From the Home Office: Poetry Picks

I'm finally feeling like my old self and just in time, since Winter Break is officially over!

As if to buffer ourselves against the winter chill, many of my grades are beginning poetry units.  I've found several ideas that I will be trying with my first, second and third graders.

This year I will once again create "Spine Poetry" with my third graders.  I can no longer remember who suggested this idea, but it's a lot of fun.  Students roam the fiction shelves in search of three or four books to stack  - forming a poem in the process.  Here are some pictures of last year's poems:

Here's a great website to use for composing poetry on the fly, especially if you are lucky enough to have an interactive Smartboard!  Use this to reinforce sight words too!

And finally, I was intrigued by this idea of Paper Bag Poetry.  I may have my students compose their poems directly onto a brown paper lunch bag. 

How are you fending off the winter blues with a poem or two?