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Teaching Elementary Poetry Writing (Printable)

February 7, 2017 by Jenna


Have you ever read a poem and felt like what you were reading was a Jackson Pollock splatter painting in words? All that most of us can remember about studying Emily Dickinson’s poetry in high school is reading a bunch of words that are somehow supposed to make sense together but don’t—or perhaps the teacher’s explanation of how the poet’s choice of a certain color expresses her sorrow over a particular event in her life that seems completely unrelated to the poem.

If you’re about to start teaching your child to write poetry, you may be looking back at your past experiences with poetry and asking yourself two questions: why and how?

Why should I teach elementary poetry writing?

Writing poetry teaches your child to use creative description.

Forget splatter paintings and layered meanings. In its simplest form, poetry is about description. It’s using words to express a feeling or an idea in such a way that readers can’t help but say, “Yes, that!” whether or not they’ve experienced that feeling or idea before.

This kind of description is by nature concise and precise. It’s concise because using fewer words eliminates distractions, and it’s precise because in order to create the clearest pictures, words must rely on their exact meanings.

How should I teach elementary poetry writing?

There are hundreds of poetry forms to choose from, in addition to free verse, but one of my favorite forms and one of the easiest to start with is the diamante. Using it encourages your child to start mastering the conciseness and precision necessary in poetry. You can find examples of the diamante in chapter 6 of English 5 Student Worktext.

The diamante is a shape poem that highlights similarities and contrasts. Though it is seven lines long, it only has sixteen words—six nouns, six verbs, and four adjectives. The first line gives a noun that contrasts with the noun in the last line. The second line gives two adjectives that describe the first noun. Line three gives three verbs (ending in –ing) that show the action of the first noun. Line four gives four nouns, two of which rename the first noun, and two of which rename the last noun. Lines five and six mirror lines two and three, except they describe the last noun, not the first. So it comes out looking something like this:

Fire
angry, orange
glowing, snapping, blistering
tongues, ashes, flurries, icicles
glistening, cracking, aching
sad, blue
ice.

Have your child create her own diamante poem that hopefully looks more like a diamond by using this printable template.

Find more diamante poems in the English 5 Student Worktext.

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: diamante, language arts, poetry, poetry writing, printable

10 Ways to Make Christmas Memories

December 15, 2016 by Meredith

One of my earliest Christmas memories is of sitting with my family as we read aloud The Story of Christmas, a children’s book full of captivating illustrations depicting Christ’s birth with text from Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2.

Why is this memory so vivid to me? Probably because my family repeats this scene every year. No matter who is with us or how old we all become, it’s a wonderful way to focus our attention on the true meaning of Christmas. And we always do it before any of the presents are opened.

Whether your family is just starting to create some simple Christmas traditions on your own or you’ve developed quite a few over the years, here are a few ideas of ways to celebrate this season.

Christmas Crafts

Tell the Story of Christmas

  • “My Gifts”—A beautiful poem depicting the Christmas story through the eyes of Mary, Zacharias, and the shepherds.
  • The Story Behind Benjamin’s Sling—About a beloved JourneyForth picture book, this post offers insight into why the author chose to write a story about a poor shepherd boy.
  • Learning About the Big Story in Reading—Our Reading 2 and Reading 3 textbooks provide your children the opportunity to retell key events of the gospel narrative through what they learn. A homeschool mom tells how this activity was a blessing.
  • A Tale of Three Trees—Decorate your Christmas table around the theme of this traditional folktale.

Give Gifts with Homemade Crafts (and Printables!)

  • Crafting the Names of Christ—Teach your children who Christ is and why we celebrate His birth by making these twelve Christmas ornaments. They make a great neighborhood gift too.
  • What do you do when you don’t have the Christmas spirit? Serve.—Use these ideas to turn your family’s focus back to God’s gift.
  • Fun with Snowflakes—Create your own white flurries with this printable and a pair of scissors.
  • Add a Homemade Touch This Christmas—This printable with four paper ornaments is a simple way to get younger children involved with decorating. The ornaments are easy to send in the mail to an out-of-town family member.

Make Family Memories

  • Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt Printable—Spend an evening looking for these lights and Christmas decorations while driving around.
  • Christmas Bucket List Garland Craft—Add a festive look to your home with recycled Christmas cards and use them to keep track of your family’s Christmas activities.

My wish is that these activities provide you with an opportunity to remind your children why Christ chose to humble Himself and be born as a man (Philippians 2:5–11).

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: activities, Christmas, Christmas ornaments, gifts, printable

Easter Word-Art Cross

April 3, 2015 by Carolynn

text from Romans 5:12, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10, John 3:16, Isaiah 53:7, Mark 15:37-38, Romans 5:6, Romans 5:8, John 3:17, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 2 Corinthians 5:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21

This Easter, I wanted to share a printable with you that would be different from the normal Easter activities/crafts. With a little help, I  created this word-art cross. The words come directly from the Bible, telling the true story of our sin, our need of a Savior, God’s loving provision, and Christ’s sacrifice that allows us to stand righteous before God.

Most of the passages are probably familiar, but in case they aren’t, I’ve also included the Scripture references. You can view the PDF version by selecting the image. Please print it out, read the verses, and remember this action of God’s love.

I hope this word-art cross is a blessing to you and your children. May you have a blessed Easter remembering Him.

Filed Under: Devotions Tagged With: Christ, cross, Easter, gospel, printable, spring

Remembering Women’s History

March 5, 2015 by Megan

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:27

God created us in His own image. Because we are created in the image of God, we have the ability to think, to create, to communicate, to foster relationships, and much more. We are patterned after Him.

photo of bronze statue of Sacagawea
Statue of Sacagawea by Timberdoggie/Wikimedia Commons/CC-By-SA 3.0

March is Women’s History Month—a great opportunity for us to take the time to remember women who have used their God-given gifts and abilities to influence the world around them. Throughout this month, you may want to take time with your students to study the lives of some notable women in history. Download our Women in American History crossword puzzle (view answers) and clue sheet to survey famous women in the United States, or check out some of the resources below.

Websites

  • Women’s History for Teachers from the Library of Congress
  • Women’s History Teaching Resources from the Smithsonian

Books

  • The Scholastic Encyclopedia of Women in the United States 
  • Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women by Cheryl Harness

What resources have you found helpful when teaching your students about the women in our history?

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: history, printable, puzzle, women

Val the Mailbox Gal and Other Crafts for Valentine’s Day

February 6, 2015 by Meredith

How do you let people know they are important? One way is to give them gifts. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Most children may associate gifts with tangible objects, such as dolls, army men, or sweaters, but words—written and spoken—can also be gifts.

“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

Valentine’s Day centers around the gift-giving of words related to love and friendship. It’s a great day to teach children how pleasant (or harmful) their words can be. Giving valentines is a practical way to apply this lesson. Valentine cards can be handmade or store bought. It is the thought behind them that matters most! Here are a few different kinds of valentine crafts to get you started.

  • Free Printable Scripture Verse Valentines from Imperfect Homemaker
  • Free Scripture Valentine Printables from Not Consumed
  • Free Valentine’s Day Cards with Scripture for Children from Blessed Beyond a Doubt
  • Surprise Valentines from Toys in the Dryer
  • Bible Verse Valentines Printable from Rachel Wojo

WP-Val-Valentine-Mailbox-2-2015When it’s time to share the valentines, use Val the Mailbox Gal. She’s great at collecting valentines around your house, at school, or even for Sunday school. But come February 14, she may need assistance sorting and delivering all of the messages. Seeing people’s joyful faces as you deliver the valentines is the best part.

If you have found another helpful resource for creating valentines, share the link in a comment below!

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: activity, love, mailbox, messages, note, printable, Valentine's Day, valentines

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