Young Poets

My community outreach project for a couple of months is a Poetry Club at the Elementary School.   I go there on Thursday afternoons during the last time block of the day, when various activities are going on.

Every Thursday the Poetry Club works on a different form of poetry.  We have done acrostics and cinquain,  haiku and limerick, rhyming and rhythm.  Nick and Devan have been there every time.  They are fourth graders.

 The top two are Julianni and Amani, also fourth graders.  Some have been sixth graders.

Julianni lives in Cortland now, but says that her family is moving to North Carolina next year.  Her mother works at a lab doing blood work.  Julianni's favorite subject is Physical Education.  She says she is not especially fond of her 5 year old little brother.

Amani is also a fourth grader.  He has lived in Cortland all his life.  He has one brother and one sister.  He likes P.E. best of all, and especially enjoys playing basketball.

Nick  (left)  lives with his grandparents during the school year.
He is part Native American.  He loves to swim and
ride his bike, only his bike recently got stolen.
During the summer he will go and live with
his mother in Florida.

Devan (right)  loves to play video games, and especially Wii.   He loves to ride his bicycle also.

Devan and Nick have been there for every session.  I have had as many as thirteen and as few as two.  Sometimes they go to band, or have state tests, or have outside recess.

It is a low key, fun activity.  Not a class.

A cinquain poem is made up of five lines, and the number of syllables go:  2,4,6,8,2

Here is one by Julianni:

Soccer

Soccer

Run all over

Kicking the soccer ball

I once played on a Blue Jays team.

So cool!