Kami Kinard - Teaching Artist

Poetry:

Each lesson takes one class period. I will work with up to 4 to 5 classes each day (forty five minutes to an hour each.) You could do all of these, some of these, or I can add more activities if you prefer a week-long residency.

Found Poetry:

Found poetry is all about word choice! Students are given age-appropriate articles to read, then use as a word bank for creating a poem. This lesson emphasizes finding data and identifying key words and descriptive words. Students are also introduced to poetry writing techniques, which help them create poetry out of the words they’ve found.

Narrative Poetry:

Put a great story into poetic form and you’ve got narrative poetry. This lesson reinforces what students have learned about fiction: character, setting, plot, problem and solution. It also emphasizes these elements of poetry: line, stanza, refrain, repetition, and rhyme. A wonderful and funny narrative poem will be acted out. I bring costumes and props. What students say most about this lesson is, “Can we do it again?”

Free Verse:

This lesson marries art to poetry and fosters cooperation. First students create masterpieces while listening to classical music. Then we contribute words to each other’s word banks using post-it notes. Each child will have a drawing and a poem that describes it at the end of the lesson. Students are proud of their creations!

Concrete Poetry:

Concrete poems visually convey part of the poet’s meaning. We read (and participate in) concrete poems then create our own stunning poem as a group.

Something Fishy:

This is designed to be a week long residency where science, writing, and art convene. Students learn about fish, and create their own wooden fish using found objects. Because of the materials involved, this residency has additional fees.

For kindergarten and first grade:

For kindergarten and first grade, I usually just give a short talk, read a few of my poems and stories, and do a rhyming activity. A forty five minute visit is usually long enough for this age, but I am open to talking to teachers and preparing more.

First graders can also handle the narrative poetry activity outlined above.

Fiction :

(Grades 4-12)

Ramp up your life:

Do your students keep journals? This lesson will teach students how to use writing techniques such as the snowball and exaggeration to change reality into funny fiction. Examples from The Boy Project: Notes and Observations of Kara McAllister are used for this presentation.

Residencies:

I am on the South Carolina Arts Commission’s
roster of approved teaching artists.
Visit my ONLINE ARTIST STUDIO!

When I work with teachers, I try to find out what they want their students to learn, and develop programs that fit their needs and the ELA standards. I also have several programs that are already developed.

Check out this poetry blog I created for a residency

at Summit Drive Elementary School.

www.poetrysummit.wordpress.com

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