Elementary Students Celebrate Poetry

Slithering through the grass,

Prey, predator, golden fangs,

Sink in juicy flesh.

—Calum, Grade 3

April was National Poetry Month, and Elementary students enjoyed celebrating all month long. They spent time reading various poetry anthologies and learning about different tools that poets use to create interesting and engaging poetry. They searched for examples of poetic devices such as alliteration, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia and repetition in the poems they read. They explored rhyme scheme and learned about the different patterns that occur in rhyming poetry. After having gathered all of this information about the art of creating poetry, students also tried their hand at writing a variety of types of poems such as acrostics, haikus, cinquains, diamantes and free verse. They will contribute their poetry to a classroom anthology to be shared with families at our End of the Year Celebration.

Additionally, we had two special poetry-related events this month. The first was a visit from local poet Carol Copeland. Elementary students gathered for a reading of Carol’s poetry followed by a question and answer session. They asked some great questions such as “Where do you find inspiration?” and “How do you know when a poem is finished?”. After that, Carol was kind enough to visit each classroom and give students feedback on the poetry they had written. It was a fantastic and authentic learning experience for all.

On April 28th, all of NMS celebrated “Poem in Your Pocket Day”. To participate in this event, which is celebrated in schools around the country, students and faculty members selected a favorite poem to carry in their pockets all day. Throughout the day, students asked their peers to share their poems, and shared their own as well. It was a great culminating activity for a month full of spectacular poetry.