by Jordan Clary When I think about the poet who has most influenced me, the answer is usually: Anonymous. The first time I remember coming across Anonymous was in the Middle English lyric: Westron wind, where wilt thou blow, The small rains down shall rain. Christ, that my love were in my arms, And…
T&W writers’ in-class writing prompts and exercises inspired and generated the adapted poem found in A Poem as Big as New York City. From this imaginative, diverse, massive, and multi-faceted material, an adapted work emerged. Here’s a peek at one of the lessons that served as the raw clay to shape young writers’ minds. All lessons…
2006 Winner of the Bechtel Prize By Sarah Porter What does imaginative writing do for the writer? If you ask the kids in our classrooms, most of them will tell you that we write to express ourselves. Adults keep on telling them so, in the tone they reserve for indisputable facts. Teachers repeat this formula…
In this workshop, poetry collective Flatline Poetry uses poetry to get students more comfortable with public speaking. The lesson helps students prepare for everything from presenting in the classroom to appearing before larger audiences and can be adapted for use in getting students ready for Poetry Out Loud competitions. This lesson plan is designed…
Teachers & Writers Collaborative has welcomed six new writers to our teaching roster for the 2016–2017 school year. These literary artists bring a wealth of teaching and writing experience to their work with T&W. Their extensive expertise will benefit the students and teachers with whom we work for years to come. We are also pleased to…
2007 Winner of the Bechtel Prize by Anna Sopko Content standards were developed by the California State Board of Education to encourage the highest achievement of every student, by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level. My third-grade classroom faces south. The high windows flood the purple,…
By Brandon (6th Grade) Light and Shadows lights and shadows two contributing forces, eternity and forever century-old feud Endless Cycle a night of gazing at the moon before the shining crispy sun the endless cycle of war and peace 2016 So Much Depends Upon… Stretching Out Your Positivity I.S. 392, Brooklyn Edited by Melanie…
T&W writers’ in-class writing prompts and exercises inspired and generated the adapted poem found in A Poem as Big as New York City. From this imaginative, diverse, massive, and multi-faceted material, an adapted work emerged. Here’s a peek at one of the lessons that served as the raw clay to shape young writers’ minds. All…
How do you prepare for a winning Poetry Out Loud recitation, or any spoken word performance? 2015 National Poetry Out Loud Champion Maeva Ordaz gives us her 3 best tips on how best prepare a winning performance! Photo (top) by James Kegley
By Philip Berezney I had a Ninja Turtle problem. I was teaching a weekly after-school art class to a group of fifteen kindergarteners, and one of my students seemed interested only in drawing pictures of Ninja Turtles, no matter what materials or prompts I gave. When left to his own devices, he drew remarkably…