Inspiration: Timeless and Timely Many of you who accepted this “Poem A Day” invitation have read plays by William Shakespeare and may even have a favorite. One of my favorites that seldom gets dropped from high school reading lists is ROMEO AND JULIET. Did you …
Inspiration: Respond to Experience with Transliteration A challenging but rewarding practice activity for processing reading and writing poetry is transliteration – the act of converting from one genre to another. Consider converting one of your journal entries or short blogs into a poem. Process Reread …
Inspiration: Pantoum Writing unlocks thoughts and feelings we may be surprised we have. You want to explore your thoughts about a memorable incident! It could be a good, bad, embarrassing or insightful one. Here’s a poem structure that will pull ideas from your heart and …
This week Ethical ELA welcomes the wonderful Anna J. Small Roseboro to inspire us with “A Week of Patterning Poetry.” Inspiration Acrostic: Spring is a season we begin thinking about end of school year celebrations honoring students and colleagues, and summer events for family and …
Inspiration With spring on its way (perhaps not today in Chicagoland with a forecast of snow), you might be thinking of baseball, golf, gardening, long rides on the Harley. Write a poem about a sport or activity and its importance to you or in America …
Inspiration In my life time, I have had loves, friends, and habits that became (or always were) toxic. Sometimes I had the gumption to end it, and sometimes “it” ended me. So today, I invite you to write a break-up poem. Process This break-up poem …
Inspiration What do you carry? In a day, in our life, we carry a great many things in a purse, in a pocket, in a bag, on our shoulders. Write a poem about the things you carry (or do not carry). Note: This inspiration came …
A special thanks to Travis Crowder for inspiring us with verse days six through eleven. The poems crafted and shared here show the power of poetry to notice, remember, heal, and nurture community. Inspiration A Space of Meaning. I love the outdoors, as do many …
Inspiration: Emotional Memory I’m always haunted by memories, especially those associated with emotions such as grief, betrayal, and hurt. I know these are negative emotions, but part of healing is accepting and acknowledging their presence in our lives. Poem Process Choose an emotional memory. It …
Inspiration Today, we welcome Kwame Alexander’s poem “In My Closet, On the Top Shelf, is a Silver Box.” (Crush: Love Poems for Teenagers, 2008). Alexander’s poem serves as a mentor text to collect thinking. I love this poem because the short lines, divided with commas, …