Magical Mental Images

In our reading workshop we have been focusing on creating mental images while we read. Mental images can help us to clarify our thinking while making unique interpretations of the text we are working with. Last Friday we practiced creating mental images while reading poetry. We read two lovely autumn poems and then drew pictures of our mental images for each poem. We had a brilliant discussion about how our mental images are quite different because we each have unique experiences and different schema. (Sorry...that is a lot of teacher talk :)  ) 

Noah and Madison were entirely engaged with the beautiful details and imagery in the poems. They were so inspired that they immediatly needed to write poems of their own. I generally try to keep us on a regular schedule, but I could not get in the way of true inspiration! I didn't think this tiny teaching moment could be any more lovely, but I guess the first snow/hail of the season could change that! Madison was sitting outside at the little table with chattering teeth--she just needed to be outside to gather poem ideas. The three of us gathered outside to catch the tiny balls of ice that were falling. They were in awe. Winter poems it would be :)

Winter by Madison

The sun

is bright

but even

so the

snow falls

small and swift.

As winter

pushes away the

heat of fall

forcing bugs and bees

to stow away

because winter is

at flight. As the

school bell rang

the kids come out

and play. They feel the

change and run back

in to get more layers.

"It's getting colder,"

they say to each

other. I sit near a

window waiting for

my friend spring to

visit again soon.

Noah's Poem

Snow falls down with the

leaves below the ground kids

come to play and animals stay

in side for the day then its

whinter and it snow some more

and you can hear the animals

snore more and more.

(Holy smokes...what brilliant writing!)