Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day

Are you ready? Do you have your poem? Will you ask anyone to read theirs to you? Will you be asked to read yours? BE PREPARED!!!!!

Book Spine Poetry with 5th Graders

Here are two successful poems that the 5th graders made today.

Book Spine Poetry Just Discovered

from the blog 100 Scopes Notes

I just this morning discovered book spine poetry. Looks like a great thinking activity for my students. Just have to decide which classes I trust enough to try it with. Could be a huge messy free for all if all the kids were "turned loose" to try!

Take a look at this link

http://100scopenotes.com/2010/03/12/poetry-friday-book-spine-poem-gallery/

This type poetry could be called a cento which is a poetical work wholly composed of verses or passages taken from other authors; only disposed in a new form or order.

You can view many examples in the gallery link. And from there you are hyperlinked to lots of other sites.

Now I am going to go try one!

National Poetry Month

It's April 1.....April Fool's Day and the beginning of National Poetry Month. We are plastering our school with poetry. Poems on the bathroom doors, the janitor's closets, near the water fountains, in the nurse's office, in the lunchroom, on the principals' doors and counselors' office doors. Our students are looking for their poems for Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 14.

Here are some good links to find out about National Poetry Month.

http://http//schools.nyc.gov/academics/englishlanguagearts/educatorresources/poetry%2bresources.htm

http://http//www.nyc.gov/html/poem/html/teachers/curriculum.shtml

http://http//www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/406

http://http//ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm

Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

The recent tragedy in Japan of earthquake and tsunami may make you want more information on the subject. Here are two links that may help you understand the tsunami and also see some coverage of what happened in Japan.


This site provides lots of links for kids

http://http//www.tsunami.noaa.gov/kids.html




This second link is for Scholastic News coverage for students.




http://http//l.wbx.me/l/?instId=a71f67e3-b7a9-4884-9c79-80272d1c2395&token=b260f359f99ecffb40d08febeec9d609993a51360000012eb273b39e&u=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.scholastic.com%2Fbrowse%2Farticle.jsp%3Fid%3D3755883

Also a good short chapter book on the subject is

The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck




MSN is also publishing panoramic photos of the earthquake damage

http://http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/16/6284477-panoramic-image-shows-the-damage-in-kesennuma-japan?GT1=43001

News Station CAt

Check out this great MSN video: News-cat-ster


Any follower of this blog knows that our school had a Library Cat, Tigger, for over 10 years. He brought much joy and peace to our students. Look at this news station that has a News Cat!

Read Across America Week