Choice Matters ... So This Year's #pb10for10 is Lyrical Personal Narratives #booklove #mentortexts #poetry #possibilitiesofpoetry

Units of study can be restrictive for some writers. We want to make certain we are giving our writers as much choice and voice as we can throughout the year. When poetry is viewed as a structure, form, or medium, rather than a genre, we can find ways to weave it into every unit of study in our curriculum.  When we do this, poetry serves as a bridge between the work students are doing throughout the day and the year.  It connects the dots for our students, so they don’t see each unit as an end unto itself but rather as part of the larger process of developing into flexible, engaged, critical readers and writers.  When we include poetry in every unit of study, we can use it to show how ideas, themes, craft moves, language, and goals are threads woven into all the work we do as readers and writers every day.

Many teachers launch the year with memoir or personal narrative. My #pb10for10 includes ten lyrical personal narratives. These are great for read-aloud, book clubs, independent reading, and mentor texts for writer’s workshop. I promise you will not regret adding these titles to your classroom library, school library, and school bookroom —- each is Teacher Tested … Kids Approved!

A big thank you to Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek for hosting this event. Each year I love spending time celebrating the different ways people thing about organizing texts AND spending more money than I should! Head over to http://reflectandrefine.blogspot.com/ to check out everyone’s #pb10for10 list. Happy reading and shopping!

Clare Landrigan Literacy