Poetry is life distilled. Gwendolyn Brooks

If you love poetry, it's a frustration that there never seems to be enough time in schools to savor poems as much as we'd like with students. It's also been a frustration here at Choice Literacy, with our limited offerings in the poetry realm.

This week we launch a new feature on the site that's a starting point for filling that gap - regular contributions of original poems and reflections on poetry in schools from Choice Literacy's new online poet laureate, Shirley McPhillips. Shirley worked for years in the Teachers College Reading and Writing Program. She is the author (with Nick Flynn) of A Note Slipped Under the Door: Teaching from Poems We Love (Stenhouse, 2000).

The term "poet laureate" was coined in England in the 1600s. The first poet laureates had a primary responsibility of composing verse for royal birthdays and other special occasions. Poets being poets, laureates over time have moved into more public realms in creative and provocative ways.

Laureates are honored for distinguished work, in a way that's designed to raise public consciousness about the work itself. As Salman Rushdie wrote, "A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep." In my own life, poems have been wake-up calls again and again for seeing students, learning, and the world in new ways.

In her semi-regular postings, Shirley will be connecting each new poem she's written with a brief reflection about the inspiration for the writing, as well as ideas about using poems in schools. We've also posted a link to some terrific multimedia web resources for poetry this week, as well as our usual eclectic mix of new posts. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

Free for All

Shirley McPhillips shares the first of the original poems for teachers and students she is creating for the Choice Literacy community, with commentary about using the poems with students. "Messengers" takes readers to a grave in Iran, where children honor a deceased poet:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/464.cfm

The Library of Congress has compiled a remarkable collection of poetry audio and video resources on the web. This site is worth bookmarking, since it includes many broadcasts not readily accessible through search engines:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/webcasts/index.html

Dave Barry, Poet Laureate - now that's not a phrase you hear every day. When the humorist receives a form letter notifying him that his poetry will be published in a major new collection for a small fee, he whips out his checkbook and consults his muse. Funny stuff in this classic column from 1995:

http://tinyurl.com/2ddjhh

Registration is open for the Choice Literacy January literacy coaching and reading assessment workshops in Clearwater, Florida. These will be our only workshop offerings this winter - details are available at this link:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/454.cfm

For Members Only

Franki Sibberson's planning articles on revamping her word study program were some of our most popular features on the site this summer. This week, Franki provides a photo essay update on her word study program from the first six weeks of school, including sample activities and student logs:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/465.cfm

"Learning with Intensity" is a study group activity which takes participants back to a time when they became passionately involved with learning. Ruth Shagoury shares the structure of the activity and insights from one group who gave it a test drive:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/459.cfm

Are there new English language learners in your school? From the Choice Literacy Archives, "The Art of Listening" is a set of quick tips for conferring with students who speak a different first language than their teachers:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/95.cfm

That's all for this week!