Poetry for the Soul

Quite possibly my favorite literature unit... who am I kidding? They are ALL my favorite :P 

Last year I pieced together some lessons and it turned out great. This year, I made each student a poetry book and we are learning a more comprehensive unit. 

-famous poets

-famous poems

-elements of poetry

-bio poems

-haiku

-acrostic

-concrete poems

-cinquains

-two-voice poems

-limerick

-free verse poems

However, my FAVORITE part of the unit is the "unit exam." In place of a written exam we will have a Poerty Slam. Students get up in front of the class and their parents and recite an original poem. We all have snacks, listen to poetry, and give "snaps" to each other. It's one of my favorite days of the year.

(You can't tell, but this is our poetry board. Students can create free-verse poems with magnetic words.)

Rules, Rules, Rules

Last year, as I said before, my class rules were a giant fail. This year these are my rules. 

Work hard.

Be nice.

Not too hard to remember, right? I reference them nearly everyday and find that the students understand what I expect. By 4th grade students know when they're not supposed to talk,  not to stand on chairs, not to scream in class, etc. So, this is my way of creating a class motto that they can take with them.