Sponsored since 2001 by the Northern Nevada Writing Project -- http://nnwp.org

 
The Web WritingFix    

home | about writingfix | email  

The NNWP supports its Teacher Consultants who have created their own educational websites:


Corbett Harrison's Website




Dena Harrison's Website


Holly Young's Website

Listen Up!
Music in the Writing Classroom

-------

Rob Stone's Ning


Learning Is Messy
-------

Brian Crosby's
Blog and Website


Be sure to visit our sponsors:


The NNWP's website



NWP's Website

WritingFix Project: Poetry Lessons & Prompts
resources inspired by the NNWP's annual Piñon Poetry Festival

Every spring, the Northern Nevada Writing Project celebrates the language of poetry by sponsoring its annual Piñon Poetry Festival. Each year's festival is dedicated to the memory of Bill Abrams (pictured at right), who was friend to the NNWP, an inspiration to its teachers, and a lover of language. You can read more about Bill by scrolling to the bottom of this page or by clicking here.

Teachers attend the festival with two or three of their students in tow, and together they write poetry inspired from demonstration lessons presented by NNWP Teacher Consultants. Teachers return to their classrooms with lessons, published samples, and student helpers who can assist them when they teach the lessons to the rest of their students.

Kim Polson is the NNWP Consultant who organizes the festival. In 2009, the festival was held on March 27th at Double Diamond Elementary. We are in the process of deciding when and where the festival will be held in 2010.

A Favorite Book We Give to Teachers who Attend our Poetry Festival!

At WritingFix, we love all of Ralph Fletcher's books. They contain the techniques of an actual writer, presented in such a way that students in third grade and up can easily understand them. Fletcher is amazing at sharing the wisdom he's gained about the writing process in a way that students respond to.

Fletcher's book, Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out, will inspire you as teacher, but it will also inspire your students to find the poetry hidden in their souls. In 2009, we gave away copies of this book to all thirty teachers who attended our Piñon Poetry Festival.

NNWP Consultants...Propose a Poetry Lesson for next Year's Poetry Festival!

If you're an NNWP Consultant (which means you've taken our 5-credit Invitational Institute at UNR), you are eligible to propose a lesson for future poetry festivals. The lessons presented at our poetry festival a) must be linked to a mentor text that we can purchase for teachers who attend the festival and b) must be able to be presented in sixty minutes to 3rd-8th grade students who attend the festival and write alongside their teachers. Here is the template for mentor text lessons that we feature at WritingFix. Being a presenter at our long-standing poetry festival is both a good-paying job, and it looks excellent on a resume!

On this Page:

Know when new poetry lessons are posted...

Join our Ning's Poetry Interest Group by clicking here, and you'll know whenever new lessons are published on this page.

Looking for books that inspire student writing?


Click here to see our favorite books.

A New Poetry Lesson!
(Click the image below to access our newest poetry lesson!)

Lesson Title:
Making the Abstract Concrete

Back to the top of the page

8 Lessons from Past Piñon Poetry Festivals

Each spring, 30 teachers register for the NNWP's Piñon Poetry Festival in Northern Nevada. These teachers attend the festival with two of their students, and all three write poetry together to one of the lessons featured here. When teachers return to school, they are encouraged to teach the poetry lesson from the festival with their whole class, using the two students as helpers. 2009's Featured Lesson: What If... Poems

Lesson's Mentor Text: What If... by Regina J. Williams

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson Author: Amanda Bodenstein, NNWP TC (2002)


Lesson: Haiku Riddles

Mentor Text: If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson Author: Heather Clark, NNWP TC (2004)

Lesson: Poems of Apology

Mentor Texts: Joyce Sidman's This is Just to Say...

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson Author: Todd Hermann, NNWP TC (1998)
Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: So Much Depends Upon...

Mentor Text: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson Author: Dena Harrison, NNWP TC (2001)

Lesson: Between Repeated Lines

Mentor Text: Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers by Mary Ann Hoberman

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization

NNWP Lesson Author: Kim Polson, NNWP TC (2004)

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Impersonating Great Poets

Mentor Text: Science Verse by Jon Scieszka

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson Author: Leah Keuscher, NNWP TC (2003)

Lesson: Ballads about Family

Mentor Text: Family Reunion by Mary Quattlebaum

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson Author: Heather Clark, NNWP TC (2004)

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: School Song Parodies

Mentor Text: Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Idea Development

NNWP Lesson Author: Tara Robertson

When students write poetry alongside their teachers, both teacher and student learn more about how the writing process is different for every individual. Our Piñon Poetry Festival celebrates this simple but true notion.

Even if you cannot come to Northern Nevada to attend our poetry festival, we encourage you to sit down and write poetry alongside your students.


10 Popular Poetry Lessons Inspired by some Favorite Picture Books
(Visit our Picture Book Lesson Collection for even more free-to-use lessons)

Lesson: Four Metaphor Poems

Mentor Text: Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson: Emotion & Colorful Days

Mentor Text: My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Listen to the Word Choice of Authors

Lesson's Mentor Text: Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin Jr.
and John Archambault

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Organization

Lesson: Ain't Gonna Rain No More

Lesson's Mentor Text: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Animals Not to [Verb] with...

Mentor Text: Don't Take Your Snake for a Stroll by Karin Ireland

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson: Hubris at the Bat

Mentor Text: Casey at the Bat, original poem by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, Illustrations by Christopher Bing

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Start & Stop Poems

Mentor Text: Twilight Comes Twice by Ralph Fletcher

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson: Poems to Bug Your Reader

Mentor Text: insectlopedia by Douglas Florian

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: The Color of Love

Mentor Text: I Love You the Purplest by Barbara M. Joosse

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Organization

Lesson: Special Place Poems

Mentor Text:
A Quiet Place by Douglas Wood

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development


4 Lessons Inspired by Chapter Book Excerpts
(Visit our Chapter Book Lesson Collection for even more free-to-use lessons)

Lesson: Paulsen-inspired Nature Poems

Mentor Text: Woodsong by Gary Paulsen

Focus Trait: Voice

Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson: Writing a Backwards Poem

Mentor Text: Holes by Louis Sachar

Focus Trait: Word Choice

Support Trait: Sentence Fluency

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: A Poem for Two Voices for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Mentor Text: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Focus Trait: Idea Development

Support Trait: Voice

Lesson: Just Because Poems

Mentor Text: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Focus Trait: Voice

Support Trait: Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the book thumbnail to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Turning Point Poems

Mentor Text: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Focus Trait: Idea Development

Support Trait: Voice

More to come!

9 Lessons Inspired by some "Classics" of Poetry
(Visit our Literature-inpsired Lesson Collection for even more free-to-use lessons)

Lesson: Little Toy Friends

Mentor Text: Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, "The Dumb Soldier"

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Voice

Lesson: Poems of Condition

Mentor Text: "If" by Rudyard. Kipling

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the poet's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Nashing the Animals

Mentor Text: Various short poems by Ogden Nash

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Lesson: So Much Depends Upon...

Mentor Text: William Carlos Williams' poem, "The Red Wheelbarrow"

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Sentence Fluency

Click on the lesson's title or the poet's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Four Ways of Looking at _______

Mentor Text: Wallace Steven's poem, "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Sentence Fluency

Lesson: Serendipitous Personification

Mentor Text: "The Railway Train" by Emily Dickinson and "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the poet's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: HATE to LOVE Sonnets

Mentor Text: "Shall I compare Thee..." sonnet by Wm. Shakespeare

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Conventions

Lesson: How Do I Love Sonnets

Mentor Text: Sonnet #43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the poet's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Death Personified

Mentor Text: John Donne's poem, "Death Be Not Proud" and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Idea Development

 

18 Poetry Lessons Inspired by Song Lyrics
(Visit our iPod-inpsired Lesson Collection for even more free-to-use lessons)

Lesson: With Your Own Two Hands

Mentor Text: Ben Harper's My Own Two Hands

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Voice

Lesson: One Minute in Time

Mentor Text: The Cure's 10:15 on a Saturday Night

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Quest Item Poetry

Mentor Text: Jim Croce's I've Gotta Name

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Lesson: What Else is Love?

Mentor Text: Pat Benatar's Love is a Battlefield

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Is Perception Reality?

Mentor Text: Jack Johnson's Inaudible Melodies

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait:
Voice

Lesson: Color my World Grey and Blue

Mentor Text: Dave Matthew's Grey Street

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Ain't That America

Mentor Text: John Mellencamp's Pink Houses

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Lesson: Boogie Woogie with a B

Mentor Text: The Andrews Sisters' Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait:
Voice

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Things I Love Poems

Mentor Text: Tom T. Hall's I Love

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Lesson: My Favorite Things

Mentor Text: The Sound of Music's Favorite Things

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Beautiful Noise Poetry

Mentor Text: Neil Diamond's Beautiful Noise

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Lesson: Poems versus Lyrics

Mentor Text: Kelly Clarkson's Addicted

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait:
Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Mentor Text: The Beatles' Yesterday (plus two other songs)

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Lesson: My Adidas

Mentor Text: Run DMC's My Adidas

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Organization

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Tribute to an Artist and his/her Work

Mentor Text: Don McLean's Vincent

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Lesson: What's Important in Your World?

Mentor Text: Billy Joel's We Didin't Start the Fire

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait:
Idea Development

Click on the lesson's title or the singer's picture to read an overview and to access the entire lesson and its resources, including student samples and graphic organizers.

Lesson: Advice to Youth on Things Now GONE

Mentor Text: Switchfoot's Gone

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Word Choice

Lesson: A Call for Change

Mentor Text: Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin'

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait:
Voice


Left-Brained Poetry Prompts

Right-Brained Poetry Prompts

Structured Poetry:

Other Left-Brained Prompts:

  • The Conversation Poem (Undergoing revision)
  • Writing Original Lyrics to a Classical Tune (Undergoing revision)
  • The [Blank] Years Ago Poem (Undergoing revision)
  • Start & Stop Poetry (Undergoing revision)

Serendipitous Poetry Elements:

Other Right-Brained Prompts:

  • Found Poems (Undergoing revision)
  • Ransom Note Poetry (Undergoing revision)

Celebrating the life Bill Abrams

Our Piñon Poetry Festival is Dedicated
to Bill Abrams' Memory

 
the following information about Bill was shared by Joan Taylor, former Director of the Northern Nevada Writing Project


Bill Abrams was a leader of teachers and a poet for over 20 years. From the 1970s to the late 1990s, he was committed to the students and teachers in Nevada. Bill had tremendous faith in the power of teachers working collaboratively with one another and spent much time on projects to draw teachers together to share ideas and celebrate their own and their students’ learning. Although he was an ardent fan of all teachers, he had a special love for English/language arts teachers; and he had an amazing knack for getting them involved in far-flung and engaging projects. Many of us are still working on those projects today, almost 10 years after he left us.

He was a poet and long-time member of Ash Canyon Poetry Society. He would often entertain us with his poems during Northern Nevada Writing Project Summer Institutes. He founded the Northern Nevada Piñon Poetry Festival when it became apparent that the Book-Out and the Nevada Young Writers publications were so overflowing with poetry that we perhaps needed an additional event and publication just for the poetry selections.

 Bill suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for most of the years he worked with us. He joked and laughed about the annoyances of the debilitating disease and negotiated the difficulties of his disability with uncommon courage and grace. He inspired us to do our best and to see the finest in one another. We found it most fitting when noted poet, Sean Griffin, announced in 1998 that the Northern Nevada Piñon Poetry Festival would be renamed the Bill Abrams Piñon Poetry Festival.

Click here to open and read one of Bill's poems.

Copyright 2010 - The Northern Nevada Writing Project and WritingFix- All Rights Reserved

home ] [ contact ] [ about writingfix ]