Venturing to the front of the room, laptop positioned to cover all but her eyes, a timid student shares her words, unable to hide the smile in her voice.
A boy pigeonholed as a jock reads his poem aloud. His dramatic pauses and rollercoaster intonation captivate. Classmates ask for an encore.
Time and again we’ve seen results like those. At the end of the school year, students ask if they can use poem RENOVATION in their new grade. They’ve reached out to tell us they love the site. We’re honored to be able to inspire and empower a new generation.
classroom use
Teachers often use poem RENOVATION as a warm-up at the beginning of class. Once students have had time to create, they are invited to share their work in small groups and/or in front of the entire class. Laptops are lined up so students can see the varied layouts of their peers’ creations. Coming soon: educational units on topics including figurative language, social-emotional learning and more!
poem RENOVATION aids in social-emotional learning:
- SELF EXPRESSION – Everyone starts with the same words, but no two poem RENOVATIONs are alike. It’s a great way to help students find their unique voices, and becomes a safe space for sharing them.
- SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT – The words are provided. There are no rules or wrong answers. Students are invited to simply experience the joy of creating.
- COMMUNICATION – Promotes written and interpersonal communication, as well as public speaking
- RELATIONSHIP BUILDING – In-class sharing and discussion make students feel part of something larger.
- FOCUS – Provides an engaging way to center
- FEEDBACK – Offers the opportunity to give and receive positive feedback
- DOORS OPEN – Creations and accompanying lessons can be a jumping-off point for a fresh perspective.
poem RENOVATION supports literacy development:
- VOCABULARY – Exposure to unfamiliar words encourages students to learn their meanings and experiment with their usage.
- GRAMMAR – Students have permission to break the rules of grammar and usage, which inevitably leads to discussion, deeper understanding and better retention of those rules.
- ANALYSIS – Students analyze key passages from different forms of literature and practice peer analysis of each other’s poem RENOVATION creations.
- FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE – Students learn to recognize many types of figurative language and incorporate them into their own writing.
- CREATIVE EXPRESSION – By limiting students to a specific set of words each day, the challenge becomes how to rearrange them to create new meaning.