Dial 811: It's a Poetry Emergency!

Have you noticed that the call number for poetry books is 811? And that it is similar to the more familiar number 911? Neither did I, until I became principal at Howe Elementary School this year. One of the many cool things that occur in my school is the concept of a "Poetry Emergency". Developed by Liz Ottery, reading resource specialist, and other Howe staff five years ago, the school spends April recognizing National Poetry Month. Before the month begins, Liz asks staff members not teaching in the regular classroom to "adopt" a grade or class. I snapped up 5th grade, which happens to be the former grade level I taught before I entered the principalship. During this month, we were expected to spontaneously pop into our classrooms and read aloud poetry. Liz gives us a sign in red; on one side it has the numbers "811", and the other side reads "Poetry Emergency". Before reading aloud, we hold up the sign and announce "Dial 811: It's a Poetry Emergency!". We then share our favorite poems with the students. In my case, I chose to read aloud Judith Viorst's If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries to my 5th graders. These poems speak well to this audience, hitting on topics such as peer pressure and making friends. During this time of the year, the classroom teachers also teach a variety of poems to their students. They can range from diamanté in 2nd grade to free verse in 4th. What I enjoy as I walk in the hallways is reading all of the students' poems hanging on the walls. Taking time to celebrate our students' efforts is so critical in building the idea that everyone can be a writer. At the end of the month, Liz sets up Poetry Cafe in the cafeteria. This is an opportunity for students to read aloud their favorite poems to their classmates, teachers and families. As you can see, Liz creates a great environment for this parent involvement activity.

Once classrooms are signed up to present, family members are invited to school to listen to their children read aloud poems they either discovered or wrote themselves. In this photo, a second grade teacher kicks off the cafe.

This idea for promoting poetry writing in school is just too good not to share.