Luther Burbank Elementary Poetry: Special project weeks 15-16, March 28 & April 18

About Hands on Stanzas

Hands on Stanzas, the educational outreach program of the Poetry Center of Chicago places professional, teaching Poets in residence at Chicago Public Schools across the city. Poets teach the reading, discussion, and writing of poetry to 3 classes over the course of 20 classroom visits, typically from October through April. Students improve their reading, writing, and public speaking skills, and participating teachers report improved motivation and academic confidence. You can contact Cassie Sparkman, Director of the Hands on Stanzas program, by phone: 312.629.1665 or by email: csparkman(at)poetrycenter.org for more information.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Special project weeks 15-16, March 28 & April 18

In week 15 I brought broadsides that I have collected in the past few years and talked about how each features a single poem. I talked to the students about how each one has visual art inspired by the words, images and ideas of the poem. I then had the students go through their work from this year and find their favorite or best poem. Next I had them closely read the poem and decide what kind of imagery they could use to complement their language and had them sketch some ideas. In the mean time I went around the room discussing with each what color of paper they feel would best suit their work and distributed the paper.

In week 16 we continued the broadside project and I briefly reminded them where we began so they could get to work. I reminded them to neatly write their poem on their paper and then incorporate the images they sketched. Some used literal imagery, others used designs, and some included borders. All in all they turned out wonderfully. They will be put on display in the classrooms, featured in the student's annual portfolios and some will also be featured at parent's night.