Poetry Month

   Before the "great minds" determined that much of the testing begins in April, this month of rain showers and flowers used to be solely known for poetry.  If you look around, you can find poetry everywhere.  It's on greeting cards, commercials (jingles), newspapers and, of coarse, music!  How many times have you gotten that tune and words in your head and you just can't get rid of it?
   This is a genre that lends itself to be expressed in various ways and intelligences.  It can be expressed verbally, visually and kinetically.  Almost any way you can think of communicating, you can express poetry.
   There are many ways to communicate with poetry.  The poems of e.e. cummings and poems that are written in the shape of their content (i.e. fish) can be very imaginative.  There are acrostic poems - kids love to use their names or favorite foods.  
   If you do a web search of "types of poetry", you'll find a variety of sites dealing with your level of student.  A few of these sites are:

1. http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/other/

2.http://www3.fsdb.k12.fl.us/~coopers/FOV2-0000EB9E/poemtypes.html

   Why not extend poetry month through May?  I'm sure you have poetry lessons in your curriculum but maybe it could be a reward for all the effort put into those "meaningful" tests.  I think it's important to make learning fun and connect it to the things you already enjoy, like music or art.  Take a vacation form data and let your imagination let loose!