Welcome Brilliant Poets!

I am so excited to start this literacy unit on poetry with all of you! Reading and writing poetry is a beautiful and powerful form of expression. Our theme for this unit is “Capturing the Essence of Humanity by Discovering The Bonds That Connect and Unite Us.” I have chosen a variety of poems that will be used throughout the unit. Many of these have strong connections to all those wonderful ideas that create significant bonds in human beings, like family, seeking comfort in difficult times, humor, traditional classics that we all grew up with, and some new ones too. Early in the unit, all of the students will be creating and sharing their own “Where I'm From” poem. This will be a fun process where we will take delight in getting to know each other, seeing the world through poets eyes, and gaining an appreciation of each others work. The proud accomplishments of our poets will also be published on our class website for all to enjoy and marvel at! Further along in the unit, we will also be looking at the close ties of poetry and song to culture and tradition. Throughout the unit, students will be collecting favorite poems (old and new) they discover along the way. It is my hope that students will develop a life long love of playing with language, using the power of words, expressing themselves, and continuing to connect to all those wonderful attributes that make up the human spirit!

 Please feel free to contact me at anytime should you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached by email at michellecocita@yahoo.com, or by phone at 703-505-1957. I am looking forward to meeting all of you.
Respectfully,
Michelle Byer