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Pockets Full of Poems

4/27/2017

10 Comments

 
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Happy Poetry Friday! I am still on poetry cloud 9 after all the  Poem in your Pocket Day festivities! Today, I am sharing some of the fun things that we did at my school to celebrate this perfectly pocketed poetic-filled day. For more of the poetry round-up, head over to JoAnn's space Teaching Authors.  

There were poems in pockets throughout our entire school yesterday. And by the end of the day, there were none. That's because they were all tucked away in the pockets of children!  It was so fun to see the excitement on their faces when they plucked a poem from the pocket and began to read.

What made it even more exciting was that the poems were written by the fourth grade poets at our school. Each poem was like a special treasure that students carried with them and read throughout the day.

I am including my own fourth grade son's poem below. He really enjoyed getting to write his poem and share it with others.  It was a perfectly splendid "poem in your pocket day" for all.
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I had to join in the fun, too! Here is one of the poems that I gave as a gift to all the staff members at my school to place in their pockets for the day.
When Giving Is All We Have
by Alberto Rios
                                 One river gives
                                 Its journey to the next.


We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.

We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it-

Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though, small, diamond in wood-nails.

​Read the rest of the poem here.
​​

Invitation to Write:

I invite you to pick a poem for your pocket this week. Carry it with you wherever you go. Let each line, each word, and each pause be your guide as you journey throughout the day. Live with your poem for a week, for a month, for a lifetime. May it bring you pockets full of joy each time you read it!
10 Comments
Jane @ Raincity Librarian link
4/28/2017 09:54:58 am

I love, love, LOVE the way that projects like this help break down poetry barriers. There's often this feeling among students that poetry belongs in dusty old textbooks in the classroom, and that only certain people can be "poets". I love the way "poem in your pocket" helps kids discover how inclusive poetry can be - it's by everyone, for everyone!

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Tabatha link
4/28/2017 12:36:20 pm

Yay for family poetry! How nice of Cale to invite us to be one, too. I also love the Alberto Rios poem. Great pick!

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Kay McGriff link
4/28/2017 01:51:12 pm

It sounds like poetry created quite a bit of excitement at your school! Yippee! I'm glad the students were excited by their gifts of poetry--both giving and receiving.

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Linda Mitchell link
4/29/2017 04:39:01 am

Good Saturday Morning, Keisha! I came home from a week of teaching and Poetry in Your Pocket Day and collapse in front of mindless TV. What a wonderful week .... and ideas for next year! Thank you for this poem. A friend of mine is retiring and I think I will make this the centerpiece of a gift for her. Thank you, and happy writing this week.

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Christie Wyman link
4/29/2017 05:49:50 am

Our pockets filled with poems were cleaned out, too! Love it! And I also love that you shared a poem with your staff. I'm already making a "to-do" list for next year. Cheers!

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Violet N. link
4/29/2017 07:41:13 am

Not being a teacher, or mom of school-aged kids, the pocket poem celebration passed me by with hardly a ripple. But I love your challenge to find a poem for my pocket and live with it for a week. I just might do that. (And I love your son's poem--positive and fun!).

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Ramona link
4/29/2017 02:08:43 pm

Still on poetry cloud nine! Love your description of all the fun activities at your school. Thanks for sharing your son's poem. And the poem, When Giving is All We Have is one I have in my poetry anthology. Beautiful words, no wonder you gave it to staff members!

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Alice Nine link
4/29/2017 02:41:53 pm

Lovely, lovely, Kiesha... from your school's celebration (loved that 4th grade wrote the poems) to Cale's poem to Alberto Rios' "giving" poem - a great choice. But most of all, I love your excitement.

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Brenda link
4/30/2017 07:38:13 am

I was disappointed that my kids' schools did not do poem in a pocket day in any way. Then we went by the library, and the kids' section had a basket of poems to take. My daughter picked one out and read it to us in the car. We were all happy to be part of it, after all.

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Addison Jennings link
9/24/2021 09:14:14 pm

Hey hey

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    Welcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge.

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