A Note Slipped Under the Door

More about the book

"WHATEVER SHIRLEY OR NICK TELL YOU-BELIEVE THEM." - Naomi Shihab Nye How do we read a poem? What can we teach from a poem we love? This book addresses these questions by inviting preservice and inservice teachers, staff developers, and anyone interested in integrating poetry into their lives and classrooms. It offers a close examination of poetry inquiries in primary through middle school settings. Each chapter features a mentor poem to spark discussion, accompanied by a narrative reflecting the authors' perspectives through a specific poetic lens. Readers are guided into a classroom writer's workshop, where vignettes, conversations, and mini-lessons explore key elements of poetic practice over time. Teachers will find valuable resources for designing and conducting inquiries around mentor poems, including mini-lessons that guide students from initial exploration to in-depth extensions, student writing samples showcasing various stages of development, and insights from beloved poets that inspire teaching. Appendixes provide additional resources such as book lists, charts, and conference transcripts. This book demonstrates how to help student writers draw inspiration from the poems they love, fostering a writing life that encourages them to find and craft their own voices.