In honor of the largest literary celebration, this year celebrates 20 years since National Poetry Month was established. In order to help celebrate a month of all things poetry, below are some links for poetry ideas and activites.
Reading Rockets: Poetry
The Poem Farm
EduPlace: National Poetry Month
TeacherVision: National Poetry Month Kit (grades K-5)
TeacherVision: Poetry Resources for Teachers
Scholastic: April is Poetry Month - Writing prompts, Videos, and more!
Kwame Alexander, author of Crossover, talks about poetry
Kwame Alexander will be at Boswell Books, Milwaukee on April 17th to promote his new book Booked. If you haven't read or are looking for a great read aloud to your class in grades 4 or 5 check out Crossover written in novel verse.
Kwame Alexander, author ofBookedSunday April 17, at 3:00 pm
Boswell is very excited to welcome poet, playwright, producer, public speaker, performer, and author of the Newbery-winning novel The Crossover, Kwame Alexander, presenting the much-anticipated follow up, Booked, in which soccer, family, love, and friendship take center stage while twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of word, wrestling with problems at home, standing up to a bully, and trying to impress the girl of his dreams.
In Kwame Alexander’s latest, Booked, Nick is helped along by his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives him inspiring books to read. This electric and heartfelt novel-in-verse by poet Kwame Alexander bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match!
About the Author: Kwame Alexander is a poet, children’s book author, playwright, producer, public speaker, performer, and winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal for his novel-in-verse, The Crossover. He conducts creative writing workshops in middle and high schools, often reaching more than five hundred students monthly. He lives with his wife and two daughters in the Washington, D.C., area.
School Library Month
AASL (American Association of School Librarians) Spokesperson for School Library Month:
Megan McDonald, author of the popular Judy Moody series, the Stink books, and the Sisters Club trilogy, is the national spokesperson for the 2016 celebration.
"Before I was a writer, I was a reader, thanks to my school librarian. She saw something in me, and put the Little House books in my hand. She first introduced me to Ramona and Charlotte the Spider and Homer Price and Caddie Woodlawn. And she let me check out a biography of Virginia Dare so many times, (I got to stamp the due date myself!), that she finally had to ask me to share with other readers.
I would not be who I am without the early impact of my school library and librarian. I grew up to become a librarian. I grew up to become a storyteller. I grew up to become a writer. School librarians not only foster a lifelong love of reading and story, they encourage thinking and creativity. They support curious minds. They inspire young imaginations.
School librarians shape lives."
