Dreams by Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. Teachers, are you looking for something inspirational, short, and accessible for the end of the school year? I hear…
All posts tagged #poetryteacher
A Gem of a Poem: maggie and milly and molly and may by e. e. cummings
A poem to add to any teacher’s toolbox: maggie and milly and molly and may by e. e. cummings. Today’s choice is inspired by my daughter, Mia, whose closest friends’ names all begin with “M” (plus one friend whose name begins with “A”). When she speaks about her friends, ee cummings’ poem comes to mind…
A Gem of a Poem: Morning Song by Cat Stevens
This time of year, most of us are looking for signs of spring – light green buds on the willow tree, yellow blooms of daffodils and forsythia. For those of us who live in climates where the beauty of winter becomes gray and dreary by March, April brings the promise of warmer temperatures and vibrant…
A Gem of a Poem: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
The change of seasons is an ideal time to assign creative writing, especially poetry. Connecting feelings with themes of change and hope can inspire even the most reluctant student to take a chance at waxing poetic. While each season has natural changes to anticipate, something about sighting the first flowers of spring makes anyone smile…
Using Art in the English classroom
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Art in the English Classroom, Teacher InspirationLeave a Reply
Are you stuck for a different writing prompt for your students? I love to visit art museums, and on a recent weekend trip to Boston, I visited the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I find that I am drawn paintings with light used in surprising or unusual ways. In the painting above, similar to one…
A Gem of a Poem: Mother to Son
“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes I often see requests from teachers for short poems that demonstrate various poetic techniques. Whether for a quick bell ringer lesson, an intro to a longer unit, or a variation on a theme in a longer work, short poems are excellent tools for teachers to have in their toolboxes.…
