The holidays are fast approaching in our classroom! Since all of our fall activities have come and gone, it was time to bring in some fresh and new holiday spirit. I present you.....drumroll please...... our "Poet-Trees".
Our Poet-Trees just happen to be a few very-well priced 3 foot Christmas trees that were recently picked up from Target. The trees were quite barren and needed a bit of pizzaz. Some good ol' 5th and 6th grade educational pizzaz. Isn't that the best kind?
I gave each student a large ornament print-out. I asked the students to research and find a famous poet and a poem that he or she wrote. I specified a list of poets that I wanted my students to research only because I know my students know plenty about Dr. Seuss and other classroom favorites. I wanted them to step out of their comfort zone a bit and take a look at other classics.
After each student picked their poem, they signed up for a day to present their poem to the class. Before their presentation day they needed to type the poem, decorate their ornament, and get at least three signatures saying that they had recited their poem to an audience. This was wonderful because each listener had an opportunity to give comments and shape them into better public speakers.
Let my tell you I was quite impressed with my students! When it came time for them to present, they got up there with confidence and recited some classics. I love that this activity asked them to research poets and really take some time to understand the poem that they wrote. Many of my students came up with more than one favorite and had a hard time deciding. It has been great fun listening to them in class!
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