April is National Poetry Month. Last year, I posted this poem on my blog in honor of the occasion. This year I thought I'd post another poem. This one was actually an activity for my students, but I decided to participate.
We've been trying to do different activities each afternoon with our students during FCATs. (What are FCATs you ask...Florida.Comprehensive.Assessment.Tests--the state standardized tests our students spend 6 days taking each spring.) The tests tend to tire out both the students and teachers, so teaching in the "normal classes" in the afternoon is difficult. But we don't want to waste instructional time watching movies or playing games...so we came up with FUN instructional activities for each afternoon. Which brings me to this poetry activity.
Monday afternoon I did a brief introduction to imagery and descriptive language with all of our 8th graders. Then I split them into 5 groups and sent them off with a teacher to different areas of our huge campus. (Then we met back in the middle school and had volunteers read their poems and students -not in the same group- guessed where on campus the author had been.) My group walked back to a gazebo on the intracoastal. The scenery inspired the following poem.
Soaking in My Surroundings
by Miss Kilpatrick
My hair dances freely in the cool breeze.
Sparkling water meanders slowly by,
while ropes clang rhythmically against the flagpole.
A bird strolls about on nearby grass, pecking for food.
Finding none, he flies away.
My eyes follow him.
Past the marsh he calls home are trees,
red rooftops peaking over their leaves.
What is beyond them I cannot see.
The salty stench is almost sweet.
It sends me back
…
to times gone by:
family visits to the beach,
but once a year.
For just a moment I am a child again,
carefree,
soaking in my surroundings.
(I almost forget this is work.)
