The Best Christmas Read-Aloud EVER!
What happens when the worst kids take over the Christmas pageant? The Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take…
Think Persona Poem
What do Man with a hoe, by Jean-François Millet and Starbucks have in common? Being an avid follower of Van Gogh (who created a drawing inspired by Millet's Man with a Hoe), I recognized at once Starbuck's nod to these great artists.…
Stowaway with Nick
During the summer of 1768, Captain James Cook sailed from England on H.M.S Endeavor’s first voyage to explore the little known southern hemisphere. Eleven-year-old Nicholas Young was a stowaway on this voyage. True story. Karen Hesse invites us to delve…
After Books, Tinker.
Every time you finish reading a book, think tinker. The word “tinker” comes from the middle English referring to people who engaged in the work of patching worn tin kettles. When I was young, tinkering was a crude, quick fix…
Look See: Poem of Spongy Bone
Write a poem incorporating an interesting fact you’ve recently heard or read. It doesn’t necessarily have to be concerned with the physical sciences, although that is a great place to start. Andrea Gibson uses this device in her spoken-word poem,…
The ABCs of Art and the Lively Lines of Picasso
Picasso was a master of line. Check out his . Try to make an owl of your own. Now, think poetry. One of the significant ABCs of poetry is sound. Try to write a poem using only this one element.…
The ABCs of Art and the Oeuvre de Léger
When I teach children to read and write, I begin with the ABCs—phonics to words to phrases to sentences and beyond. The possibilities are limitless. When I teach children to appreciate and make art, I again begin with ABCs—line, texture,…
The Storyteller
Write a small story that describes the parts of an object or characteristics and memories of a person, in order to tell a story or reach a conclusion about a certain character, just as the fading parts of this rose…
Moths of Summer
In the scheme of biological classification, butterflies and moths fall into the Order we call Lepidoptera. Typically speaking, butterflies are brightly colored diurnal creatures. Moths are nocturnal and lackluster. But there are some exceptions. Leave it to Van Gogh…
Poem after 16 Famous Writers and Their Cats
Or an ordinary gardener and her dog named Theo? My dog is clever. Not only does he enjoy poking his nose in the warm soil as I was plant seedlings, he is also quite resourceful.. Write a poem…