T&W was pleased to partner with VISIONS at Selis Manor to present VISIONS: poets, a workshop series in which adults explored classic and contemporary poems and wrote their own poems in response. The workshop was led by teaching artists Dave Johnson and Virginia Valenzuela. Visions: poets is an anthology of original poems from workshops held…
by Ron Padgett Guess what. The walk poem involves a walk. The interesting thing is that there are so many ways for the walk to be a part of the poem, and the poem to be a part of the walk. Writing poems about a walk has a long history, going back at least as…
By Amina Henry In this essay-writing lesson, T&W writer Amina Henry helps students generate ideas and practice writing the college application essay. Grade: 11th–12th Genre: Personal Essay Download: The College Application Essay as a Descriptive Narrative Common Core State Standards (Refer to the ELA Standards > Writing > Grade 11–12): ELA-LITERACY.W.11–12.2.D: Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary,…
By Alice Pencavel In T&W teaching artist Alice Pencavel’s lesson plan, students explore the art of observation, integrate their observations into their writing, and deepen their appreciation for craft through examining word choice. Grade: 4th Genre(s): Poetry Download: The Art of Observation Common Core Learning Standard (Refer to the ELA Standards > Writing > Grade…
By Justin Parmenter Ask any English teacher what he or she could use more of, and chances are you’ll get the same answer. Classroom resources are great, more money would be nice, but what we really need is more time. Just like in any other discipline, English teachers have way more curriculum than we can…
The wonderful art teacher, Ms. Agramonte, arranged for this arts residency for her students’ mask making unit at PS/IS 218 in the Bronx. Lots of fun and deep philosophical discussions went into creating this book, “I am a Human Mask”. The title comes from student Alexander Quito’s poem. With a focus on masks, I visited…
This year, the sixth graders in Mary Agramonte’s art class studied mask making. They explored a variety of masks from ancient and modern cultures, including those of Japan, Central and South America, and the native peoples of North America. Then, drawing on these models and their own cultural backgrounds, students created masks that reflected their…
By John Oliver Simon In the winter of 1971, I was subsisting, barely, selling self-printed books of my own poetry along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. One late night I stumbled into a bar and was greeted by a woman we called Sister Mary, who sported full nun drag with vermilion lipstick, a modest wimple barely…
Welcome to To Be Free, an anthology of writing by the seventh-grade students of IS 187-Hudson Cliffs School in Manhattan. It was completed during a ten-week residency from December of 2016 through February of 2017 for Teachers & Writers Collaborative. The goal of the residency was to bring creative writing strategies into the social studies…
By Daniel Rose We have finished writing the most recent drafts of our personal narratives, the first major writing assignment of the middle school year, our first attempt to show the world how powerful our writing can be, our first courageous leap onto the Velcro wall, where our work will stick and hang for everyone…