Poetry, Please!

The children have seen themselves as authors for some time now. This week, they began to see themselves as poets, too - able to look closely and carefully at even ordinary things like a pencil sharpener or a crayon and to tell about them in new and unexpected ways. They are understanding that poetry is about the sounds of words, as well as the silences that poets create by breaking lines apart to trail down a page. The kind of poetry that the children are writing now is free verse. It does not have to rhyme; it does not need a certain number of syllables or lines. This is more about capturing ideas and presenting them in lyrical ways. After the very heavy work of nonfiction research and writing, poetry feels like a breath of fresh air.

At reading times, we've immersed ourselves in the poetry of others. The first days of the this new unit were spent simply reading from the large collection of poetry books now in our classroom library - sports poems, animal poems, weather poems, classic poems from the likes of Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickinson,  poems from new and unfamiliar sources, and poems in different shapes and sizes. Next week, we'll begin to study more explicitly how poems are created and we'll delve into the deeper meanings of some poems.

As a celebration of our poetry units - and our year together - we would like to invite you to a Poetry Cafe at 2 PM on Wed., June 7. The boys and girls will present some of their favorite poems. We'll have treats - and memories - to share. Watch for an official invitation in your child's binder.

We started math this week with extension lessons on symmetry and perimeter. We made and measured paper kites to help solidify the concepts. Now, we have began the final unit in our Math Expressions curriculum. We've covered arrays and fractions so far.

We finished our science unit on solids and liquids this week with an experiment on the changing properties of matter. We investigated the effects of melting and freezing on ice, margarine, and chocolate chips. Now, we can devote our full attention to plants and insects. We got a jump start on this work, though. A couple of weeks ago we began observing mealworms. We are watching closely as these insects make their way through a metamorphosis that is very much like a butterfly's. Fascinating!

It was a real treat this week to meet Lester Laminack, a specialist in children's literacy who has written six picture books and numerous texts for teachers. His visit to Stormonth was sponsored by the PTO. Second-graders listened as he deconstructed a familiar book, pulling apart the words to reveal the important decisions the author had made. He left students with an inspiring message to live like readers and writers.

Mark Your Calendars:

Mon., May 15 - MAP Test - Math (AM)

Thurs., May 18 - Safety Day with the Fox Point Police Department (AM); I will be out of the classroom all day for a second-grade team meeting. Mrs. Maier will be the sub.

Fri. May 19 - Karenna's last day before leaving for China. Class mini-concert during Music (12:20-12;50 PM)

Wed., May 24 - MAP Test - Language (PM); early release day for students; Milwaukee landmark projects due.

Thurs., May 25 - Field trip (AM). Walking tour of downtown Milwaukee. If you haven't don't so already, please return your permission slip and fee.

Mon., May 29 - Memorial Day. No school.

Thurs., June 1 - All-school field trip to Bayside Middle School to see the musical (AM).

Fri., June 2 - Stormonth Talent Show, K-2 performers (AM).

Sat., June 3 - PTO-sponsored Cupcake Run/Walk and Carnival. See you there!

Mon., June 5 - Stormonth Talent Show, Grades 3 and 4 performers (PM).

Tues., June 6 - Field Trip to the Boerner Botanical Gardens (AM).

Wed., June 7 - Volunteer Breakfast (8 AM) and Year-End Assembly (9 AM); Poetry Cafe in our classroom, (2 PM).

Thurs., June 8 - Last day of school for students.

Fri., June 9 - Last day of school for teachers.