Park Ave poets celebrate original work with poetry slam
Third grade students at Park Avenue completed a unit on poetry and created their own book of original poems! The poets celebrated their accomplishments by inviting parents and guardians to attend a publication party and Poetry Slam at Park Avenue.
The Poetry Slam was the culmination of the students’ Readers & Writers Workshop study into poetry, one of the types of literature students study in third grade, along with stories and dramas. First, the students learned the basic elements of poetry, including verses and stanzas, rhythm, meter and rhyme.
They were given examples of different types of poems; styles like haiku, for example. Then, with a grasp of fundamentals in their writer’s toolbox, the students proceeded to learn how to interpret poetry, recognizing artful techniques like the use of figurative language.
Once you can read it, you can write it!
Here’s an interesting thing about the power of poetry in the classroom: both students who exhibit an enjoyment of, as well as those who exhibit an aversion to, more formal styles of writing assignments (essays, reports, et cetera), find the freedom that poetry affords them freeing and inspiring, which encourages them to write more.
So… after learning all about poetry (and discussing some of their own favorite poets) the students put pen to paper, wrote their own poems, and collected them into a limited edition chapbook that they were proud to reveal and read from during the event.
Finger snaps all around for the poets and all their creativity and hard work!
