World Poetry Day: Teach Poetry in Elementary Schools & Foster a Love of Language and Literacy

Poetry writing is a vital part of elementary school education. Not only does it allow students to express themselves creatively, but it also helps with developing those essential writing skills. In today's world, where literacy is a crucial attribute for achieving success, including poetry writing in your literacy programme can contribute positively on children's learning and personal growth.

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When World Poetry Day, coming up on 31st March 2013, puts the spotlight clearly on poetry, many school use this as the basis for holding a Poetry Week and focus solely on this writing genre.  But we know that teaching poetry in elementary schools fostering a love of language and literacy so why do we limited to only this week, in a whole year?

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Admittedly when I first started teaching poetry writing, I quickly realised that I didn't really know much about this genre either. So I set about an inquiry into how best to teach my students the skills they needed to make a good start. I wanted  to scaffold them for success, rather than frustrating students because it was too hard, confusing or unfamiliar.

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These hours of research lead to a teaching presentation that I worked through with my students during writing periods, building each day on prior knowledge gained in earlier sessions. It worked so well, that I developed it and published it for other teachers to use, too.

If this resource could help you with teaching poetry elements to your students ages 8+ or of an independent reading age, preview it here on:

TPT

With this structured poetry unit, you and your students can enjoy an engaging inquiry into Poetry as an exciting genre. The unit is chunked into small manageable lessons, to help experience success with discovering a love for reading and writing poems.

But don’t take my word for it. Read these comments from teachers already using this resource.

PRAISE FOR ELEMENTS OF POETRY 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ "Great resource! Love the IB links too! =0)"

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ "Great resource for poetry!"

To engage students and encourage them to take ownership of their work, incorporating student agency into the poetry writing process is key. Allowing students to choose their topics and styles can help them develop their unique voice and creativity. By providing diverse approaches and choices, teachers can help students develop a passion for writing and language that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Writing Bio Poems is a great way to start a new school year. Using this guided lesson plan will help you to support your students in creating individual and personal poems about themselves.

If this resource could help you with guiding your students ages 8+ or of an independent reading age, to write unique & individualised Bio Poems, preview it here on:

TPT

One approach to poetry writing in elementary schools is to have students write rhyming poems. This type of poetry helps students learn about syllables and phonemic awareness, which is an essential aspect of literacy development. Writing rhyming poems can also be a fun and engaging activity for students, sparking their imagination and creativity. One really engaging & informal way that I introduce rhyming couplets to students is with our daily farewell routine. I display the chart in this product in my room and students pick their personal farewells each day. This is a resource I have used for many years now and one that students always ask for.

If this resource could help you with introducing your students ages 5+ to rhyming couplets on a fun & informal way, preview it here on:

TPT

My favourite approach to teaching poetry writing is to have students write free verse poems. This type of poetry allows students to express themselves freely, without the constraints of a specific form or structure. By tapping into their imagination and creativity, students can develop their own unique voice and style as writers. This approach can be especially helpful for students who struggle with writing or have limited experiences with poetry.

Aside from developing writing skills, poetry writing in elementary school can have a positive impact on children's literacy skills. Poetry provides an opportunity for students to

• play with & analyse language, 
• experiment with words, 
• develop their vocabulary
• to think critically 

All essential aspect of literacy development.

Moreover, poetry writing can help students develop important 21st-century skills, such as communication and collaboration. When my students share their poems with each other, they have the opportunity to give and receive feedback, learning from one another. This type of collaboration can foster a sense of community in the classroom and help students develop important interpersonal skills.

Poetry is a genre that can come into many learning themes throughout the year. Click the link below to preview these guided poetry lessons.

For  themes based around well-being, personal identity & prejudice/ assumptions:

For  themes based around understanding our emotions:

For  themes based around building friendships:

These 2 lesson guides focus on Metaphors & Similes with themes based around I relationships with colours and to suit a unit about insects:

And finally a great one to use at the end of the year, reflecting on the year of learning that has been:

In conclusion, teaching poetry in elementary schools is a valuable way to foster a love of language and literacy. By incorporating diverse approaches and choices for students and fostering student agency, teachers can help students develop a passion for writing and language that will stay with them for a lifetime. So, let's make poetry a regular part of our classroom writing programmes and inspire the next generation of writers!

Thank you for stopping by,

With love, Te Aroha 

Timea 

My TPT store 

My Pinterest Page 

The Gram 

My Website

Build Positive Classroom Culture From the Start of a New School Year

When we as teachers take the time to build a positive classroom culture from the very first week of school we, along with our students, have a much better outlook for a successful school year. A strong and supportive learning environment helps to foster student engagement, academic achievement, and overall well-being. The start of a new school year provides a unique opportunity to establish the foundation of a successful classroom culture.

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In today's diverse and inclusive classrooms, it is important to adopt approaches that respect and celebrate these differences among students. By:

1. offering a variety of choices where possible, and 
2. allowing students to exercise agency over their learning, 

teachers can create an environment that is inclusive, empowering, and engaging.

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Student agency refers to the degree to which students have control over their own learning experiences. By giving students the opportunity to make decisions about:

• what they learn and 
• how they learn it, 

teachers can help to build a sense of ownership and responsibility in the learning process. This, in turn, leads to an increase in:

• motivation, 
• engagement, and 
• achievement.

This Inquiry Unit into body systems is a great example of how, you as the teacher can lead a teacher inquiry into 1 aspect - in this case the digestive system - and use this as the vehicle to teach the skills your students need to run their own inquiries into a system of their own choosing. They then engage more deeply with their subject matter, are more motivated to persevere through the challenges (aka the learning pit) and strive to achieve an outcome they are proud of, all while practising the skills you taught and moving towards becoming more independent inquires. Click the images to preview the resource on TPT

Another critical component of building a positive classroom culture is a focus on social and emotional well-being. A supportive and inclusive environment is essential for students to feel:

• safe, 
• valued, and 
• respected. 

By encouraging open communication, providing opportunities for collaboration and positive relationships, and promoting a growth mindset, teachers can help to cultivate a sense of community and belonging within the classroom.

Using the language of Growth Mindset can shift perspectives and attitudes that would otherwise impede leading progress. 

I’ve used the cards in this teaching resource to explore a different learning challenge every day, by challenging my students to use the language of growth depicted on each card. Once the first 3 students have successfully used it in a learning context (over the next day or two) we add that card to a display, like the Growth Mindset tree in the classroom corner, or across the white board at the front of the room. Click the images to preview the resource on TPT

In order to build a strong and supportive classroom culture, it is important to invest time and energy at the start of the school year. Here are a few strategies that can help:

• Establish clear expectations and rules, but be fair! Focus on equity rather than equality.
• Foster positive relationships and encourage open communication. For example, the I’m sorry - its okay conversation needs expanding. I ask my students to follow this script instead:

Child 1: You hurt me by / when you…(explains to the person what they did) and it made me feel….

Child 2: I am sorry that I …(repeats what they did) and that it made you feel … 

Child 1: Thank you for saying sorry. Please try not to do that again.

Child 2: Are you okay now? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? (This is about making amends, it can be as simple as getting a tissue or fetching their drink bottle) 

Then let it take a natural progression from there. Sorry is not a 'magic' word, the magic is in learning that sometimes our actions have negative consequences that could even impact on others. We need to own our mistakes, making amends to the people we affect, and try better next time. We also learn that this can happen to the best of us and we need to learn how to resolve these conflicts.

• Promote student agency and choice in learning, within the context of what you are required to teach. Intentionally build your units of learning around the choice components at the core. 
• Create a positive and inclusive learning environment. Show that you value a variety of contributions - and intentionally model / verbalise why diversity matters.
• Look to supporting the social and emotional well-being of all students.

My final yet simple agentic activity recommendation for today - one we absolutely love in our classroom is the Good-bye Animals action activity. I’ve used this resource both at the end of  classroom teaching days and also as a subject specialist, at the end of each period.

And my students won’t let me forget, they're always asking for it.

Each students chooses a way to say goodbye, from the chart. The photos help pre readers make their selection. 

I then say the chant and do the action, and they repeat. 

Older students can do it independently. Some students also like to invent their own.

A couple of examples are well known, like:

• See you later alligator - action resembles a ‘Night Fever’ dance move
• Give us a hug, ladybug - action is obvious
• So long King Kong - fists on chest, and so on

Click the images to preview the resource on TPT

Wishing you all another happy & productive learning year. I encourage you to try some of these ideas, you honestly will be so glad you did!

Thank you for stopping by, 

With love, Te Aroha 

Timea 

My TPT store 

My Pinterest Page 

The Gram 

My Website