Poetry Stations Made Simple

It has been quite awhile since my last post.  I really hope with summer around the corner, I'll be able to dedicate more time to my blog.  Over the last month, I've done some reflecting on what isn't working quite as well as I'd like in my classroom.

This was an easy choice for me.  I knew right away it was my Poetry Station.  My students are given a poem for the week, which they cut out and glue in their journal.  On the opposite page, they make connections to the poem and then illustrate under their writing.   This year, my students have been avoiding this station like the plague.  By the end of the week, my poem file would remain full of unused poems.   I became determined to find a way to get my class more excited about poetry.

I decided to start by thumbing through the collection of poems I've been using over the years.  One thing I noticed was that even though they were supposed to be kid friendly, perhaps they weren't as kid friendly as I thought.  I started to draw the conclusion that maybe my students were reluctant to write about the poems, because they were having trouble understanding or making personal connections to the poems I had chosen.  I decided to test this out by writing an original kid friendly poem that went along with the theme of the story we were reading for the week.  I created a simple template that still had space for them to make a personal connection, but also focused on a few grammar concepts.  I slipped it in as their new station and waited to see how they responded.  I couldn't believe how well it went.  They absolutely LOVED the new format and really seemed to enjoy the simple poems.  I've gone from the poetry station being the least popular station to some even wanting to get it done during recess.  I have continued this for about a month now and my poetry station is definitely a new class favorite!

Here is a peek at a couple of our poems:

I've been feverishly writing poems over the last month and have a current total of 14.  There are numerous topics available to choose from that will most likely connect well to many of the stories you are reading in your own classrooms.  This resource will continue to grow. I have plans to at least double the current size. Right now, you can get it at its lowest price.  I will increase the price as new poems are added.

I'd love to give it away to one lucky teacher tomorrow evening.  Simply leave your e-mail for a chance to win. (Giveaway has ended)

 

Poetry Journals

We finished our Poetry Journals not too long ago, and I was super proud of their hard work.  This post is going to be photos galore, but I just fell in love with their poems.  I kept the format of the poetry journal fairly simple on purpose, because I really wanted their writing and illustrations to shine.

The Poetry Journal has 10 12 different poem templates that can simply be copied and put together in a booklet.  I wanted to keep it both teacher friendly and student friendly.  They really enjoyed the unit and I may have to keep adding to it, because they were super excited about writing each day!!!  They really looked forward to what type of poem we would learn about next.

You can get it in my TPT store, simply click on the image below to head straight there.

  This is the cover:

 

 Here are the types of poems included in the set:

Heart Map 

Acrostics

 Color Poems

 Shape Poems

 -ing Poems

I Like... Poems

 I Wish... Poem

Important Poem

Haiku

  

 Free Write Poem

(We used the template to write an adjective poem together about second graders)

There is also a description of each of the poem types included.  They could be included in the poetry journal or even used on a bulletin board with student samples.  I left them black and white, so students can color them if they choose.  This is a sample of one: