ONE LINE CROW - Day 6

 Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.)

This month I am studying crows, sharing a new crow poem each day of April. The number of lines in each poem will correspond to the date, with a 1-line poem on April 1...and a 30-line poem on April 30. If you'd like to play along, simply choose a topic that you'd like to explore for 30 days. It might be a subject that you already know a lot about or perhaps you'll explore something new.

I invite you to join me in this project! 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for 30 days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024, corresponding the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 14 will have 14 lines. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. OR....invent your own idea! And if you start later in April, just play around however you wish.

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

Below you may read the first poems:

April 1 - High in a Pine

April 2 - First Baby Picture

April 3 - Nestling Crow Appreciates

April 4 - Thirty Days Old

April 5 - Young Crow with his Sparkling Blue Eyes

And now for today!

Six Crows, Six Lines

Photo by Amy LV

Students - For today, it just felt right to try to capture the feeling of Sky. Yesterday, Young Crow flew for the first time and today we linger in the boundlessness of air.

Below you can see my messy drafting. You will see lines of rhyming words, lines of synonyms, and crossouts as numerous as can be. Very occasionally I will draft a poem at the computer, but for me, it is the feeling of pen in hand and the act of moving hand across page that helps me think and know which word wishes be written next.

April 6 Draft

Photo by Amy LV

Thank you for joining me for ONE LINE CROW...

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

ONE LINE CROW - Day 5

 Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.)

This month I am studying crows, sharing a new crow poem each day of April. The number of lines in each poem will correspond to the date, with a 1-line poem on April 1...and a 30-line poem on April 30. If you'd like to play along, simply choose a topic that you'd like to explore for 30 days. It might be a subject that you already know a lot about or perhaps you'll explore something new.

I invite you to join me in this project! 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for 30 days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024, corresponding the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 14 will have 14 lines. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. OR....invent your own idea! And if you start later in April, just play around however you wish.

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

Below you may read the first poems:

April 1 - High in a Pine

April 2 - First Baby Picture

April 3 - Nestling Crow Appreciates

April 4 - Thirty Days Old

And now for today!

Five Crows, Five Lines

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Since today is April 5, I thought I would write a limerick. They do have five lines! And while my limerick is more scientific than silly, it does follow the limerick pattern of:

• five lines
• matching end rhymes in lines 1, 2, and 5
• matching end rhymes in lines 3 and 4

What helped me most in writing today's five-liner, as is often the case with poetry, was a mentor. As I wrote my limerick, I kept going back to Edward Lear's "There Was an Old Man with a Beard," the limerick of my childhood. My meter matches his....alllllmost. The difference is that my third and fourth lines have six syllables each whereas his have five syllables each. 

If you wish to try a limerick, you might want to memorize Lear's poem. Then you will have a mentor with you all the time. (I wonder if the Old Man of Lear's famous limerick ever had a crow in his beard!)

Thank you for joining me for ONE LINE CROW...

Thank you to the Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade teachers and to the PTA of Seely Place Elementary School in Scarsdale, NY. I felt so welcome this week on my third return to your school, and I look forward to returning to the Edgemont School District again later this month for more assemblies and writing workshops with the primary students of Greenville Elementary School. Primary writers astound and inspire me, always.

Irene is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Live Your Poem with so much goodness, from community poetry projects to moving prayer poems to the annual National Poetry Month Progressive Poem. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

ONE LINE CROW - Day 4

 Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.)

This month I am studying crows, sharing a new crow poem each day of April. The number of lines in each poem will correspond to the date, with a 1-line poem on April 1...and a 30-line poem on April 30. If you'd like to play along, simply choose a topic that you'd like to explore for 30 days. It might be a subject that you already know a lot about or perhaps you'll explore something new.

I invite you to join me in this project! 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for 30 days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024, corresponding the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 14 will have 14 lines. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. OR....invent your own idea! And if you start later in April, just play around however you wish.

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

Below you may read the first poems:

April 1 - High in a Pine

April 2 - First Baby Picture

April 3 - Nestling Crow Appreciates

And now for today!

Four Crows, Four Lines

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Well, Crow has now grown from Hatchling (newly hatched) to Nestling (staying in the nest) to Fledgling (flying learner, out of the nest). Did you know that crows do not return to the nest once they leave? Even though fledgling crows cannot fly yet, they leave the nest to be safe from predators. Yes, there are predators on the ground, but a nest is a noisy attractor of raccoons and crow-nestling-eaters such as hawks and owls. So it's a risk...but one that is wroth it.

Today's four line poem does not rhyme. It is a short story poem, almost like a small movie showing the moment when the character of Crow Fledgling makes that first jump. Here are two poetry questions to talk about:

• Can you find any repeated sounds?
• Why do you think that I wrote line three in such short sentences?

And here is one science question:

• From whom do you think Fledgling Crow will hide on the ground before he is able to fly?

Thank you for joining me for ONE LINE CROW...

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

ONE LINE CROW - Day 3

 Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.)

 

This month I am studying crows, sharing a new crow poem each day of April. The number of lines in each poem will correspond to the date, with a 1-line poem on April 1...and a 30-line poem on April 30. If you'd like to play along, simply choose a topic that you'd like to explore for 30 days. It might be a subject that you already know a lot about or perhaps you'll explore something new.

I invite you to join me in this project! 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for 30 days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024, corresponding the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 14 will have 14 lines. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. OR....invent your own idea! And if you start later in April, just play around however you wish.

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

Below you may read the first two poems:

April 1 - High in a Pine

April 2 - First Baby Picture

And now for today!

Three Crows, Three Lines

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Writing today's three-line poem felt like a little party with myself, and this party was about the long A sound, especially the sound - ATE. I used one of my favorite rhyming resources, RhymeZone, to find words that rhyme with regurgitate (chew and throw up food) because this is a great word, and many birds - including crows - regurgitate food into their babies' mouths. Then, I read and reread those words to find ones that made sense in the world of one Nestling (before leaving the nest) Crow. 

A nestling crow is a crow that still lives in the nest...but it is not a brand new baby, or hatchling. Such a nestling crow might stay in its nest for 30 or more days. And did you know that crows sometimes remain with their families for many years? A young crow might even stay with its family for five years, and during this time, it might help its father kill insects and other small creatures, throwing them up into their new siblings' mouths.

If you wish, try starting a poem with one word in mind. Look it up in a rhyming dictionary or at RhymeZone, and see if you find a poem idea in a rhyme or a bit of wordplay.

Thank you for joining me for ONE LINE CROW...

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

ONE LINE CROW - Day 2

 Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.)

 

This month I am studying crows, sharing a new crow poem each day of April. The number of lines in each poem will correspond to the date, with a 1-line poem on April 1...and a 30-line poem on April 30. If you'd like to play along, simply choose a topic that you'd like to explore for 30 days. It might be a subject that you already know a lot about or perhaps you'll explore something new.

I invite you to join me in this project! 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for 30 days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024, corresponding the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 14 will have 14 lines. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. OR....invent your own idea! And if you start later in April, just play around however you wish.

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

Below you may read the first poem in this project:

April 1 - High in a Pine

And now for today!

Two Crows, Two Lines

Photo by Amy LV

Students - This small two line poem does no more than describe what a baby crow looks like when it is born. I did some research, and used the words that I found in scientific descriptions of hatchling (just hatched) crows. 

You might notice:

1. I created a big new word by joining the words feather-and-power-less with hyphens

2. Again, the title adds more to the poem which helps when writing such a brief poem. (I love the pretend idea of a new little crow having a baby picture taken.)

3. This poem is a couplet. You may read the definition of a couplet below:.

From the Cambridge Dictionary

Perhaps you will wish to try one of the writing moves that I tried here today. Or perhaps you will rely on some of your own favorite dance steps. Your poem is your poem.

Thank you for joining me for ONE LINE CROW...

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

ONE LINE CROW - Day 1

Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.

 

This month I am studying crows, sharing a new crow poem each day of April. The number of lines in each poem will correspond to the date, with a 1-line poem on April 1...and a 30-line poem on April 30. If you'd like to play along, simply choose a topic that you'd like to explore for 30 days. It might be a subject that you already know a lot about or perhaps you'll explore something new.

I invite you to join me in this project! 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for 30 days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024, corresponding the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 14 will have 14 lines. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. OR....invent your own idea! And if you start later in April, just play around however you wish.

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

One Line Crow

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Today's poem, only one line long, relies on two techniques:

1. The title adds more information to the scene.

2. I used a lot of alliteration, speficically assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds - to hold it together.

The facts I found to help me were: crows nest in pines (and lots of other places), crows lay clutches of 3-9 eggs, crows' eggs are spotted. They are also blue-green in color, but I did not include this fact in the poem.

I am keeping a new notebook for this project, and from time to time, I will share some notes or a draft with you. You can see that on the left of each page, I am recording crow facts from books, websites, and videos. On the right, I am writing the drafts of poem lines. Today I was a tiny bit surprised to learn that a one line poem was more difficult for me to write than a many-lined poem. 

April 1 Drafting

Photo by Amy LV

Thank you for joining me on this first day of ONE LINE CROW...

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.