Kids Feel the Power of Poetry in Performance | Edutopia
This link will take you to a great article about spoken word and spoken word poetry -- and the way they can influence high school students and make a difference in lives.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Silicon Valley Reads Poetry Contest
As part of the county-wide Silicon Valley Reads events, the Cupertino Library is sponsoring its first ever poetry contest. The contest is open in the adult, high school and middle school categories. Read about the entry criteria and how to submit your entries on the Cupertino Poet Laureate website or the Cupertino Library Foundation website.
The deadline to enter is Monday, March 17, so act fast!
The deadline to enter is Monday, March 17, so act fast!
Kids' Book Review: Review: Rip the Page!
Karen Benke (this book's author) is a CPitS poet of long standing and poetic breadth. This looks like just a great book. And I am enjoying the blog, KBR, which reviews kids books in a colorful and delightful fashion. Read about it here: Kids' Book Review: Review: Rip the Page!
Friday, March 7, 2014
Kickstarter Project for Amazing Lesson Book
California Poets in the Schools is currently raising money through Kickstarter to publish a lesson book: 50 lessons in celebration of CPitS' 50th anniversary.
Consider a pledge of support!
Or, at least watch the sweet video (click on the link above) -- kids reading their poetry. A real treat.
Consider a pledge of support!
Or, at least watch the sweet video (click on the link above) -- kids reading their poetry. A real treat.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Santa Clara County New Poet Laureate: David Perez
Santa Clara County has chosen its third poet laureate, David Perez.
You can check out David's own blog "The David Perez" here. He's also got a YouTube channel with several videos of him reading is poetry. A great way to give your students a little extra sensory stimulus if they need that -- videos of poets are a powerful teaching tool.
I expect to have the chance to meet and perhaps even work with David in the next weeks and months. I'll let you know what I think!
You can check out David's own blog "The David Perez" here. He's also got a YouTube channel with several videos of him reading is poetry. A great way to give your students a little extra sensory stimulus if they need that -- videos of poets are a powerful teaching tool.
I expect to have the chance to meet and perhaps even work with David in the next weeks and months. I'll let you know what I think!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Small Poets
The CPitS Director of Operations, Tina Areja-Pasquinzo,
posted this sweet photo to Facebook today. I don't have a lot to say
about it, other than, here it is. This is why.
posted this sweet photo to Facebook today. I don't have a lot to say
about it, other than, here it is. This is why.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Common Core Standards & California Poets
I hear over and over again that it's hard for teachers to incorporate poetry into their lesson plans because they are hampered by what's in the standards. To help with this problem, Poetry Foundation editors have recently created a (lovely) list of (real) poems from the standards that can be integrated without fear into classrooms everywhere. Okay, teachers, the gauntlet has been thrown down. "Teaching to the test" never sounded sweeter.
My only complaint, is that most of the poems chosen are by dead poets, most of them white. Historically accurate sampling is not always the best teaching tool for the creative arts. There are women and poets of color in the list, but no living poets are represented in the standards until the poems intended for middle and high school grades.
For teachers looking for California poets, I suggest you search the Academy of American Poets site, where they list poets by state. Here are California's representative poets. Many still alive, all colors and sizes. California Teachers of English (CATE) also has a web page devoted to California Authors. A nice list. Not only poets. Dr. Seuss, for example, is happily present.
And because a blog post is boring without a photo, here's a happy one of my favorite California poet, Brenda Hillman. I'm currently reading her newest book, Seasonal Works With Letters on Fire. You can listen to her discuss her last book, Practical Water, in this KCRW interview.
None of Hillman's poems are included in the Common Core Standards, but you could make a fine lesson with her poem "Girl Sleuth." A sweet poem about a girl learning to read among cactus and birds. And you don't even have to know who Nancy Drew was to laugh.
My only complaint, is that most of the poems chosen are by dead poets, most of them white. Historically accurate sampling is not always the best teaching tool for the creative arts. There are women and poets of color in the list, but no living poets are represented in the standards until the poems intended for middle and high school grades.
For teachers looking for California poets, I suggest you search the Academy of American Poets site, where they list poets by state. Here are California's representative poets. Many still alive, all colors and sizes. California Teachers of English (CATE) also has a web page devoted to California Authors. A nice list. Not only poets. Dr. Seuss, for example, is happily present.
And because a blog post is boring without a photo, here's a happy one of my favorite California poet, Brenda Hillman. I'm currently reading her newest book, Seasonal Works With Letters on Fire. You can listen to her discuss her last book, Practical Water, in this KCRW interview.
None of Hillman's poems are included in the Common Core Standards, but you could make a fine lesson with her poem "Girl Sleuth." A sweet poem about a girl learning to read among cactus and birds. And you don't even have to know who Nancy Drew was to laugh.
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