I realized today that I forgot to post my poem for day 9. #verselove had prompted a poem that breaks rules–but instead my poem was all about the end of my spring break. I suppose since it began as a Haiku, it did break those rules along the way as well.
Break the Break
At the break of break
Songbirds trill, sun warms the now-spring air, breath flows in and out
I suppress the urge to throw the alarm clock across the room
Break broken
Today’s #verselove prompt was about choices…and I made a choice that was different from the intended direction (I think). So, today I decided to write a #smallpoem (close to Haiku) to go with a photograph–where I wrote with light.
Photography
Today I write with light
images speak my words
exposing sea treasures
@kd0602
One of the things my colleague Wendy talked about yesterday during her conference session was how Haiku doesn’t have to be all about syllable count (our American school version)–instead, she talked about Haiku being a poem in one breath.
I love that idea! So I thought I would try it out–inspired by the wavy turban snail shell I saw on the beach this afternoon. I picked it up to see if the snail was inside, but it was empty–just the shell resting on the shore.
On the sandy shore
a castle spirals upward
but no one is home
@kd0602
Ironically, this one fits the 5-7-5 syllable format without even trying! I’d love for you to try one–with or without counting syllables, but aiming for a single breath. Feel free to leave your Haiku as a comment.
I love the garden as an outdoor learning space for students. As you may have read yesterday, we began the process of experimenting with some photography techniques in preparation for some writing today. The PM group was rained out of the garden yesterday, but today was bright and sunny so they were able to catch up and try their hand at using the photography techniques.
Today students selected a photo from the garden, and in the spirit of Ansel Adams, transformed the photo to black and white using a filter in the iPad. This photo along with Eve Merriam’s poem, Peeling an Orange, became the inspiration and mentor text for their own original small poems. Before starting our own poems, we took the time to study Peeling an Orange carefully. We named what we noticed: the use of comparisons (similes and metaphors), the opposition of the words carelessly and meticulously (serendipitously, meticulous had been a vocabulary word earlier this year), the inclusion of sensory use (smell). Then I set a timer (something that I find focuses these third grade writers) for 7 minutes and off they wrote!
We shared a few, noticing the interesting comparisons, the use of strong verbs and other vocabulary and moved to the next step: creating a shared Google slide deck to display the photos and poems. While not everyone finished today, I did ask if students were okay with me sharing some of their writing on my blog. They were excited by the prospect.
Here’s a couple of student examples:
And one of mine (since I always write with students):
I’ve been intentionally prioritizing time for writing–from start to finish–in the classroom, in spite of the short time we have in our hybrid schedule. It is totally worth the time spent–and I am seeing the writing improve when students write in community. I look forward to more time for writing as my students return to the classroom for full days, in one group, beginning in mid-April.
My daily walk to the mailbox is generally uneventful. I follow the sidewalk down the hill, past the five or six houses that look similar to my own. I notice the groomed lawns, the xeriscaped designs where lawns once grew, those miniature citrus trees. And today, I noticed the tall thin palm dancing in the breeze.
Inspired by the National Writing Project post, Writing In with #WriteOut, I wrote a Poet-Tree #smallpoem today.
Tree Dance
Against the azure sky
the lone palm dances
solo
slowly swaying
graceful fronds stretched wide
brushing the clouds
to the shush
of spring’s song
®Douillard
Yesterday’s photography foray into the garden was still on students’ minds today. I always seem to be living (and teaching) on borrowed time, so after finishing up some other work I was able to give students time to go back and look through the photographs they took yesterday. I asked them to select their three “best” photos…thinking about the categories/compositional strategies they had tried yesterday. Then of the three, figure out which one would be best as a black and white image. I showed my own process, talking through the three photos I selected and showing my black and white image (you can see it on yesterday’s post). They were excited…eager to select, eager to edit, and I smartly limited the time to minutes in the single digits. I called them together, iPads in hand, and had them all hold up their images. Stunning, striking, interesting, and sometimes surprising…all words that described those photographs.
And with a few minutes until recess, I reminded students about the poem we had read and studied yesterday: Peeling an Orange by Eve Merriam. I started my own poem in front of my students, thinking aloud as I talked through what I saw in this mentor text and writing my poem’s first lines. I knew they were ready as they suggested ideas for my writing, questioned my decisions, and started asking questions about their own writing-to-be.
There is something magical about writing under the influence. EVERY SINGLE STUDENT in my class had a title and an path forward for their poem in less than 5 minutes…and were asking when they would have time to return to this writing as we walked out to recess.
Just enough structure and lots choice meant students took photos of what caught their eyes. Being outdoors, wandering through the garden felt more like play than work–offering opportunities for creativity and exploration. Selecting meant making some intentional choices–but choices again. And nothing makes my students happier than messing with filters in editing mode!
We read and study a poem each week, so my students are familiar with poetry as a mentor text. They know me well, expecting to write any time we do something creative and artistic. And there is something wonderful about writing short. Small poems invite students to try something new, explore language, and still know the end is in sight. The lift is somehow just right.
Here’s a tiny taste:
And on some crazy whim, I decided to have my students create a slide deck of their small poems and photographs this afternoon. (Reminiscent of something we did for #writeout and #clmooc) So here they are: first draft small poems and Ansel Adam-inspired photos from the garden. We were definitely under the influence: of nature, of photography, of freedom and choice, of a mentor text, and of a community of writers composing together.
Today’s adventures took us from the seashore to the mountains…and from cold and windy rain to mild and sunny snow. We hiked…in search of waterfalls and views of the expansive and stunning Mt. Hood. (We found both!)
But today is a day for a small poem.
In Search of Waterfalls
fairy waterfall
trickles down the mountainside
greening with its touch
Douillard 2018
And here’s a small poem written by a student:
Hummingbird
A silver streak of lightning and rainbow
they pollinate love and peace
that is their purpose.
Grayson
And another:
Sparkles of Diamonds
As the sun rises
the mist falls on leaves like pieces of diamonds overhead,
I wake up
and glide into the cutting edge of the forest,
there I feel peace.
Bryce
What small poems are you writing today?
Thinking Through My Lens 