Powerful Poetry
Posted by Ariel WarshawOn February 19, our fifth graders celebrated the culmination of a five-week poetry unit by sharing their original work at Barnes & Noble Westport. Over the course of our poetry study, students crafted 16 unique pieces in a variety of forms. At the heart of this unit was an essential question: Why do we write poetry? Is it to entertain? To reflect? To educate? To empower? In short – yes!
Our fifth grade poets played with rhythm and humor in their limericks, imagery and word choice in their haikus and acrostics, and the parts of speech in their cinquains and diamantes. They dug deep to weave haunting found poems using Martin Luther King’s speeches, which are on display outside the writing classroom. They joyfully composed secret poems for their classmates that were shared on Valentine’s Day. The poets looked within to consider what makes them unique, special, and perfectly imperfect, and used figurative language to illustrate their complexity. Their I Am poems will serve as artist statements for their self portraits that grace our halls. Their Best Part of Me poems and photos reside upstairs for all to enjoy. Finally, we considered how poetry can serve as a call to action. The students’ powerful protest poems will inform the arpilleras they are creating in visual arts, inspired by the bold and empowered women poets and artists of Pinochet’s Chile.
While poetry is a truly personal exploration, it gains power when shared amongst friends and read aloud. To this end, we spent time focusing on PVLEGS – poise, voice, life, eye contact, gestures, and speed – in order to fully convey the intentions behind their words. Our Poetry Night served as the perfect end to a special unit, where the students found their voices in front of family and friends. It was a truly special evening, where our fifth graders courageously warmed souls and inspired minds with their reflective and moving poetry.
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