MR WALKER'S CLASS

I decided to take on a poetry project with my students. I was inspired by Poetry 180, a program established by Billy Collins while he was the Poet Laureate of the United States. He deliberately chose poems with high school students in mind. I have kept some of those poems to read to my elementary school students. I have not considered any poems that seemed inappropriate to be read to a ten-year-old. Thus, many of the poems that deal with romantic relationships, which are apropos for high school students, just wouldn't interest fifth graders, or would embarrass them. But, generally, I've been much influenced by the choices that Billy Collins made. I've steered away from poems that seem too old-fashioned, definitely dipping often from the modern era. And I've chosen mostly free verse. I want to broaden what students think of poetry, and steer them away from some of the sing-songy rhymed poems that are frequently aimed at them... I also discovered another teacher had a similar idea for..

Also known as: Mr. Walker's