Poem Pep Talks & A Poetry Peek

My Pencil Case and Current Notebook

Photo by Amy LV

Students - I have been out of my normal writing routine.  Some good family things, and a big and different writing project have pulled me away from my notebook. These things have been good.....but oh, how I have missed my notebook.  I feel like I have been missing part of me.

So when I began writing this morning, I really did need to give myself a pep talk.  I wrote and wrote to myself about how much better I feel when I am writing regularly, and how much easier it is to write when writing is a habit.  Good habits help with living, yet sometimes I let my habits go.  Then, I must happily chase them down again.  That's what today looks like.

As way led onto way in this morning's notebook writing, my pep talk became a poem.  I thought I was writing it for you.  But if I am honest, I will tell you that I wrote it for you...and for me.  The words in this poem are true for me.  I hope that it will give me courage when I think to myself, "I don't know if I can find a writing idea today."  And I hope it might help you too.  Just begin.

We all have struggles in life, and sometimes writing a pep talk or a pep talk poem can lift a person up.  You might choose to write a pep talk or a pep talk poem for a friend or a family member...or for yourself.   The way we speak to each other and ourselves changes our thinking.  So writing to ourselves in positive ways matters and makes a difference.

And now...a Poetry Peek!  Today I could not be happier to welcome second grade teacher and author Mary Anne Sacco from P.S. 290, The Manhattan New School in New York City.  Mary Anne is author, with Karen Ruzzo, of a book I love, SIGNIFICANT STUDIES FOR SECOND GRADE, a book that I know helped inspire my own EVERY DAY BIRDS.  

Available through Heinemann

The Cozy Writing Home of Our Grade 2 Poets

Photo by Mary Anne Sacco

by Mary Anne Sacco 

This winter’s second snow day in NYC was announced the day before it occurred. I perused The Poem Farm, as  I do often, when looking for some mentor poetry to use with my second graders.  Even though the first day of Spring was only a week away, on this Snow Day Eve, we found ourselves reading aloud John Rocco’s BLIZZARD.

Available at Your Local Book Shop

We read these two poems from Amy. 

That evening the students had these poems in their home learning packet as mentors to help them write their own snow day poems.

It’s March and we have been using poetry in our home learning packets and in class since the beginning of the year. I also immersed the kids in a short December poetry genre study.  We focused on list poems and poems of address.  The most powerful teaching came from studying a few mentor poems. And these young writers are still holding those lessons with them. The slashes in some of these poems you'll read indicate the places where the students are planning their line breaks. 

My students love poetry and many of them choose writing a poem as a home learning choice to share with the class or a family member.  

Here are a few poetry writing tips from my students.

A Tip from Gillian

Tips from Serena and Georgia

Here are some Poetry Hands.

Poetry Hands Write

Photo by Mary Anne Sacco

Poetry Hands Make Books

Photo by Mary Anne Sacco

And here are some poems students wrote for snow day home learning.

by Olivia

by Conor

by Shiloh

by Georgia

by Aidan

by Caitlin

Some of these students' winter poems, as well as their spring poems, will soon be included in home learning packets too.

Thank you so much to Mary Anne and these poets for joining us today, during the first week of spring!  We can write about any weather at any time of year...and now as we totter between winter and spring, we thank you for these celebrations of snow.

Please allow me, too, to share a beautiful book about snow days.  If you do not yet own BEFORE MORNING, by poet Joyce Sidman, do not miss this enchanting work of art.

Available at Your Local Book Shop

To honor today's poets, I will offer a giveaway of Joyce's book, to be sent to a commenter on today's post.  I'll draw names next Thursday, March 30...and will announce the winner next Friday as I host the Poetry Friday, Poetry Month Eve festivities and share my April Poetry Project.  (If you think your class might like to play along this year, pull out some crayons.  I'm buying a new box of 64 Crayolas.)

Catherine is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup and Kwame Alexander's new OUT OF WONDER at Reading to the Core.  Please stop by and visit. We share poems each week, and everyone is always invited.

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