Earth Day

Team 1 is gearing up for the Earth Day 2015 celebration on April 22.

Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. Earth Day and kids are a natural combination - - with their sense of wonder about the environment, as well as their creativity, Earth Day is the perfect writing topic.   

Following the example of the Lorax, students were asked to "speak up" with their ideas about the environment. After brainstorming ideas about recycling, pollution, and how to preserve our planet, students expressed their ideas in poetic form. The inner-poet in each student shared a melodic verse on ways to treat the planet better. 

Students created a craftivity for a hallway display to raise awareness of Earth Day.

Unless Someone Like You . . . 

Earth Day is right around the corner, and students are heeding the words of Dr. Seuss' favorite eco-activist -  the Lorax.  

This Seuss character has found new friends in Room 100. 

Earth Day

by Ethan Rusk

Don't create pollution

Instead- -devise a solution.

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!

We all have a life cycle.

We need to save the trees.

So come and help us, please!

We need to take a stand.

Choose to lend a helping hand.

Save trees; don't displease.

Let's work together - you and me.

Thank you, twinkl, for sharing the faces template.

A Gallery of Poems

As the end of the year draws near, students are feeling the pull of warm summer days to come. This week we were able to channel that excitement into poetry. Students were introduced to a variety of poetic forms and elements.  Each student then wrote an original poem. 

We have created a "Poetry Gallery," which we filled with tributes to a season packed with sights, smells, and sounds: splashing water; hot dogs off the grill; bike rides; the water park; and lemonade. 

Summer break is so close we can see, feel, hear, taste, and smell the season.

Thanks, Jaime, at TpT for this clever craftivity!

Shape Poems

Written by Chase 

February is a great time to practice poetry writing skills and experiment with a new form. It's a perfect opportunity to take a fresh look at poetry and descriptive language. 

A trip to computer lab introduced students to a new site -festisite. This site is easy to use and yields some impressive artwork. After students wrote their poems, they typed the text into the text box. Next they clicked "Layout text" and their text appeared as a shape poem inside a heart. The image is delivered as a PDF which makes it easy for students to print and save their creations.  It's clever and fun!

Room 102 is decorated for the season with student poetry.

Click the icon to continue the fun at home. 

March Limericks

St. Patrick’s Day is often associated with limericks, a style of poetry popularized by Edward Lear in the 19th century. Limericks aren't Irish, but there is a Limerick county in Ireland where limericks gain fame. These nonsensensical poems are a fun way for students to celebrate the season.  Students wrote their own limericks after hearing this catchy tune several times; many times. Actually, I-can't-get-it out-of my-head times!

Flip through the slideshow for a preview of student limericks. Check out the complete works on the bulletin board outside Room 102.

Fall Poetry

Can you feel the autumn wind stirring?

Students are experimenting with fall poetry. They are writing diamante poems  - a diamante poem takes the shape of a diamond. Each line uses specific types of words, like nouns, adjectives, and –ing words. It does not have to rhyme.

Students have discovered the thesaurus is a friend!  If you are a writer, this wonderous book should be a quick reach. Thesaurus.com  makes it even easier with online access. Microsoft Word's synonyms are easily accessed by simply right clicking the word in question. Students have added two great resources to their writer's toolbox.

It's a great time of the year to snuggle in and read. As the weather turns cooler, I'm enjoying homemade pumpkin spice lattes and the poets in Room 102.

Our Shelebration

Nearly a dozen years after his death, Shel Silverstein once again hit the shelves with a new book of poems titled Every Thing On It.  Shel's family went through his notebooks to put together this collection of poetry.  WOW! That should communicate to students the importance of a writer's notebook.X

I am a huge fan of Shel, so I stood in line at Hastings Book Store to purchase the book. Actually, I was the line. At midnight, I was the first and only person in Norfolk to own the new book. 

We shelebrated in the classroom with  a party. X

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Plus students are experimenting with their own poetry immitating Shel's style. He makes use of rhyme, stanzas, irony, and nonsense words. 

There are some awesome poets in Room 102. Read our entire collection of poems on the bulletin board outside Room 102.

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Click the Shel Silverstein icon to visit his site for children. Do not skip the intro. It's a whole lot of clever.