my favorites, in no particular order. I love these as much for the art as for the poems.

Song of the Water Boatman Poems by Joyce Sidman, illustrations by Beckie Prange

Joyful Noise Poems by Paul Fleischman, illustrations by Eric Beddows

Hey There, Stink Bug Poems by Leslie Bulion, illustrations by Leslie Evans

Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski

Step Gently Out by Helen Frost, photographs by Rick Lieder

What are your favorite books of nature poems for children?

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Poet in Residence, The final Installment

Thanks for all the great comments on my earlier "Poet in Residence" posts. Here's the last batch of poems.

CHERRY PIE

I adore my mother’s cherry pie

It’s so good I wish to die

When my mother

makes it great

guess who happens to be late.

Is she making cherry pie?

Oh my gosh it’s just a lie!!

                    by Andrew B.

Butterfly

Butterfly! Butterfly!

With your speckled wings,

fly to the church,

soar to the sea,

and land on a tree.

by Sarah M

Nibbling on Leaves

One day a Japanese caterpillar

was nibbling

on a soft, juicy,

luscious leaf.

He ate it all the

way through.

 BOOM!

He landed

on dinner!

by Ben H

HAWK

Swooping over

head

Predator of

the wild

Protector of

a nest

Bird of

Prey

Hawk

by Jacob D.

(HAWK, particularly the line breaks, was inspired by the work of William Carlos Williams. Can you recognize it? We read River of Words; The story of William Carlos Williams as part of our poetry study. It's a fantastic picture book about the life of William Carlos Williams).

At My Grandmother’s House

I sit

on the couch where I always

relax

Just sitting

watching TV while

eating with my family.

All I can smell

is my noodles

I hear

the TV going on

and on

and on.

I feel happy!

So is

my brother

and grandmother.

I feel like

I’m in my

own world.

I sprint

into the kitchen because

I hear

the parade

We’re just

looking

out the window.

I had a great time

at

my grandmother’s house.

by Jordyn D.

Which poems, phrases or lines speak to you?

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Poet in Residence, Part 3

Today, the third installment of poems written by 4th graders in the classroom where I served as "Poet in Residence" during the fall.

ZIP ZAP SCOOTER

ZIP ZAP

Here and there

Racing down the drive way

ZOOM ZAP

Up and down the drive way

Having so much fun.

by Emmie D.

Fall Fun!

Gather all the leaves then throw

up up they fly

scary faces everywhere

who shall I scare?

knock  knock  who’s there

trick or treat thank you!

by Lauren O.

The Wavy Plant?

You,

with white wavy moss

growing off you.

You,

with your mysterious holes.

You,

look like an anemone.

I wonder where

you live.

Wait!

You

are a mushroom!

Of course… The Woods.

by Kayla W.

Me and my mom

are just alike

We love each other dearly

I always do what she does

She is my role model

We love to do every thing together

MY MOM IS THE BEST!!!!

by Kyah W.

Nana’s House

I have a special bedroom.

I have a yellow bedspread.

I love a big brown teddy bear.

I feel safe and loved there.

by Olivia G.

Not Just a Plain Rock

White with glitter

Partially gray

like a small glacier

                                 floating         

                                               away

by Lucas K.

Which image or phrase is your favorite?

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Poet in Residence, part 2

Last Friday, I posted poems written by students in my son's grade 4 classroom. I served as "Poet in Residence" during the fall.


Today, I continue sharing their work. 

In January,

the joyful

kids play with

    S

       N

           O

                W.

Some ride

T

   O

       B

           O

                G

                    G

                        A

                             N

                                   S

                                      !

          by Gabrielle B.

Dinner Web

Dinner came here

For the spider

It is not a deer

it’s a fighter

A dragonfly came ready

his name is Freddy

He fought

but he got caught

by Noah M.

CHICKEN TEENAGERS WITH HOTSAUCE

One day while I was sitting in a field

I was eating chicken wings

as the breeze

hit me in the face

the chicken wings were good

they were buffalo chicken wings

my mouth was burning

like a … ouch ouch ouch

why is there hot sauce in my mouth

I must have fallen asleep

and those teenagers

put hot sauce in my mouth      

by Ethan D.

The Sweet Sounds Of Fall

Kids crawl

in piles of leaves.

Crisp leaves fall

from tall trees.

Cold wind slithers

across me like a snake.

I DASH on my bike

and bonce on the bumps.

I wear a costume

each Halloween.

I wear something

SCARY!

I carve a pumpkin,

with a grin.

And

school begins!

                    by Andrew S.

  

Thanksgiving Morning

everyone is in a good mood

and ready for all the yummy food

All the family is here

talking loud with cheer

we all watch football

then we nap to end it all.

by Kate B.

you mystery thing

your warm welcoming’s in the cold winter

warm maple syrup

your bumpy skin like a driveway

you dropping 

                         clump

                                     clump

the warm maple syrup the tree next to you

had gave me

oh wait I think you might be a...

P-I-N-E-C-O-N-E

a pinecone

by Kylie S.

Please leave a comment for these young poets. I'll publish more next Friday.

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Poet in Residence

This past fall I served as "Poet in Residence" in my son's grade 4 classroom. While I mostly write for children now, my first love was poetry. In fact, even my prose has a lyrical quality to it. I loved being with fourth graders again and guiding them on their own poetic journeys.


To culminate this season long experience, we created an anthology of their poems. Each student received a copy just before the holiday break. Here's the cover, designed by a student named Jacob. I love how he tied together some of the generators we used for poems. One day, each student brought in a special object from nature and used that to write a poem. Another day, they looked at photographs I brought in. They also made maps of their important play places and then wrote a poem about a specific place on the map. Can you see those ideas represented in his images?

Every student (and their teacher, Mr. Davignon) included at least one poem in the anthology. Since many students wrote poems from photographs I had taken, those photographs also appeared along with the poems.


Starting today, with the poets' permission, I'll share some of their work. I'll post more over the next month or so.


Aside from correcting an occasional spelling error, I have not altered these poems in any way. I offered guidance about how to revise poetry but the work is entirely their own. I hope you enjoy their work. If you do, please tell them by leaving a comment.

The Crab 

When I look I see

a fearsome yet strong animal.

It is humble

and never backs down from a battle.

His claws are like boxing gloves

his shell is like his shield.

The ocean is his battlefield.

                                                      by Elijah S.

The Silent Hawk

It’s eyes

watch all day for prey

Then it goes down to fight

It’s feet as sharp

as a shark’s jaw

It’s claws as big

as a lion’s paw

It blends in

the sky

Like an overwatch

by Max M.

 CLIMBING TO FALL

I am

clambering

Up, up, up, on the

highest branch. Below

there’s a logger, OH NO,

Did I just say, LOGGER!

“TIMBER,” here I go

again, falling

Down,

Down,

Down,

Down,

Down,

Down,

Bump,

OOF, OOF!

———————————————

by Dante C.

A WINNING GAME

Ortiz is up

it’s full count

there’s no doubt.

The pitcher beams a fastball

WOW!         

   It’s  blasted into  the  air

HOMERUN !      

 But I can’t look

He’s…….. OUT

I did a big pout

But wait

  YANKEES LOST

RED SOX ARE

THE BOSS!

                                                 by Ethan P.      

Humming Bird

Humming bird, humming bird

Where will you fly?

With your wings moving so fast

As you go by

Zig-zagging from flower to flower

Just like cheetahs dashing by

                                                    Looks like you have no wings

                                                    Sometimes,

                                                    I think you’re attached to strings

                                                   by  Jakob M.

Please leave a comment for these young poets.

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Fall Haiku

Last fall, I facilitated a seashell investigation in my son's third grade class. Following the investigation, the students wrote Lunes about their shells. With the experience of writing lunes under their belts, they moved on a more complex form of poetry-haiku. Here are samples of their work. (These students chose to have their work published).

The Blowing Leaves

Sliding down the slide

Blowing around the sky

In the fall season

by Julia

In the fall leaves fall down

The leaves flying on the air

In the air they fall.

by Danny

Trapped Leaf

On a windowsill,

Trapped in and old frozen pond,

When fall comes around.

by Cecelia

Leaves on the cold ground

leaves are different colors

In the midnight sky.

by Ella

Floating Leaves

In a tall tall tree

Floating in the blue blue sky

Under the hot sun.

by Hannah

Autumn winds shifting,

Leaves are dancing to the ground

Falling from the trees.

by Beatrice

Running Leaf

On the forest floor

Running from the blowing wind

When I go to play.

by Haley

Swimming in the pond

during a windy autumn

Floating in the air.

by Mason

Leaves get raked in piles.
I see this going on for 

miles and miles and piles.

by Dante

Mister Leaf on a
tree, come down and dance with me
near the radio.
by Jameson

Jumping Leaf
On the grass skipping
Blowing over a black fence
in a blowing breeze.
by Robert

If you try your hand at haiku, why not share it here? I hope you'll also leave a comment for these talented poets.

Seashell Poetry-Lunes

After I taught the seashell lesson in my son's third grade class, his teacher told me she planned to have the students write haiku poems about their shells. Haiku is a challenging form of poetry to write and one that can be too hard for some children due to it's rigid 5-7-5 syllable structure. English Language Learners and children with language disabilities have an especially difficult time. I suggested a similar, yet easier to manage, relative of the haiku-the Lune- as an alternative. His teacher welcomed the suggestion.

A lune is a short poem of 11 words:  3 words in the first line, 5 words in the second line, and 3 words in the third line. Frequently, the third line offers a surprise. For more information about lunes, including examples, I recommend the book Poetry Everywhere by Jack Collum and Sheryl Noethe. I have the first edition. Here's the second:

If you wish to explore other poetic forms with your children or students, this book is an excellent resource.

Here are some examples taken from my son's third grade class. Only students who wished to have their poems published are included. Not all of the poems stick to the 3-5-3 structure (some did 5-3-5) but they have a similar feel. All students drew their shells, as well, but I think these poems stand alone well.

My shell is

orange bumpy and smooth at

 the same time.

by Kayla

My shell is very curly

round and short

and colors of the rainbow.

by Nathan

My shell looks

like a breaking wave crashing

onto the shore.

by Dante

A happy shell

swimming in the blue sea

on its back.

by Hannah

A conch is a conch

brown to its

point, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy you get!

by Haley

Happy scallops live in shells

sad scallops don't

Sad scallops get eaten. Yum!

by Ben

This oval shaped, spikey shell

has brown bumps

with a peach colored inside.

by Beatrice

My shell is at the

sunny beach with

all the shells and creatures.

by Cole F.

One black dot

in the middle, bumpy brown

around every edge.

by Cecilia

My shell has

wings on its side to

help it swim.

by Ella

My shell looks very bumpy

and also looks

like the beautiful setting sun.

by Marissa

My shell has two parts,

lives in the

ocean and opens and shuts.

by Julia

And here's one that is best read along with the art:

Will you give Lunes a try? Since they're such a short form, I hope you'll share examples in the comments.