Evidently, there is not an official #poetrychat, but isn’t it a sweet idea?
Poetry serves as an important and beautiful lens into the literary world, and it deserves more than a hurrah during National Poetry Month.
I find that the more I talk about poetry the more I use poems in my classroom. Not like that’s a big surprise. The more I talk about books the more my students read.
So, I’ve been giving this a ton of thought. Do I want one more grape on my plate? And the answer has to be yes.
Today @JasonCarney5 artistic director of Young DFW Writers gave a pitch to my English department. Would we like to be a school that takes advantage of the Louder Than a Bomb program?
Um, yeah.
Meeting Jason and hearing about how his introduction to poetry changed the trajectory of his life was another testament to the power of poetry and what reading and writing it can do for a young person.
Aren’t we as literacy educators always looking for ways to engage and empower our young people and give them opportunities to grow as readers and writers?
So, yes, even if I get YDFW at my school next year (which I’m pretty sure is a done deal), I still feel the need to join other educators who are passionate about the “art” in language arts for a monthly poetry chat.
The teacher-writers at Three Teachers Talk are starting a monthly poetry chat. We hope to connect educators and poets, and work to infuse poetry into the year-long curriculum of ELA classrooms.
“A Poem about Topics for a Poetry Chat”
Spoken-word poems,
prose poems
found poems
spine poems
Ways to share student-written poems
Poetry to teach allusion,
imagery
syntax
grammar
self-respect
Books in verse
Verses for book talks
We will meet the first Monday of each month at 8:00ET, directly following #engchat at 7. Remember to use the hashtag #poetrychat — and to have links ready to your favorite poems and lesson ideas.
Mark your calendar for Monday, May 4 at 7:00 pm Central Time.
Leave your ideas for topics in the comments. Thanks!
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Tagged: #poetrychat, AP English, Poetry, Professional Learning Community
Three Teachers Talk 
Amy, can’t wait to see you in June. I have so many things that excited my 5th graders and then excited my adult learners who were even MORE sure that they didn’t have anything to say about poetry; much less, write one.
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I whole-heartedly agree! Students and I have been working with the phenomenal Najee Omar ( http://www.najeeomar.com) – a teaching artist with Brooklyn’s own BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC through the Brooklyn Reads program.
Students thrive beyond measure and I’m always so grateful to learn from this poet-educator. And while I am typically in awe of his instruction, I know how important it is to reinforce the ideas, themes, structures, and play he introduces into our sphere of thinking.
Congratulations to you all in TX for having the opportunity to take on the Louder Than A Bomb program, I can’t wait to hear stories of how your students soar!
TX/BK poetry collaboration in 2015/2016?!
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