Hands on Stanzas: 4th Grade, Week 8

Last week, we read Delmore Schwartz's sonnet, "The Beautiful American Word, Sure," and Skinner students wrote poems about their own favorite words.

Incredible stuff!

Schwartz at Pilgrim

Today I was back at Pilgrim after the Thanksgiving break. Here are the 5th and 6th graders' poems inspired by Delmore Schwartz's "The Foggy, Foggy Blue."

"The Foggy, Foggy Blue"

This week at Solomon Elementary, we read Delmore Schwartz's "The Foggy, Foggy Blue." I have used Schwartz in classes in the past, but for some reason this particular poem has slipped under the radar until now. It's amazing how poems strike us (or fail to) over time; perhaps the accumulation of personal experience has something to do with it. Regardless, I was happy to introduce this poet and his work to my students.

As I normally do, I created a rather sophisticated lesson plan (or cheat sheet) for discussing the poem, but midway through the 3rd grade class I realized that simply getting to the heart of it would work best, not just for the littlest kids but for other grades as well. I took that same approach for the 4th and 5th graders, and let their own questions and comments spark discussions in the classrooms. It was a smart move on my part.

Here are Solomon student poems. A bit more on the poem and process is also included.