Today Is World Poetry Day!
Maybe you'll want to spend some time with your children or friends & family and explore some of these websites:
From: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-poetry-day
World Poetry Day
Quick Facts:
World Poetry Day celebrates poetry around the world on March 21 each year.
World Poetry Day is a time to appreciate and support poets and poetry around the world. It is held on March 21 each year and is an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO encourages international peace and universal respect by promoting collaboration among nations. Conducts studies, facilitates knowledge sharing, and ...
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/
What do people do?
Many people around the world celebrate World Poetry Day on or around March 21 each year. Government agencies, educators, community groups and individuals get involved in promoting or participating in the day. World Poetry Day is an opportunity for children to be introduced to poetry in classrooms. It is a time when classrooms are busy with lessons related to poetry, in which students examine poets and learn about different types of poetry.
Poets may be invited to read and share their work to audiences at book stores, cafes, universities and schools. Awards and other forms or recognition are made to honor poets and their work. Exhibitions and poetry evenings are also be held to showcase the work of various poets on or around March 21 to coincide with World Poetry Day.
World Poetry Day is an observance and not a public holiday.
Background:
In November 1999, UNESCO designated World Poetry Day to be held on March 21 each year. The organization recognized the important role of poetry in the arts and in cultures throughout the world and over time. It also wanted the day to promote the efforts of small publishers with regard to publishing poetry. The day also focused on promoting a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, as well as strengthening the association between poetry and other forms of expression, such as dance, music, and painting. The first World Poetry Day was held on March 21, 2000.
Symbols
Various works of poetry and images of poets are featured in various materials and forms of media to promote World Poetry Day each year. Exhibitions and other events are also held to showcase various forms of poetry on this day.
From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/201 ... poetry-day
This week the Guardian Teacher Network has resources to help encourage and inspire children to write - or just to appreciate - poetry
Whether it's writing, performing or just enjoying poems, World Poetry Day on 21 March was established by Unesco as an opportunity to "reflect on the power of language and the full development of each person's creative abilities".
It is perfect timing, then, for a brand new set of teaching resources from the Poetry Society aimed at promoting the art of poetry among young people. Great Title Randomiser is an activity for seven- to 14-year-olds that focuses on the fun of language and the unexpected things that can happen when different words are put together. The Button Jar encourages pupils to write a poetic monologue inspired by a button and the garment it might have come from, while Free Writing helps pupils write fluently from their own experience. Writing a Monologue is an exercise for 14- to 16-year-olds inspired by the work of the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy
For work by other poets, The Poetry Station is a video-based website that features poetry readings from a range of authors including Maya Angelou, Benjamin Zephaniah, Seamus Heaney and Michael Rosen. There are also short animations that accompany readings of classic poems by William Shakespeare, John Donne and William Blake amongst others.
http://www.poetrystation.org.uk/
or
http://www.thepoetrychannel.org.uk/
For audio recordings of poems by some of Britain and America's most distinguished poets including Robert Browning, Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath, visit the British Library's Poetry and Performance website. The site includes biographical information on the featured poets and there are links to suggested classroom activities.
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/poetr ... yhome.html
The Scottish Poetry Library also has a range of useful teaching resources. Wild Words is full of ideas to get students aged five to 16 writing about the great outdoors. Pupils are encouraged to use their "eagle vision" to write a poem about mountains and rivers; there are photographs to use as a stimulus; and there are tips for writing mesostic poems â?? similar to acrostic poems, but with a word or phrase spelled out through the middle of the verse. Poet in the Past encourages pupils to write a poem about a historic building and gives examples of other types of verse to experiment with including riddles, concrete poems, list poems and chants.
http://teachers.guardian.co.uk/teacher- ... JOBTXT8769
For older pupils, the Samaritans' has produced a poetry resource pack aimed at boosting the emotional intelligence of 14-16 year olds. By approaching sensitive issues through poetry, the pack aims to stimulate and inform debate amongst young people about their self-awareness, empathy and ability to recognise and manage difficult feelings. The pack forms part of the charity's DEAL programme (Developing Emotional Awareness and Learning) and can be taught as part of a lesson in a range of curriculum areas including English, drama and religious education.
http://teachers.guardian.co.uk/teacher- ... OBTXT8769I
The Guardian Teacher Network has more than 100,000 pages of lesson plans and interactive materials. To see and share for yourself go to teachers.guardian.co.uk. There are also hundreds of jobs on the site; for a free trial of your first advert, go to schoolsjobs.guardian.co.uk.
http://teachers.guardian.co.uk/?INTCMP=NECJOBTXT8769I
TODAY IS WORLD POETRY DAY
Moderator: Gillespie