Poetry
AS CHILDREN DEVELOP THEIR REASONING SKILLS, I GIVE THEM INCREASINGLY CHALLENGING FORMS AND TECHNIQUES. THE POET, THE SCIENTIST, AND THE DETECTIVE ALL SHARE SIMILAR TRAITS: THEY OBSERVE, THEY FIND CLUES, THEY EXPERIMENT. BIT BY BIT, THE PIECES COME TOGETHER.
~DEB STUDEBAKER, POET-IN-RESIDENCE
Writing is an essential tool for our students and poetry is a key component of our language arts curriculum. Our Poet-in-Residence Deb Studebaker works with students in DK through 8th grade brainstorming, writing, and revising original poetry, and collaborating with classroom teachers and specialists integrating music, art, and classroom curriculum with the poetry.
For our youngest students, poetry is a playful, interactive experience connecting feelings and memories with language and images. The program continues through Upper Elementary and Middle School in developmentally appropriate self-expression, craftsmanship, discussions, performance opportunities, study of poets, free-writing, and writing challenges.
During the fall and winter, our students are immersed in poetry–reading, writing, illustrating, and listening to poetry. As a culmination of their efforts, they share their creations with our community during Poetry Week–a celebration of creativity and community.
“Poetry accomplishes three of our goals: teaching writing structure and skills, instilling confidence and giving our students a performance opportunity in front of both a large and small group, and helping our students realize the importance and value of their own voice. As a community we celebrate them and their accomplishments, as well as the joy of poetry and learning.”
– Lisa Rosenstein, Head of School
