Creative Writing For Grades K-8
Unique and Inspirational Writing Prompts
Poetry Shared with Musical Instruments
Techniques of Poetic Craft
Oral Interpretation
Poetry Power! is a poetry writing/language appreciation program for elementary and middle school students. Through this unique writing experience, kids get to create poems based on their own perceptions of the world. Students and teachers alike learn the craft of writing free verse poems, with special emphasis on:
*the use of the five senses
*figurative language (metaphor, simile and personification)
*metaphorical thinking (the creation of literary images)
* musical rhythms inherent in language (repetition, onomatopoeia, alliteration)
After reading their poems in class, the students may, if they choose, read their poems aloud, accompanied by musical instruments. The instruments serve as a means to heighten the rhythms of the poems, as well as to give those students, too shy to read, a way to join in the fun.
Often teachers ask students to type the revised drafts on their computers in preparation for a poetry reading where parents and friends come to celebrate the children’s work. Sometimes, these readings become annual literary events.
TEACHER TESTIMONIALS
Cynthia Ratslaff, 3rd Grade Teacher
Bennet Kew School
"Ms. Poretz never ceases to amaze me with her iinimitable talent and style. Her ability to tap into the creative minds of students and evoke imagery sculpted and expressed with the purity of youth is a wonder to behold...
I must say there is a magical quality in the atmosphere of the room when Ms. Poretz is present."
Roxanne Wright, 4th Grade Teacher
Kittridge Elementary School
“...Another unexpected bonus was my students' ability to grasp the concept of metaphor. Too, I was amazed with the increased quality of both the narrative and the expository writing of my students after the Poetry Power! Workshop."
Bob Bailey, 8th Grade English Teacher
Hawthorne School English Department
“Doraine Poretz brings to the classroom a passion for language that is evident in her award winning poetry. Doraine has worked with my English classes for over a decade, and I am sure that my students’ understanding and appreciation for figurative language, imagery, theme, and the power of words has much to do with their time spent with Ms. Poretz"