Motivating students to write poetry: Magnetic Poetry
Need ideas for engaging students to compose poetry?
Do you remember when magnetic poetry was the craze? You’d visit a friend or relative and they would have magnetic words all over their refrigerator door which would be carefully arranged into poetry based on their feelings across the day or week. I wonder what happened to all those magnetic words?
Thankfully, you can still buy magnetic letter kits or alternatively make your own as well as a range of other options which I’ll outline below. The key consideration should be how we can use such resources in pedagogically sound ways to get students excited about writing poetry whilst also providing appropriate support. The benefit of using magnetic poetry is that it supports students to not only compose their own poetry but also provides the vocabulary which can sometimes be a stumbling block for getting started.
Dave Kapell, created Magnetic Poetry in the 1990s, when experiencing writer's block while trying to...
Top 7 Ways to Pamper with Poetry
Sharing to Pamper with Poetry
As all students and teachers will have returned to classrooms in New South Wales today, poetry can be an option for ensuring both students and teachers are pampered as they re-engage in classrooms and with each other. In fact, poetry can be used to pamper anyone at any time, particularly in times of uncertainty and even trauma.
Across the week, multiple poems can be shared for sheer joy and reflection. I have put together my Top 7 collections and individual poems for sharing as students embrace the school environment, reflect on remote learning and share their hopes for the future. All poems are available online and can be shared with a range of age groups. As with any text, it is important to read the poems several times to ensure they are appropriate for your school and context before sharing with students.
1. Round and Round by John Kitching is a joyful poem to celebrate the joy of interacting in the school setting particularly...
Author
Joanne Rossbridge
Language and literacy consultant
Joanne works in both primary and secondary schools across Australia. She loves working with both teachers and their students in a range of settings.