8th Grade English: Day 1 

English went extremely well.  I was told that the students were not excited to start poetry week but I was amazed at their willingness to read poems in front of the class as well as to create and read their own poems.  Students were broken into groups and had the opportunity to look through some poetry books.  When given the opportunity, half of the students chose to read a poem they liked out loud.  The students really enjoyed the “Verses Poetry” and “Poetry Magnet” applications.  They created their own poems and again some of them volunteered to share theirs with the class.  The students were engaged and listened throughout the class period.  They came up with excellent examples of alliteration and were able to brainstorm a list of topics for their upcoming poems.  When writing the poems we had a student led discussion on whether or not poems had to rhyme.  It was interesting to hear what the students thought about rhyming and poetry in general.    Eighth grade is a very creative group and I am excited to see the poems they write in the upcoming days!