Poetry! Poetry! Poetry!

TedScheu-3Do you like poetry? You will after reading and listening to Ted Scheu, the poetry guy! Mr. Scheu met with the entire fourth grade. He introduced himself in a funky laughing way. He shared his favorite poem, “Nancy Cristman Kissed Me” and many others. Mr. Scheu presented the “i-Easel” which promoted a love of poetry.The assembly ended with Mr. Scheu giving us a round of applause, which is clapping in a circle.

Mr. Scheu taught us that there are many ways to write a poem, for example, rhyming, list poems, and “Who Am I.” A list poem is a noun followed by an action verb. The first poem we wrote was a list poem, below is an example.

Patriots

Tom Brady        passing
Steven Ridley    fumbling
Gronkowski      catching
Amendola         face planting
Garrett Blunt    plowing
Vince Wilfork    tackling
Vereen               zigzagging
Mayow               clobbering
Edelman            diving
Gotzkowski        launching
Wow, I love New England!
by Beck

The second poem he had us write was “Who Am I?” You take a little object from nature and describe it. You start off broad and get more specific as you go. Below is an example of a “Who Am I Poem?”

I look like a bun without a hot dog,
an old man without his denchers,
I look like a marble counter,
you may accidentally step on me at the beach,
a concave rock,
I am a shell
     by Kris

We had the opportunity to have a conversation with Mr. Scheu. He has a unique job and we wondered what he likes about it. “Love” is a better word to describe his feelings about his job, he said. There are two parts to his job, teaching and writing and both parts make him feel like he is playing and juggling with words. While he is writing he focuses on one idea in short bursts of creativity.

Intrigued about his school visits, we asked him what he likes about them. He likes to travel to new places and Ted Scheu sharing a poem with 4th graders.re-visit places he has been before. Reconnecting with students and meeting new people is an aspect of school visits he likes. Teaching and sharing poems with students, helping them acquire an excitement for poetry, and helping students find their “writing voice” are what he likes best about school visits.

Wondering if poets have favorite poems, we asked Mr. Scheu what his were and why. Two poems are his favorite and sometimes a third … the last poem he wrote. One of his favorite poems is ”Nancy Cristman Kissed Me” and the other is “Dirty Words”, which may surprise you when you read it. Nancy Cristman was a friend and classmate in second grade. Every morning they’d walk to school together and one day … “SMACK” … she kissed him. This experience had a lasting impression. Many years later, the memory inspired him to write a poem.

As Mr. Scheu hoped, students found their “writing voice” and wrote several poems. Please click on the link below to listen to some 4th grade poems.

4th Grade Poems

As we uncovered, Ted Scheu is an amusing and appealing poet. He taught us a variety of formats in which to write poems and shared some of his poems and some poems by students. After reading some of Ted Scheu’s work, you may be inspired to become a poet.

Reported by Kris, Beck, and Caden