We have been busy seeing the world around us in fresh new ways...
We began our unit on poetry by learning that poet's use their "poets' eyes" when writing.... Poets are able to see ordinary objects in a more creative way. We read the following poem, Pencil Sharpener, by a first grade student Zoe:
I think there are a hundred bees
inside the pencil sharpener
and they buzz
and buzz
and buzz
until my point
is sharp!
(poem taken from Lucy Calkin's Poetry:Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages)
Students love seeing that other children their age are creating poetry just like them. We took some time to point out objects that we see everyday in our classroom like the ceiling to try and see them in a new way, just like a poet. One of us saw the ceiling as a big white birch tree growing overhead...The little holes in it reminded them of a birch tree's bark -- I never thought of our ceiling that way :)
Poets were also given special "Tiny Moment" journals to keep note of anything that struck them in their everyday lives. We've been excited to take these notebooks home with us. Some of us have even taken ours out to recess and lunch to jot down something that might make a good poem, so we don't forget! It is so exciting to see what children are noticing with their poets' eyes and their eagerness to share their observations with us and their classmates. Please keep encouraging your children to bring their journals with them on family outings or around the house... these small moments and observations create great ideas for beautiful poems!