Writing Workshop

What's There to Write About?
         (School Topics for Students and Teachers)
Mrs. Sunshine - Development of a Poem
Extra Big Pop - Development of a Poem
Swimming in Glue - Development of a Poem

What's There To Write About?

The best stories of all are in your own classrooms. Capture the magic of real-life, and you'll always have something to write about.

1. Playground Poems: What do you do on the playground? It's been a long time since your teachers and I were your age. Tell us what you do out there. Keep a record of all these things so that you will never forget.

2. School Poems: What's important to you in school? What is your favorite subject or your worst subject? When I was in school, I found math very difficult, so a lot of my poems are about my problems with math.

3. Sports Poems: Do you play basketball, baseball, etc? Did anything terrible or wonderful happen while you were playing? Is there anything you want to remember like a special game or a special moment in a game.

4. Love Poems: Is there a teacher, a grandparent, a food, a pet or a best friend you really love? You might want to write about this.

5. Good-bye Poems: Good-byes are so sad. You might want to write about the day your pet died or the day your best friend moved away. If you have courage, you might write about the death of a dear friend or a relative. Some children have written poems to grandparents they have never met.

6. Musical Poems: Language is like a musical instrument. Some poems are written just for the fun of playing with language.

7. Magical Poems: Use your imagination to create school stories that didn't really happen, like the day your teacher turned into a gorilla, or the day you and your classmates ate some magic potion and flew out the window.

8. Puzzle Poems: I've been having a great deal of fun with these. Create a puzzle and turn the idea into a poem. Try it on your friends.

9. Poems for Celebration: If anything special happens to you, celebrate it by writing a poem. This can be about anything at all-the moment you completed your science project, your new pencil, a sunset, the clouds in the sky, the rock you just found in a mud puddle, your dream to float out of the classroom window and fly to Disney World.

10. Poems About Secrets: A poem is a wonderful place to keep a secret that you can't share with anyone else.

11. Poems That Make You Laugh: Write poems about the funny things that happen in your life. When you're sad or depressed, these poems might help to brighten your spirits.

12. Poems of Inspiration: You might want to start a collection of poems that inspire you when you fail at something or when you are very sad. You might want to add poems that you have written yourself to this collection. 

13. Poems That Only You Can Write: There is only one "YOU" in the entire world. There are poems that only "YOU" can write. Write them for yourself or write them to share. These are the most important poems of all.

14. Book bag/Sharing Time Poems: Do you have anything hidden in your desk or your book bag? Did you ever bring something special to school for sharing time?

15. Poems to Remember: Your happiest school memory, your most tragic memory. Go back in time to kindergarten, first or second grade. Do you have any special memories?

16. Poems as Gifts: Most cards that we give at Mother's Day or Thanksgiving or for birthdays contain poems or poetic thoughts. Make up you own poems and give them away as gifts. They cost nothing, and yet, they are priceless.

17. Memories: A poem is like a photograph or a video. It is a very special place to keep your memories. 


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Development of Poems

A student loves her teacher and decides to write a poem.

My teacher is nice.
My teacher is nice.
My teacher is nice.

We get the idea that the student likes her teacher, but this is not a poem. We need to know more. 
 

 My Teacher is Nice

My teacher’s  name
Is Mrs. Smith.  
She smiles a lot.
I like when she smiles.

We have more description and detail in this version, and the words are in poetic form.  But, this is not a poem yet. The author needs to add the beautiful, interesting, special language of poetry, and to “paint pictures” in our minds with words.

My Teacher is Like Sunshine

 My teacher’s name
Is Mrs. Smith.
She has lots of blonde hair.
She has a big smile.
When she smiles
I can feel sunshine
In the classroom,
And it makes me happy.

We are starting to feel some of the language of poetry in this version, especially with the line, “I can feel sunshine”. Notice that the title keeps changing with each version. 

     Mrs. Sunshine

My teacher’s name
Is Mrs. Smith.

Her face is
Round like the sun.

Her hair is golden,
Like a zillion sunbeams.

When she smiles
The room lights up
As if someone
Went high in the sky
And turned on
The sun.

My teacher’s name
Should be,
Mrs. Sunshine!

Now we have the language and imagery of poetry!

  A student has a bumpy ride to school on the bus one day, and decides to write a poem.

This is the first draft, but it is not a poem yet. It is really just a sentence written in poetic form.

The Bus was Bumpy

The bus was bumpy today.
I didn’t like it.
The bus hit a big bump.
I went up in the air,
And landed on top of Donny.

We have more description and detail in this version, but it is still not a poem. It needs the beautiful, interesting, special language of poetry. The author needs to “paint pictures” in our minds with words.

Popping to School

I feel like a kernel
Of popcorn
In a big orange popping machine,
As we pop to school today.
I don’t like the bus!

Now, we’re  getting the language of poetry, and the author/artist is beginning to “paint pictures” in the reader’s mind, and to use words and sounds creatively.

Now we have the language of poetry. The “p” sounds are fun to repeat and add to the rhythm. The popcorn imagery is carried throughout the poem and gives the visual input. The title has changed to pull the reader in. Also, note the increased size of some words to go along with the text.