There are so many wonderful eclipse resources out there but this month I wanted to put a resource in your hands of some pretty beautiful writing that you can invite in your own classroom.
Being that it is April, what a time to celebrate our beautiful nature with poetry. And while nature is doing something special today, everyday it’s doing something to be celebrated. So as things begin to unthaw, get outside and use our beautiful nature as a backdrop of writing class.
Two Poems
Two poems that have been brought to my mind by colleagues and friends this past month are two that could be easily used during this solar eclipse.
- These poems could be used to borrow one line and have students add two lines.
- Create multimodal artwork that goes along with these lines.
- Read and analyze these poems for their craft and word choice
First, To Know the Dark by Wendell Berry:
Secondly, A Madrigal by Paul Lawerence Dunbar
Quick Ideas
So many people in our circles have created amazing resources with the solar eclipse in mind. I wanted to share a few quick ideas and links you can bookmark and even use today.
- Ohio Writing Project put together an amazing page of resources that walks you through Paul Lawerence Dunbar’s Poem, A Madrigal. Check out their amazing work and if you aren’t apart of a National Writing Project get connected– their 4 week writing course in the summer is life changing.
- Reading Writing and Creating with the Eclipse in Mind
- Here is a quick guide OWP provided on how to create “blackout poetry” for the eclipse.
- Shared Sky is another great resource to use today “created by the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University in collaboration with Dr. Aimee A. Norton, Senior Research Scientist, Stanford University, Solar Physics Group.” Three ways to use the website are below
- Create a blackout poem by using this link. You can select a piece of informational text about the eclipse and students can engage in black out poetry digitally.
- You can also read the poem “Shared Sky” and engage your students in these discussion questions
- What do you hope to come from this cosmic alignment?
- What directive would you give the Sun and Moon?
- What do you want for yourself or for all of us?
- What can we see in this unique dark?
- What can be revealed?
- Students can engage also in the online conversation the Shared Sky website offers after creating and discussing in class.
Hoping that this eclipse is a total one of the heart.
Cheers friends!
Please reach out with questions, reflections, and connections in the comments below or on Twitter @Mrsablund. Check out my other articles writing out of the ELA classroom.
At Moving Writers, we love sharing our materials with you, and we work hard to ensure we are posting high-quality work that is both innovative and practical. Please help us continue to make this possible by refraining from selling our intellectual property or presenting it as your own. Thanks!
moving writers 