1. Bring Poetry Writing and Bookmaking Together KEEP READING AND WRITING PERSONAL AND POWERFUL

2. Learning and Teaching are Personal Teachers can instill in their students a love or a fear of language when they are first learning to read and write. Reflecting ones first time one was engaged in the process of writing can reveal a personal part of ones educational history It can be a powerful and not always a positive experience that can influence ones educational practices. Using poetry, accompanying illustrations, and bookmaking can make learning more meaningful.

3. Literary Arts and Language Arts Literary arts, specifically poetry are not thought of or included in the visual or performing arts. Part of the reason is that the literary arts are or are not valued in schools. They are crammed within the language Arts block which is centered around teaching the mechanics of reading. Not all teachers feel comfortable teaching poetry. The pressure of TEST scores is pronounced! Poets should be looked at as Artist both culturally and historically. Poetry unleashes one to the past, future, and to ones emotions. Allowing the experience to become personal is a must while reading aloud poems and teaching poetic devises.

4. How Making Books Transforms The Written Word Bookmaking offers a beautiful frame work which can showcase students’ writings or poetry. Having students created poems visible in a book is a powerful and gratifying experience. Teachers need to discover how powerful bookmaking can be to all areas of the curriculum.

5. Asking Questions, Making Discoveries The process of writing poetry needs to be addressed. Use poems that ask questions to promote interest. Use different colored index cards with a question and then the answer. Collect the questions in one box and the answers in another. Read one randomly selected from each box or place all the cards writing side up. Pick up one of the question colored cards. Students write a poetic reply. Juxtaposition or the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side, such as a mismatched question and answer, is an important element in poetry. Read poetry aloud. Use a Slat book to instill interest.

6. Bringing Poetry Writing and Bookmaking Together-Ode to Ode The writing of Odes, inspired by Pablo Neruda, using common place objects such as fruits and vegetables, is a poetic art. Students are first introduced to a Model book. –Pop-Up Book. An example such as “Ode to the Watermelon” can be read and discussed. A fruit is chosen. Odes are first written in pencil then rewritten by using felt tip pens in the fruit’s color and are then placed on paper divided into sections. An accordion flag book is used and decorated. Bookmaking invites students to revisit basic art and math concepts. Fruit can be brought in to taste and research. Sharing is a positive experience.

7. Reclaiming the Acrostic Acrostic poems offer opportunities for students to learn line lengths and breaks. They have spines, the acrostic words. They encourage inventive word choice. The most common acrostic is a poem in which the initial letters of each line have a meaning when read downward.

8. The End!! So-------- Make a place for poetry and bookmaking in YOUR classroom!!