Poetry Writers Workshop This writers workshop series includes tutorials on writing a particular mode and genre with students. See the entire series here: personal narrative, short story, poetry, informational, personal argument, research-based argument, interviewing, descriptive paragraph, and comic. This post is about writing poetry. A …
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Melanie Crowder is the acclaimed author of several books for young readers. She writes YA historical fiction: Audacity, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky, and the forthcoming Mazie. She also writes middle grade novels of all sorts: Three Pennies, A Nearer Moon, Parched, and the …
A Salute to Hispanic Stories Today, I invite you to craft a narrative poem retelling a story written by or about a favorite Hispanic American author. Generally, this would mean a five stanza poem that includes an exposition, rising action, climax, denouement, and resolution. But, …
Originally published September 17, 2017. “Find a good place to stop in your books,” I say to end our choice-reading time. I finish up a student-reading conference and look around to see students finishing a page, writing a response on a sticky note, stretching their …
Our next 5-day challenge begins on September 16th. Please invite friends and colleagues to join us by sharing this form. Thank you for sharing this writing space with us this month! Inspiration A Three Elements poem has just that- three elements that must appear in …
Inspiration A traditional ode is written to honor a person, event, or thing (think “Ode on a Grecian Urn). Odes usually have 3-5 stanzas of about 10 lines each and may or may not rhyme. These are suggestions, but as always, don’t feel tied to …
Inspiration Childhood is a magical time for many of us, but certainly not all of us. Write a poem in which you paint a picture of your childhood for the reader. Process What was your childhood like? How would you describe your hometown to someone …
Inspiration A blackjack poem is simply a 3 lined poem comprised of 7 syllables in each line for a total of 21 syllables. Unlike a haiku which is normally about nature, blackjack can be about anything. Process When I think of the word blackjack, I …
Inspiration All of us make lists, right? Grocery lists, to-do lists, playlists, top-ten lists, lists of goals, and so on. Some lists are more insightful than others. Kwame Alexander’s poem, “Ten Reasons Why Fathers Cry at Night” offers us a peek into his mind as …
Today’s writing inspiration comes from Kimberly Johnson, Ed.D. She is a literacy coach and media specialist in a public school in rural Georgia. A former public school classroom teacher for 20 Years, she taught all grades except 4th and 12th, and she is the author …