SUMMARY
The poetry anthology project continues with twelve celebrated poems about the theme of friendship. Ten ideas to celebrate poetry in the library program are presented.
Twelve Great Poems: Friendship
My next poetry anthology selects twelve poems on the theme of friendship. Aesop's familiar story of the Mouse and the Lion begins the collection but this rendering is a delightful but little-known work by Marmaduke Park.
Also included are rarities by Emily Bronte and Jane Austen as well as thoughtful works by international authors Rabindranath Tagore, Khalil Gibran, and Wang Chien. Again, you will find the text of these new poems in my Pages section of the blog. If you would like a classroom ready .pdf, go to lcommons.org and join the "Integrating Learning Commons" group.
Poetry Celebrations in the School Library
The theme of friendship is just an excuse to encourage you to organize regular, friendly poetry events in your school.
Poetry needs to be actively celebrated. The school library is an ideal venue for monthly poetry gatherings, as it is neutral and interdisciplinary ground where staff and students can feel comfortable with poetry.
Here are ten celebratory ideas — one for each month of the school year!
September: Start the year off with a guest poet. Teacher-librarians in Toronto have had great success with local dub and rap poets who really engage students to enjoy new poetical voices.
October: Time for a poetry tea where new poetry books in the library collection are displayed and discussed. Members of the library club or friends of the library can offer short readings from the new collection.
November: The first poetry open-mike makes for a warm autumn afternoon. Staff and students read their their own poems. The teacher-librarian can compile a print or digital copy for further reading.
December: With the holidays approaching, choral readings of celebrated festive poems, old and new, can be presented. Insist on poems being rehearsed and engage teacher volunteers to help in the preparation. Door prizes would not go amiss for holiday gift giving.
January: Folks may be tired, so let everyone rest while enjoying an media show. Get a class to find spoken word poetry and matching illustrations on the Internet, from W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot to Robert Pinksy and Andrew Motion. Encourage discussion about the art of reading poetry out loud.
February: Beat the Winter blues with a loud and lively poetry face-off. Here poets vie for prizes by performing existing work and writing a new work on the spot. Check CBC out for ideas.
March: Contact a local poetry association and invite poets to read to a school audience. Question-and-answer might follow with the poets, as well as information about other poet groups who welcome an audience or members.
April: Spring is here. So celebrate it with a themed poetry party. Everyone in attendance must bring a short poem about the new season. If it's appropriate, hide eggs in the Library with poems inside. You find an egg, you read its poem!
May: Recitation month. Prizes are given by audience vote for dramatic readings of old and new poems. Get decent presents for the brave performers donated by a local business or bookshop. Make a fuss about anyone who memorizes their poem.
June: It's exam time. Invite staff to read their favourite comic verse at a final party. Everyone attending then writes a favourite poetry quotation on a balloon. Balloons can simply be shared or filled with helium and released above the school, to celebrate the end of term.
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