This year's poetry stars: meet the students and teachers who made Instructor's fourth annual poetry contest shine. (Announcing).Just as the charcoal skies and bone-chilling cold of late winter were really starting to get to me, I was asked to help judge Instructor s Fourth Annual Poetry Contest. Zing! My mood lifted, brightened by each entry that crossed my desk, sang in my ear, tickled my funny bone. It was like the arrival of spring, in the form of thousands and thousands of kidcrafted poems. Sure, it wasn't easy winnowing winnowing: see threshing. down all those great pieces to a manageable pile-there were so many standouts! But work at it we did, until four winners were selected along with 20 noteworthy runners-up. What conclusions did we draw about this year's contestants? Hats off to the teachers who inspired such joyful leaps of imagination. There were poems about tadpoles Tadpoles are a psychedelic rock band formed in 1990 in New York City by Todd Parker (guitars/vocals) and Michael Kite Audino (drums.) In 1992, Nick Kramer (guitars/vocals), David Max (bass) and Andrew Jackson (guitars) of the fledgling Manhattan group, Hit, joined the Tadpoles and paintings, homework and hamsters, piano lessons and global peace. Some entries were serious, some delightfully silly. A number were written in free verse free verse, term loosely used for rhymed or unrhymed verse made free of conventional and traditional limitations and restrictions in regard to metrical structure. Cadence, especially that of common speech, is often substituted for regular metrical pattern. , while others unfolded in careful rhyme. The children's work was chock-full of metaphors and similes, onomatopoeia onomatopoeia (ŏn'əmăt'əpē`ə) [Gr.,=word-making], in language, the representation of a sound by an imitation thereof; e.g., the cat mews. Poets often convey the meaning of a verse through its very sound. , and awesome alliteration-all the good things that make poetry sing! Teachers were obviously doing something very right. So we decided to get in touch with a few of them to find our how they help kids make the magic happen. What were their words of advice? Second-grade teacher Sylvia Hakala at King-Murphy Elementary School elementary school: see school. in Evergreen, Colorado, considers her own enthusiasm her number one strategy. "I love poetry" she declares, "and it all flows from there. We do a poem each day--we read it, we write it, we just can't get enough "Just Can't Get Enough" is the third UK single by Depeche Mode originally released on September 7 1981. It was also the band's first single to be released in the United States, on February 18 1982. !" Meanwhile Diane Doebel, a second grade teacher at Detroit Country Day School Detroit Country Day School (also known as DCDS, DCD, or Country Day) is a private, secular school located in Beverly Hills, Michigan, northwest of Detroit. DCDS was founded in Detroit in 1914, inspired by the Country Day School movement. , in Bloomfield Hills, "Michigan, heads off writer's block writer's block Psychiatry An occupational neurosis of authors, in whom creative juices are temporarily or permanently inspissated with energetic brainstorming sessions and lots of modeling. "We always start by writing a poem together. TEACHING THE POEMS That gives kids the confidence they need to strike out on their own," she says. Seventh-grade teacher Teresa Blankenship at Northwest Middle School, in Travelers Rest, South Carolina Travelers Rest is a town in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,099 at the 2000 census. "TR", as the town is known around the area, is just north of Greenville, SC. , stresses the importance of making sure students take their poems through every step in the writing process. Editing and peer conferences," she reports, "are essential to polished products." Finally, third-grade teacher Elizabeth Allen at Columbus Academy, in Gahanna, Ohio, keeps the m ood light while preserving the authenticity of each child's voice with her cheerful refrain: "You may not get to be the boss of everything, but you sure get to be the boss of your poem!" (For more tips, see Top Ten Ways to Create a Poetry-rich Classroom at www.Scholastic.com/instructor.) Now that we've heard from the coaches, let's meet our poetry stars. "The Growing Flower" First grader Amanda Hurst may be our youngest winner, but her poem certainly showcases a sophisticated grasp of simile simile (sĭm`əlē) [Lat.,=likeness], in rhetoric, a figure of speech in which an object is explicitly compared to another object. Robert Burns's poem "A Red Red Rose" contains two straightforward similes: . Savor the line, "And then a bud like a raindrop/Opens like an umbrella." How is a bud like a raindrop? How is it like an umbrella? Guide kids to see that Amanda's words make pictures in our minds because her comparisons--called similes--ring true. Together brainstorm a list of objects that are different but also alike in at least one key way. Then post the chart for kids to refer to when they need a boost generating similes. "Tadpoles" Second grader Jane Ziecik's homage to tadpoles is so energetic it practically leaps off the page! Read the piece chorally, then invite your students to explore the text. Can they find alliteration alliteration (əlĭt'ərā`shən), the repetition of the same starting sound in several words of a sentence. Probably the most powerful rhythmic and thematic uses of alliteration are contained in Beowulf, ("Flip! Flop! Flip! Flop!"), precise images (eggs are "little jelly balls"), and strong words ("float," "Poof!")? What other elements make this verse so memorable? "Fire" Fifth grader James Waters' terrific poem grabs our attention and never lets go--the goal of any creative work! Build fluency by inviting students to read it as if they are the voice of fire. How would fire sound? Strong? Angry? Determined? In the piece, lames gives fire many human qualities. Can students locate them? (The fire "eats," "spits," and "devours.") Explain to children that this literary device is called personification personification, figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstract ideas are endowed with human qualities, e.g., allegorical morality plays where characters include Good Deeds, Beauty, and Death. . Can they come up with more human qualities for fire? How about for water, or wind? Make a list and use it to create your own personification poems. "Abundant" Last, but certainly not least, is eighth grader Humza Quadir's moving meditation on abundance. Read it aloud to your class, mindful of the meticulous line breaks. Ask: Why did Humza choose to break each line as he did? Guide children to understand that each line presents an important thought. Could he have made other choices? Invite students to re-break the poem in a different way. Does it alter the meaning? Point out that "abundant" is an adjective-and a spectacular one at that! Together, brainstorm and choose your own spectacular adjective and write a poem in the spirit of "Abundant." RELATED ARTICLE: Congratulations to this year's winners! WINNERS: See the winning poems on the instructor poetry, page 32. * Amanda Hurst 1st grade Acacia Elementary School Phoenix AZ * Jane Ziecik 2nd grade Detroit Country Day School, Bloomfield Hills, MI * James Waters 5the grade Francis Parker School, San Diego, CA * Humza Quadir 8th grade Hopewell Junior High Westchester, OH RUNNERS-UP Visit www.scholastic.com/Instructor to read their poerm! * Silka Cole 2nd grade, King-Murphy Elementary School Evergreen, CO * Catherine Dolan 2nd grade, Detroit Country Day Schoo, Bloomfield Hills, MI * Anna Farnsworth 2nd grade, Corl St. Elementary School State College, PA * Kassidy Johnson 2nd grade, Portola Hills Elementary School Trabuco Canyon, CA * Paul Ricks 2nd grade, Burlay Elementary School, Chicago, IL * Margaret Haas 3rd grade, Advent Day School Birmingham AL * Kristin Lampe 3rd grade, Columbus Academy Gahanna OH * Annie Lee 3rd grade Columbus Academy Gahanna OH * Jillian Adler 3rd grade Columbus Academy Gahanna OH * Seamas Boyle 4th grade Hawley Elementary school Netwon CT * Jayson Barron 4th grade Ben Franklin Elementary School Franklin Elementary School is the name of many elementary schools, usually named after Benjamin Franklin. They include:
* Josh Broad 5th grade Glenn Loomis Elementary School Traverse City MI. * Hannah Germain 5th grade Undermountain Elementary School Sheffield, MA * Samantha Simao 5th grade Buri Buri Elementary School South San Francisco South San Francisco, city (1990 pop. 54,312), San Mateo co., W Calif.; inc. 1908. South San Francisco has several industrial parks; its manufactures include medical supplies and equipment, foods, paint, paper products, consumer goods, and clothing. CA * Hana Shehadeh 5th grade Buri Buri Elementary School, South San Francisco CA * Lucy Spicer 5th grade Awty International School The Awty International School is a private school located in Houston, Texas, USA, for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. It is a certified international school and the second largest in the United States. , Houston, TX * Kirk Baker 6th grade Leupp Public School Flagstaff Flagstaff, city (1990 pop. 45,857), seat of Coconino co., N Ariz., near the San Francisco Peaks; inc. 1894. Lumbering, ranching, and a lively tourist trade thrive in the region, where many ruined pueblos, numerous state parks, several lakes, and large pine forests , AZ * Zanaeya Benton 6th grade Leupp Public School, Flagstaff, AZ * Liz Furlow 6th grade, Annunciation Orthodox School Annunciation Orthodox School, or AOS, is a private school located in Houston, Texas, established in 1970. The school, which is located in the Montrose neighborhood, teaches preschool through eighth grade and has grown from 14 students in 1970 to over 650 students as of 2007. , Houston, TX * Liz Farry 7th grade, Northwest Middle School, travelers Rest SG |
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