Young Writer's Poetry Workshop!

 

    

      The Young Writer's Poetry Workshop is a 6-week program for ages 8-14 that teaches students how to put their thoughts into words through the creative process, while exploring their own ideas and sharing them with others in a safe, fun environment. 

     Students will engage in creative expression through journaling and age-appropriate group exercises, learn public speaking skills, performance skills, and develop self-confidence while learning how to be good listeners and audience members. Each class session will meet for 1 hour, twice weekly.  At the end of the workshop, students will have the opportunity to present a body of finished work to an invited audience of family and friends.

     Topics and levels covered will vary according to the needs of the group and include:

  What is Poetry?

  I AM Poem

  Name Poem - Acrostic Poetry, Mathematical Poetry

  Themed Poetry with Art I & II/My Rainbow - Poetry and Paint

  Cinquain Poetry – 5 lined poem that describes a noun

  Diamante Poetry – Diamond shaped poem

  My Rainbow – Poetry and Painting Projects

  Spoken Word and Performance Poetry/Reader's Theater

* Cost: $200 per student includes all handouts, art supplies, and writing supplies

Love...Think Again!

If you think that a 6th grader can't tell you anything about love, think again! This is a group project by 6 young ladies who loved to talk. They told me what they wanted to say, and I wrote it on paper. The students decided where each line belonged...I was only the scribe.

Love is a gift

and what you do with it can be your own personal curse.

True love is the key to your heart

and your heart unlocks your life.

Love is valuable

it cannot be bought with cash

but with faith.

Love is strong if you have a big heart

Some love can be fake and also ugly

Looks are not always the way you find love.

Love can complete life

Let love come to you

because if you go chasing it

it may never be yours.

And...Even More Words..

   Kids have a lot to say...if we listen. I was working with a group of students who didn't like to write a lot (except for a couple of them) but they had lots to say about everything. I decided to let them tell me what they wanted to say, and I wrote it on paper. They were the authors, and I became the scribe. This is one of their group projects:

    It reads:

Everybody has problems that upset them in many ways.

Sometimes problems make you feel lonely

and seeing angry faces make you feel unhappy.

Abandoning negative things can make a better future

And a happy ever after.

Finally, proudly sticking up for what you believe in

can change someone’s life.

(6th Grade Students - NYC)

Poetry and Spoken Word!

     This slideshow is from a Poetry and Spoken Word project I facilitated with Middle School students in at a NYC Public School. A very dedicated group of students bravely put their thoughts and feelings on paper, and shared them with a large audience. Several students also displayed artwork that accompanied the theme of "I Am"...If you don't have a "I Am" statement for the world, the world will tell you who "You Are". The group shot is edited for student privacy.

                                   

Young Writers Workshop- Poetry and Creative Writing

When I Run

When I run, I can feel...

The wind hitting my face and hair

When I run, I can hear...

My own breath and the wind whistling

When I run, I can see...

All of nature and the environment, and everyone around me.

When I run, I can taste...

Sweat, and the wind

When I run, I can smell...

Fresh air.

Running is like...flying!

      This poem is the collaborative work of 4th and 5th grade students describing their experiences after running, using sense memory. It was inspired by the book entitled Wilma Unlimited, the biography of Wilma Rudolph, who overcame many childhood illnesses to become the first American woman to win three Gold medals in the Olympics.
 
       The Young Writers Workshop is an 6-8 week program for grades 3-5 that teaches students how to put their thoughts into workds through the creative process, while exploring their own ideas and sharing them with others in a safe environment. Students will have opportunties to learn about various forms of poetry such as: Acrostic, Cinquain, Diamante, and themed poetry with artwork.

     Students will engage in creative expression through journaling and age appropriate dramatic activities, learn public speaking skills and appropriate audience behavior. At the end of the workshop, students will have the opportunity to present a body of finished writing to an invited audience of family and friends.