April welcomes National Poetry Month

April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Over the years, National Poetry Month has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.1

While we celebrate poets and poetry year-round, the Academy of American Poets was inspired by the successful celebrations of Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March), and founded National Poetry Month in April 1996 with an aim to:

• highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets,
• encourage the reading of poems,
• assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms,
• increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media,
• encourage increased publication and distribution of poetry books, and
• encourage support for poets and poetry.2

Second graders have begun our poetry unit. Students are learning how to see and hear the world differently through their ‘poet’s eyes’. They are taking everyday objects and choosing topics that hold big feelings and translating them to music on the page. As we continue writing poems, students are focusing on how poets choose precise words, use repetition, and convey their feelings.

Here are some examples of our budding poets:

Green Is

By Angelo

Green is the color of dollar bills,

Green is the color of blades of grass,

Green is the color of a t-shirt that you wear on St. Patrick’s day,

Green is the color of a painted alligator

Green is the color of little buds on trees,

Green is the color of Angelo’s eyes.

Someday

By Mirelle

Someday I would get a thousand flowers in my garden,

Someday a lot of butterflies come on me,

Someday a thousand birds fly through the sky

 And make beautiful chirps and shapes,

Someday I would feel the grass in my feet,

Someday I would lay on the fuzzy grass with my fluffy dog,

Someday I would run super fast with my dog,

Someday I would have fun!!!

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1 https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home

2 https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/about-celebration