Elementary School Libraries Celebrate Poetry Month in April

April was National Poetry Month and all of the elementary school libraries in Dedham embraced this with many different kinds of poetry being read and written. There were also some reading incentives and Greenlodge celebrated the culmination of their One Book, One School experience.

At Riverdale students wrote some traditional types of poems such as haikus, list poems, and acrostic poems, but also wrote some unusual poems such as book spine poems and false apology poems. Student work was featured on the library bulletin board and read during morning announcements.

Avery students celebrated Poetry Month throughout April. Some students selected poems and hung them in strategic locations around the school. Poetry appeared in locations where students (and staff) might find themselves waiting - at the water fountain, in the cafeteria, and even in the bathrooms. During library classes, students read a variety of poetry books and created versions of their own. Students wrote poetry, built poetry with lego blocks, assembled poetry by using spines of books, and created poetry by blacking out non-essential words on a page to create a poem. Poetry abounds at Avery.

Oakdale Elementary School celebrated Poetry Month with many different poetry centers and stations. The centers included acrostic poems, concrete poems, shape poems, Haikus, tabletop poetry, and blackout poetry. Students also created poems using LEGO blocks and magnetic words. Pictures of students writing poetry at the centers are hanging up in the lobby of Star Market.

The Greenlodge School celebrated National Poetry Month with poetry centers in their new Makerspace. Students created poems and illustrations using word groups or rhyming words. Grade 2 students learned how to create digital illustrations for poetry using their Microsoft Word skills. Grade 3 worked on understanding Henry Wordsworth Longfellow’s poem about Paul Revere’s Patriot’s Day ride.

In addition to all of the poetry that was read and written, students at the Oakdale School participated in a reading challenge over April Break. Any students who read three or more books over the break will be entered into a raffle for several different prizes.

Greenlodge enjoyed a “Kindness Week,” to celebrate the completion of their World According to Humphrey One Book, One School reading incentive. Each day students tried new ways of being kind, they traced hands and created sayings of how their hands were helpers, wore their clothes backwards to remind themselves and others to use kind words because once you say something, you can’t take it back. Students even had a spirit day to celebrate the opening day of the Red Sox, to practice a team spirit for being kind.