Twitter is perfect for poetry. I always tell my students that poetry is the writing medium with the most imagery and the fewest words. That's why Twitter works so well. Twitter writers only have 140 characters to express themselves, so they had better make the best of each and every word.
The idea of Twitter poetry is not new. Last year, the New York Times had an interesting article on this writing genre.
Since my sixth-grade students would soon be moving on to middle school, I asked them to write a reflection of their memories of elementary school. Before beginning the assignment, we discussed the effects of limiting their letters. We looked at mentor Twitter poems. We noticed how the character limitations make the poems similar to haiku poetry. These haiku poems even had a name: "twaiku."
I let the students decide how to organize their subject matter. Some wanted to write a summary of all their experiences. Others decided to write a snapshot of a moment in time. My only precondition was that they include writer's craft (which we call Super Tricks) in their poetry.
The students looked through their writer's notebook for ideas about their poems. They also reviewed the Super Tricks that they had learned throughout the year.
As they finished their poetry, they lined up at my desk to post their poems on our classroom Twitter account .
I was thrilled to see that many of them included metaphor:
As the lambs go by/ I notice the year is going to end/ I look back at all my memories/ I don't want to let them fly away. JP
Days go by like a books pages / as we get to our conclusion / we begin a new introduction. CD
I enjoyed reading Sienna's poem about a moment in time in the school's garden:
We sit on the stumps/Laughing and joking around with each other/As a circle of friends under a willow tree. SR
I realized that the format of a Twitter poem works well when the writer stops the action and writes about a short period of time.
I loved the poems and can definitely see the potential for this medium. Next year, I can use this as a powerful tool for teaching many types of writer's craft. I will devote more time to revising the poems and using them as a strategy for instruction.
The idea of Twitter poetry is not new. Last year, the New York Times had an interesting article on this writing genre.
Since my sixth-grade students would soon be moving on to middle school, I asked them to write a reflection of their memories of elementary school. Before beginning the assignment, we discussed the effects of limiting their letters. We looked at mentor Twitter poems. We noticed how the character limitations make the poems similar to haiku poetry. These haiku poems even had a name: "twaiku."
I let the students decide how to organize their subject matter. Some wanted to write a summary of all their experiences. Others decided to write a snapshot of a moment in time. My only precondition was that they include writer's craft (which we call Super Tricks) in their poetry.
The students looked through their writer's notebook for ideas about their poems. They also reviewed the Super Tricks that they had learned throughout the year.
As they finished their poetry, they lined up at my desk to post their poems on our classroom Twitter account .
I was thrilled to see that many of them included metaphor:
As the lambs go by/ I notice the year is going to end/ I look back at all my memories/ I don't want to let them fly away. JP
Days go by like a books pages / as we get to our conclusion / we begin a new introduction. CD
I enjoyed reading Sienna's poem about a moment in time in the school's garden:
We sit on the stumps/Laughing and joking around with each other/As a circle of friends under a willow tree. SR
I realized that the format of a Twitter poem works well when the writer stops the action and writes about a short period of time.
I loved the poems and can definitely see the potential for this medium. Next year, I can use this as a powerful tool for teaching many types of writer's craft. I will devote more time to revising the poems and using them as a strategy for instruction.
.JPG)
.JPG)
