The Wired Classroom

Author Amy E. Sklansky gives elementary students a peek inside the mind of a poet in this one hour videoconference from New Links to New Learning.

Sharing poems* from her own books, she discusses the various places a poet finds inspiration and a few of the many forms poetry can take.  Next, she models a process for writing a poem using a SMART Board, and then encourages students to write a poem on their own during the videoconference using the same process.  Finally, Amy gives examples of the ways a poet may revise her work – emphasizing concepts such as word choice, line breaks, action verbs, and punctuation. The main objective of this program is for students in second through fifth grade to gain a greater appreciation for and understanding of poetry.

*from Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans: Poems for Halloween:

Jack o’ lantern,
Jack o’ light.
Jack o’ darkness,
Jack o’ night.

*from From the Doghouse: Poems to Chew On:

My tail won’t stop its wagging.
My rear end has an ache.
Back and forth and back and forth–
it never takes a break.

This videoconference, available for students in grades second through fifth, is offered upon request (point-to-point) and on the following set dates (multipoint): Tuesday, April 22 (during National Poetry Month): 9:30; 10:45; 1:00 and Tuesday, May 4: 9:30; 10:45; 1:00. All times listed are Central. If a second grade teacher would like to participate, the program would be shortened to 45 minutes and would not include the interactive poetry writing and would be scheduled point-to-point. The cost for the videoconference is $135 for New Links to New Learning members and $175 for non-members.

Questions? Contact Rebecca Morrison at CSD. To sign up, click here.