To celebrate this month, Teacher Margaret offers two challenges to any student (or adult) in the community.
I. Write an original poem and read it to Teacher Margaret, Teacher Jillian, or Teacher Cindy - earn a popsicle and a tea party
B. The poem must have at least one of the following elements
1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Rhyming
4. Alliteration
5. Onomatopoeia
C. You must bring a rough draft, a second draft, and a final draft to show
1. You should be able to show the changes from one draft to the next
2. The final draft should be beautifully written
D. Successful poets earn a tea party with Teacher Margaret and their names and poems on the SPARK Board.
II. Recite a poem to Teacher Margaret, Teacher Jillian, Teacher Cindy, Teacher Lily, Mister Wayne, Nurse Maggie, Nurse Bridget, or Teacher Carol - earn a popsicle
A. Poem Length
1. Poems must be more than eight lines long for students in the Second through Fifth Grades.
2. Students in Sixth to Eighth grades need poems that are at least 10 lines long. The average line length must have at least 14 syllables in all cases.
3. Two Haiku or two Sijo may be substituted for one longer poem
4. You may recite a portion of a longer poem. 8 lines is the minimum
5. Students in Kindergarten and 1st Grade may recite four-line poems.
6. Prek and Preschool students are invited to learn a poem of any length! They may learn poems as a class or in small groups. Teacher Margaret will come and listen!
B. Other Rules
1. Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky are reserved for students in Preschool through First Grade.
C. Reciting your memorized poem.
1. Politely ask an adult if they have time to listen. Hand them a copy of the poem
2. The adult will decide whether or not you are 100% correct.
3. If you are successful, you will be added to the list of popsicle receivers for the week. If you are not successful, you are welcome to try again the next day.
4. If you and a friend are coming together to recite poems to the same teacher in the same time frame, you must each recite a different poem!
III. We will chart everyone’s progress on the board outside of Teacher Margaret’s office.