The Eve of National Poetry Month

I have always been someone who enjoys poetry.  From the time I was young and obsessed with Dennis Lee and Shel Silverstein, to my gothy teen years with Edgar Allan Poe, into adulthood and loving found poetry, poems have always been part of my life.

Many tweens are fans of poetry and often write their own.  Here are some links to use during National Poetry Month (and beyond!) to get poetry into the hands of tweens!


Online Magnetic Poetry
Tweens can drag words over to the "magnetic" board.  They can either save their work or start over again!

Gotta Book's 30 Poets in 30 Days
Come back daily to find previously unpublished works from poets such as Calef Brown, Arthur A. Levine,  and Eileen Spinelli!
  
Write A Poem with Jack Prelutsky
Click through and have Jack Prelutsky guide you through the poetry process!

Write an Autobiographical Poem
Use the template to craft your own poem, all about you!

Do you have some resources, or are you doing cool poetry activities with your tweens? Let me know, and I can add to the list!

On The Clip Board (Pre-Spring Break Edition)

A Fairy's Guide to Understanding Humans, by Margaret Meacham

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, by Eleanor Cameron

The Invisible Rules of the Zoe Lama, by Tish Cohen

The Popularity Papers, by Amy Ignatow

Tween Readers

Star is what I like to call a "stealth" reader.  She asks for recommendations occasionally, but more often than not, I'll just catch a glimpse of her legs heading up the stairs, or the door closing behind her.  Her name will be on the clipboard with a barcode number right beside.

Do you consider yourself a reader? Why or why not?
Of course!  I read almost all the time!  Reading is one of my favorite things.

What are your favorite genres to read?
I love to read mystery books and historical fiction.  I like mystery because sometimes I solve the mystery before the character (which is awesome)!  I like historical fiction because I like to hear about mostly true past.

What is your favorite book so far?
That's a tough one.  I love all the books I read but my favorites would have to be Mother Daughter Book Club because it is a very real book and you can relate to the characters,  Harry Potter because of the fiction aspect and adventure,  Gilda Joyce because of the mystery,  and The Westing Game because of...well...EVERYTHING.

What is your favorite thing about reading?
My favorite thing about reading would have to be being able to get to know the character and how they deal with life's little issues from chocolate magical jumping frogs to crushes.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?
I sometimes read on my kindle, but only at home.  I read a book on one once for a book club I was doing but I love the floppy pages of a book.  Plus I truly highly dislike  (notice I didn't say hate)  back light when I'm reading.

What kinds of books do you think are the most popular with kids your age?  Why?
I think kids love a graphic novel or a book about adventure (although graphic novels are often adventurey) but who wouldn't want to get lost in an adventure and pretend to do what the character is doing?

What are you currently reading?
Right now I am reading Much Ado About Anne the second book in the  Mother Daughter Book Club , after that I will read Dear Pen Pal the third book in the series.

On the Clip Board

Here are some of the books that our tweens are reading these days!

Weird Nature, by John Downer

The Tale of Emily Windsnap, by Liz Kessler

Nature Girl, by Jane Kelley

Operation Red Jericho, by Joshua Mowll

Tiger Moon, by Antonia Michaelis