We have launched our writing workshop with a unit on free verse poetry. Learning right alongside us is Jack, the protagonist in our read aloud, Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. Jack starts his school year with the belief that poetry is for girls, but as his teacher continues to share the work of poets like Robert Frost, Valerie Worth, Arnold Adoff, and Walter Dean Myers, Jack stretches himself to read, write, and reflect. He grows to like the sounds poems leave in his ears, appreciate their sensory imagery, and realize that writing can help him to come to terms with a tough loss.
Poetry is the perfect genre with which to begin our year, as it lends itself to creativity and risk taking, two traits key to a successful workshop. As Lucy Calkins writes, "No other genre grants young writers quite the same freedom to experiment with space on the page, to savor the sound of the words they are writing, and above all, to make universal meaning out of close observations, thoughts, and questions about the world and personal experience." Growing these skills and habits now will help writers as we move through the units that will shape our year: personal narrative, research-based argument essays, and informational writing. Stay tuned to see some of our writing, and for information about our coffeehouse poetry celebration.
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AuthorMeryl Sweeney Archives
April 2017
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