Poem in Your Pocket Day Celebration

Today's Poetry Friday Round Up is being hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.  Make sure you visit her blog to find out about the poetry treasures that she is sharing 

I celebrated Poem in Your Pocket Day at my school with many students and staff.  I began by creating a display of poetry books with a Poem in Your Pocket bulletin board (when we returned from spring break).  Later I added a "Poet~Tree" bulletin board (a bulletin board tree display that features many poets' pictures on leaves).  Of course, I haven't yet thought to take a picture of it!  I do plan to do so and post it soon, though!

Next, I began telling students and teachers about the celebration (I also celebrated last year, so some of my students remembered it!) during my "Poetry Breaks!" and lessons (push in teaching times as well as my small reading groups).  

The day before Poem in Your Pocket Day, I gave my small reading groups a poem for them to put in their pocket.  

Finally, on Poem in Your Pocket Day, I put Bobbi Katz's "Pocket Poem" in my pocket to read to as many students and teachers that I saw!  Read the poem at Bobbi Katz's website ~ click here.  

As an extra special treat, I was able to give my students a beautiful poem bookmark!  The bookmarks were a gift from Amy Ludwig Vanderwater!  She sent bookmarks with a lovely poem from her exquisite new book, Forest Has a Song.   

Thank you, Amy!!!!

 

New Beginnings

Happy New Year! 

and Happy Reading & Writing New Year!

Many of us set goals and resolutions for the New Year.  I am one of those individuals!  Some of my resolutions for this year include both reading and writing goals that I'd like to accomplish.  One way to incorporate writing into your daily life is to keep a journal.  I have always kept a journal (or ten!) and have resolved to rejuvenate my personal reading journals.  I plan to to this via GoodReads, my musings here, and my handwritten journals.  One of my favorite types of journals to use is a collage journal.   

Today I am a guest on Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, where I share my collage journals.  Be sure to visit this wonderful resource for ideas and inspiration for writing.  

Poetry Friday: Celebrating Libraries

 

 

 

 

Today's  Poetry Friday Round-Up is being hosted at Paper Tigers.  
Be sure to visit them and take a "Poetry Break!"

Celebrating Libraries  . . . 

As I mentioned earlier this week, it is Library Card Sign-Up Month.  I am a library lover and when I began my studies to get a degree in School Library & Information Technology, I embarked upon a new library adventure . . . every town that I visit, I make it a point to have my picture taken in front of that library (or inside of it).  I am not usually a big fan of being photographed but I make an exception when it comes to libraries (and anything related to books and reading)!  

Yes, Atlantic City, NJ does have a library!

A very small but quaint library in beautiful Cape May, NJ.

Besides having my picture taken in and around libraries, I also began collecting books and poems about libraries. They are the topic of some of my favorite books and poems.  In honor of this celebration of libraries, I thought I'd share just a few of these gems . . . 

First up, Amy Ludwig Van Derwater at the Poem Farm has a fabulous post entitled,  I Can, where she discusses the joys that libraries bring.  I Can is a beautiful poem about what having a library card can do for us!  

Amy has another lovely library poem, The World for Free.  It is one that I read and reread often, since she shared it in a bookmark format! 

I absolutely adore J. Patrick Lewis' Please Bury Me in the Library!

Bagert's poem, Library Cheer, is one of my students favorites!  Last year we read it in a reader's theater format.  The students selected books mentioned in the poem to use as props when they performed it. 

Be sure to "check out" these library poems!  Please share any of your favorite library poems and traditions by leaving them in a comment.