Monday, May 13, 2013

Slice of Life Tuesday



Last week we ended Education Week with our own "Poetry Café". Lots of preparation but such an enjoyable time we had.

We have been writing poetry often throughout the year, as well as sharing poetry almost daily. April was Poetry month and we wrote  poetry often. I knew the children had done enough to create their own books. So we began to type up poems, create fancy covers and decorate all the pages. I laminated the covers and bound the books.

Then on Friday, parents, grandparents and other special guests were invited to attend our Poetry Café.


 The children decorated the room with balloons (the one time this year I almost lost my temper - but that is another story!), made flowers for centrepieces and moved tables to make 6 small groupings, complete with tablecloth and flowers.

As each guest arrived, their child met them at the door and got them juice and cookies (which the children had  brought in - we are still snacking on cookies!). Then they shared their books with the guests.
We then did a presentation of some of their favourite weekly poems we recited during shared reading. Bruce Lansky's "What I Found in My Desk" was their favourite - and they did it with such expression.

Then each child read one of their poems if they wished. We even used a microphone - a nice addition.
Everyone was so appreciative of these young poets and they were so proud of themselves.
It was a very special day.

Visit here to find special slices of life from around the world - created by Ruth and Stacey of Two Writing Teachers.

4 comments:

Linda B said...

Sounds wonderful, Beverley. I used a microphone sometimes and they help even the quietest love public speaking, don't they? Good to hear about your sharing.

drferreriblogspot.com said...

Sounds like a child centered celebration to me! I like the idea of the microphone as public speaking is not something that comes naturally or easily for many adults! The "café" feeling makes it seem more like a gathering than a "show-off" experience.

Anonymous said...

Celebrations are such a lovely way to reflect on the work that kids do.

Stacey Shubitz said...

What a wonderful celebration of poetry and learning, Bev. Great cafe!