Inside a Poet's Mind

INSIDE A POET'S MIND

Grades 2 - 5
40 minutes (60 with optional Writer's Workshop*)

Get a peek inside a poet's mind as I answer these 3 questions
about poetry:

What is a poem?
Where do poets find inspiration?
How do you write a poem?

In this interactive program, students help me analyze
     what makes a poem a poem. I introduce a few different
poetic forms. We find common ground with sources of
   inspiration. And then I explain my 4-step method for
     writing a poem, illustrating this accessible method with
     one of my own poems. (Hint: writing can be a messy process!)
I walk through the art of revision.

The program concludes with Q & A.

Students will complete this program with a greater understanding of and
appreciation for poetry and the writing process in general.

 *OPTIONAL WRITER'S WORKSHOP: This program can also include a
student writing component for an additional fee and 60 minutes total
program time. This additional time allows me to mentor students as they
complete a round of brainstorming and a rough draft of their own,
  original poem.

"Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with our kids with your "Inside a Poet's Mind" program. I loved your ideas and thoughts about poetry as much as they did. I think it really helped inspire some. They were writing away after you spoke."
—Lori Shaw, 4th grade teacher, Cary Elementary in Cary, NC

"I really enjoyed having Mrs. Sklansky visit us. She taught me a lot about poetry and I was surprised at how well I did with it. I think she opened the world of poetry up to me more than I expected. The way she brainstorms poetry was a lot like how I brainstorm for writing narratives and non-fiction. It never occurred to me that poets plan in some of the same ways that I already do." —4th Grader, The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, TX