Poetry Round #4

"If" and "Falling Star" are tonight's contenders. Let's hear what you think.

Poetry Round #3

Let's see what you think about "Roger the Dog" vs. "Casey at the Bat".

Poetry Round 2

Well done on our first round of Poetry Madness. You will continue the same process for tonight's Poetry Madness - Round 2. 1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence) 2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence) 3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY? ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. Tonight please read Game 2 and choose your favorite.

Poetry Madness

Poetry Madness: Let the Games Begin! During March, the best college basketball teams vie for the National Title. In order to be the best, each team must state their case by playing the best, scoring the most, and ultimately advancing to the next round. To create a sense of poetry madness in our room and celebrate poetry, we will read a bracket (2 poems) each evening and advance a class winner the following day. However, like the basketball tournament, we must use specific criteria to judge a poem: meaning, poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition), ability to visualize, and your personal connection. Each night you will answer the following 3 questions about the poems you have read. 1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence) 2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence) 3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY? ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing. Tonight please read Game 1 and choose your favorite.

Read This

A few days ago I noticed a student who was having a difficult time finding a book to read. “Want me to help you find a book?” I asked. “Yes, please!” she replied. “Nothing looks really great to me.” We were fishing through book baskets, pulling out possibilities, reading the backs of books, when a friend chimed in. “Oh, I know the perfect book for you!” the friend said. And the two were off, in search of the “perfect” book. Before reading was over, she had selected a book and fell into the reading zone.

In our lives, our best recommendations come from those who know us well. Our friends recommend movies, stores, songs, games, and yes, books. Chances are, you share the same interest in literature as someone in our class.

Readers, I would like for you to recommend a book to the class. Think of a book or other piece of literature you love. It can be a poem, magazine, blog, illustrated book or chapter book, or any other well-written piece of literature. Write the title of the book, the author, and a meaningful, specific reason why it is so great. Avoid “nothing” words like funny, great, and cool. If you know of someone specifically who would love the book, go ahead and add their initials.

At the end of the day, I checked in with my student who was busily reading her newly-selected chapter book. “So, you found the perfect book, huh? Looks like a great choice.” She replied, “Yeah, it’s great! My friend recommended it and I even had it listed on my Books I Want to Read list.” I smiled. “Well, that makes it a perfect choice then.” “Yes. Perfect.” Then she fell back into the zone.

One Little Word (OLW)

Each new year, two of my cyber-mentors challenge teachers to find their One Little Word (OLW). The OLW is one word that will represent, or symbolize, the year ahead. The word should be personal and thoughtful. My mentors spend weeks thinking about their OLW, making sure they select a word that will really guide them through the year ahead, keeping them focused and giving clarity to their lives.

I have thought a great deal about my OLW. For 2012, I selected "honor" as my One Little Word. I selected "honor" because I want to spend more time honoring what is important to me and others. I need this word to remind me to honor the differences and talents of my peers. Honor also reminds me to honor the time for my family and not waste on unimportant habits. Honor can apply to my life in so many ways - through friends, work, my students, my family, and myself. I will use this word to guide me through the days of 2012.

What is your One Little Word? How does this word apply to your life? How can you use your OLW to guide your year? Comment to this post with your OLW, and examples of how you can use your OLW this year. Here is a list of possible words to help you.

"Tagging" and Summarizing the Main Idea

Readers,

One way we gain information about our world is through reading news articles. Examples of good news articles are on the Scholastic News website.

We have been working on summarizing the main idea when we read - or as I call it, "getting the gist." To help us with this, I want us to look at a digital tool called "tagging". When bloggers and other writers submit online articles, they can "tag", or label, the most important words and phrases. This allows people who are searching for specific information to locate their articles easily online. When writers "tag" words in their article, they think of the most important words and phrases, ones that stand out the most, and the words that show what the article is really about. In other words, online writers "tag" their Main Idea words.

Read one of the articles. Write about the words you would "tag" as the main idea, explaining why you would choose those words. Then write a one-sentence summary about the article, pulling out the gist. I have given you an example.