Iambic Pentameter with Kwame Alexander

 

April 2021

Poetic inspiration has come to Lafayette Avenue School in the form of an expert in free verse, Kwame Alexander. When asked why he writes in verse, Newbury and Caldecott Winner replied, "Why not?!?"

 

In preparation for our virtual Author's Day with Mr. Alexander, LAF students all read Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson. This historical fiction novel about professional boxer, Muhammad Ali's childhood taught us that poetry can be enjoyable and can tell in-depth stories. 

With it's setting in segregated Louisville, KY, Becoming Muhammad Ali tackles racial prejudices that are still a problem today. When asked how students in 4th and 5th grades can help to combat racism, Mr. Alexander advised students to read books about cultures different from his/her own and to always be kind!

Mr. Alexander spoke about his editing process and explained that revising his poems is his favorite part of each of his projects. He compared the brainstorming and the first draft to getting dressed. The editing is like choosing the accessories; Which color shoes should I wear? Ponytail or mohawk? Hat sideways, backward or forward facing? He encouraged students to revisit their drafts with enthusiasm and to have fun while improving their writing. 

After listening to this amazing poet, many LAF students were motivated to try writing poetry for themselves.

Here's a LAF original inspired by Kwame

Buzzer Beater

By Jack Bealer

Slipping on my idol’s shoes 

Air Jordans tied tight

I’m on the court

Ready to go

I get the ball at half court

Through the legs

Crossover

Drive to the basket

Pass it out for someone to shoot a three

The ball goes up in the air

Silence

Over the rim

And then 

SWOOOSH

The crowd roars!!

I look over at the stands

And I couldn’t believe it

It was really him

The real GOAT

The real Michael Jordan

Watching ME win the game! 

Find even more LAF original poems in the

2021 LAF Poetry Book 

Kwame Alexander-"Ingredients of a Poem"

The Crossover: Graphic Novel by Kwame Alexander

Poetry Pandemic!

 April 2020

The pandemic may have slowed us down in 2020, but we're back and better than ever!  

Before we share our latest and greatest, we'd like to reminisce with the few poems that were "performed" as we hunkered down last spring!  What do we remember from that time?  Having a blast with our Fairy Tale Escape Room as we prepared for our author visit with 

Liesl Shurtliff...

  

And then, the pandemic hit! 

It was like disappearing unground like Grump the dwarf.  The gems we found hidden in the L.M.C. didn't seem to bring up the magical powers we had hoped for! 

We were stuck quarantining for 10 days that turned into months

😒

And we couldn't find...

2019 Poetry on Parade!

April 2019

Lafayette students worked hard throughout all of April, making National Poetry Month entertaining and educational! Students wrote, illustrated, recited, published and read a multitude of poems all month long. We compiled submitted students' poems to create a book that will be available in the LAF Library Media Center for check-out beginning September 2019.

Read the Lafayette Poetry Book 2019 here!

Ball Point Penguins

Band-Aids

Baseball

Class Clown

Complaining

Dessert Desires

Digging A Hole

For a Rainy Afternoon

Forgetful Witch

Welcome to Our 2018 Parade of Poetry!

Poetic Paper Flowers in the LMC.

April is National Poetry Month, and Lafayette students have been celebrating with a hand-clapping, foot-stomping, rhythm-jamming, rhyme-slamming Parade of Poetry! We've passed the month reading poems, writing poems, performing poems, and sharing poetry with family and friends. We've also spent some time with favorite poets, including the late American poet/cartoonist Shel Silverstein. His imaginative books, translated into more than thirty languages, have sold millions of copies and are read around the world. Take a look at Shel Silverstein's poem Sick, performed by Miss Hadley's class:

Lafayette School welcomed the Mayhem Poets on April 12th.

Poetry on Parade is all about creative thought, wonderful words, and shared experience. Alannah, Keira, and Mads perform a poem about an experience that everyone at Lafayete shares... Homework, Oh Homework! by Jack Prelutsky:

Pick a Poem, Perform a Poem in the Lafayette LMC.

Next up, Anna and Grace show us the creative twists and wonderful turns of Oliver Twist:

Rhythm and Rhyme... Word Play and Movement... 

It's Poetry in Motion!

Happy National Poetry Month in the LMC.

Language, Rhythm, and Rhyme: Poetry Time!

This spring, we've been exploring rhythm and rhyme and various poetic tricks and techniques. We've been using figurative language: words that take us beyond everyday, phrases that make the ordinary extra-ordinary, language that makes a poem more interesting, more dramatic, downright brilliant... just fantastic!

Bubbling with Poetic Enthusiasm: Bettina, Kylie, Olivia, and Catalina give us Trouble Bubble Gum by Douglas Florian:

Squeaky Clean: Miranda and Ali perform Crowded Tub by one of Lafayette’s favorite poets, Shel Silverstein:

A poem can capture and share a special moment in time. Here's a Lafayette Original that creates a vivid word picture:

Birthday by Ryan Hallerman

Whoosh!

The wick

ignites

A red and orange glow

emerges from

the tip

It unites with the

multicolored wax

then flickers

Just like a flower

on a sunny day

Still only moving

with

the sudden push of

wind

Then the

flickering stops

The room goes dark

And a new

age starts

There's Poetic Emotion... and Poetry in Motion! Take a look at Shel Silverstein’s Body Language, performed by Margaret and Reese, read by Arianna:

More Poetry on the Move: Manaal and Laura get in a rhyming groove, sharing Running in a Circle by Jack Prelutsky:

Figurative Language... Go Figure: We like to use metaphor and simile, assonance, hyperbole... a few cliches, alliteration... idioms, personification. And don't forget onomatopoeia... if you want to be a... Poetry Parader!

Spring Stroll: Nature Takes Its Course, of Course

It’s a Spring Thing: bees are buzzing, trees are greening, birds are singing… a sunny scene-ing! The arrival of spring means it’s time for great rhymes and renewed appreciation for the great outdoors. Without a doubt, Lafayette School has been bitten by the Poetry Bug! Here, Poetry Puppeteers perform Five Little Insects by Eve Merriam:

Check out a spring bouquet of good-natured poems about good nature, Lafayette Originals composed and shared by students:

Spring Is Coming by Theodore S.

Spring is coming.

It's approaching very fast.

The grass begins to grow

While we sense winter's last.

Birds sing and glide,

Children play outside.

There is a rising temperature.

Spring is here for sure.

The trees are filled with birds' nests

As there baby birds quietly rest.

People on vacation depart

When fun activities start.

Vegetation starts to appear

As winter sheds its last snowy tear.

Busy is every bird and bee.

Spring is here.

Can't you see?

Guardian by Laurel H.

A tree

Standing tall

Casting its shadow 

Across the grass

Its pristine leaves

Protect

The nests of the meadowlarks

When the eggs hatch

The tree

Will be content

With the meadowlark's song

Wafting 

through the air.

Ocean by Kate H.

My friend the sea,

you shimmer and shine,

bringing happiness every time.

The sand between my toes,

the wind in my face,

you are my friend the sea,

the beautiful shining sea.

Sunset by Molly E.

It's setting over the west

It's gleaming over the grassy hills

It's falling down

Down

Down

Down

You can see the reflection in the sky blue ocean

The sunset is in your hands

It's falling once again

Down

Down

Down

The sunset fades and

The sky is midnight black

The sun is gone

But it will come back

I just know it

Poetry invites us to create, to share, to wonder about the world, and to wander through nature. Where will poetry take us next? Stay tuned, Poetry Paraders!