Poetry Coffeehouse

Introduction: In the tradition of great coffehouses, where artists share their work while interested patrons enjoy the arts and partake of refreshments, Kings Park is looking for a class of poets to create a Poetry Coffeehouse.

Task: The class needs to learn all about the literary forms of poetry. You'll have a chance to experience different forms and try writing them yourself. Then you will pick one or two pieces of poetry to share at an evening event for families and guests.

Process:

Teachers: This unit took place in the month of February, so introductory poems were centered around the myriad of special days in the month of February.

1. A letter is sent to parents introducing the poetry unit and encouraging them to send in their child's favorite poem.
2. Students get a chance to visualize while poetry is being read to them. The teacher reads the poem, "Snow on Trees" by Jane Yolen and ask children to visualize in their mind the picture it presents. After the reading, students get a chance to illustrate what they have visualized. Students share their thoughts and illustrations and then the story is reread with the teacher sharing the illustrations.
3. "Groundhog Day" by Lilian Moore is shared and the holiday discussed.
4. "Chinese New Year" by Myra Cohn Livingston is read to the class. A discussion on Lunar New Year follows.
5. Children are introduced to the concept of syllables and use the syllables template in the computer lab.
6. The class has a Poetry Exploratorium where a variety of activities are put out and run by parent volunteers, instructional assistants and teachers. Students can make choices about which activities they will try. All activities are centered around poetry:
   • acrostic poems
   • concrete math
   • look at poetry books
   • shape poetry as in "Doodle Dandies"
   • Conversation Heart poems
   • animal cinquains
   • illustrate each other's favorite poems
   • snowmen poetry with song and puppets
7. The Choice Board and contract is introduced to students.
8. Students discuss word chunks and go to the computer lab to complete the word chunk lesson.
9. A poem about Abraham Lincoln entitled "The Penny Problem" by Maxwell Higgins is introduced.
10. On Valentines Day a poem called "A Million Valentines" by Robert Heidbreder is used.
11. Students start writing poetry of their own.
12. After they have had a chance to create multiple poems, they choose one that they will share at the coffeehouse and illustrate their poem.
13. They practice reading their poem to their peers.

Opportunities to share:

1. Students share their poetry interpretations with each other.
2. They write their own poetry and share it with peers and teachers.
3. The night of the coffeehouse, students rotate from table to table sharing their poems. Families and friends enjoy listening to the poetry.

Assessment:

Ongoing assessment in the form of anecdotal records are taken as students work together to experience poetry and write their own.

To see pictures from the unit, click on the poet.

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Unit designed by Gail Ritchie andJane Frydenlund
Page created by Brooks Widmaier
March 2003