Rhyme Time

The end of the school year is a time to look back at accomplishments. But, third graders at Weeks Elementary can do more than just look. They can reach up, pull it off the shelf, open it up and start reading. That’s because the students are published poets.  

Teachers Tanya Kohlbach and Jenna Waldron, and librarian Nana Pietriyk worked with the students from February through April to hone their poetry skills and develop a rhythmic souvenir from their school year. The result was the hardcover book Poems from Our Third Grade Year at C.R. Weeks Elementary.

“I wanted them to do something for their third grade year,” said Miss Waldron. 

"This was a great opportunity to explore different types or writing,” said Pietriyk. “This pushed their creativity. They had to express themselves in such a short format.”
 
A poem written in a book 

Pietriyk worked with the students on different kinds of poetry, letting students write poems in the style they chose. Some wrote for more than just the book.

“After we wrote the poetry book I wrote another poem called Bowling. Miss Waldron said it was pretty good,” said Carl Fitch, who said he has been writing poetry since he was six years old. “It actually rhymes. I like the rhyming parts. They’re pretty catchy.”

The poetry book represented the second time being published for a pair of third graders. Victoria Hopkins and Wyatt Sienko were each published in Crazy Creatures – Monster Madness from New York, a compilation of what’s called mini sagas, stories of up to 100 words with a beginning, middle and end.

“I don’t know how to explain it but it was great,” said Sienko of being published twice this school year. Sienko wrote A Fun Day of Baseball for the poetry book.

“It was cool” said Sienko of the experience. 

He wasn’t the only one to think so.

“I had a grandma order more (copies). She kept emailing me saying, ‘This is amazing,’” said Mrs. Kohlbach. 

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