With approximately fifty-five month-long observances in April, it’s a busy month the world over. These include National Autism Awareness Month and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. Then, there are the one-day observances like International Pillow Fight Day on April 6th! But at www.authorstakeaction.com, a community of authors writing for children and young adults, April is a celebration of National Poetry Month.
This year, Authors Take Action are combining National Poetry Month and Earth Day, celebrated on April 22nd, to organise a community poetry project for kids in which children’s poets and authors create a variety of poetry prompts for children on the theme of CLIMATE. The aim of the project is that “children and classrooms will generate poems based on these prompts for National Poetry Month or for Earth Day.”
As a former language arts and foreign language English teacher, there’s nothing I love more than a creative language project *rubbing hands with glee*, so here is my prompt:
I live in the French Alps where, over the last few years, we’ve had more avalanches than we normally do because the temperatures are warmer and the snow is wetter and heavier. Sometimes, people are caught in avalanches, and search and rescue dogs are called in. Most ski resorts have their own dog and handler but sometimes a dog needs to fly in on a helicopter.
Here are some questions to help you jump into a dog’s furry body and imagine what they’re thinking:
- How would you feel when you know you’re going on a mission?
- Will you be jumping on a helicopter? What do you think about that?
- What do you love about your job?
- What don’t you like about searching for avalanche victims?
- What’s your name (and is it linked to what you do)?
- How did you learn to do your job?
- What do you see, smell, hear, taste and feel when you arrive at the avalanche?
You can use any poetry technique you like. Perhaps you’ll write a letter poem, a concrete poem, a double-dactyl or even a haiku? Whatever you do, it’s meant to be fun, so make sure you add some of that too.
To your pens, poets!
Mary Lee is hosting Poetry Friday this week at A(nother) Year of Reading
I look forward to reading these search-and-rescue poems!
Me too!
Lou,
I have been off learning about the double dactyl from your link. Nice prompt. I like that you suggested the students have some fun added too.
Double-dactyls are challenging, but a lot of fun. Children learn more easily and in a more impactful way when having fun which is why I mentioned them.
I love this site-specific prompt! And writing a “mask” poem from another point of view is always sure to unlock creativity. These poems will be fun to read!
I’m eager to see what children come up with for this. I think the topic is broad enough for them to do a lot of very creative things. And search and rescue dogs are so great to watch in action. I’m thinking I may add a video to the post…
Your prompt will be an inspiration to write from the rescue dogs’ POV! I live in Denver & read about those dogs in our Rockies, too, but more and more it seems that avalanche transceivers are used by back-country skiers, still the dogs are helpful searchers, too.
The ski resorts in France all have at least one, and sometimes two, on their search and rescue teams because avalanches happen on the ski runs sometimes where people aren’t necessarily equipped with transceivers as they weren’t planning on going off-pist. I love seeing them training; they zip-zip up and down, tail wagging, tongue lolling, just generally having a ball of it!
Hello, Lou! Nice to meet you. Kids will lap up this rescue dog POV idea! I myself am wondering where you are in the French Alps–I have family-in-law in Courchevel. Bonne continuation!
Bonjour Heidi! I’m on the French/Italian border in the Savoie. Courchevel is not far from me as the crow flies, but if you are wingless and have to wend around the mountains in a car, it’s about three hours away.
Love the questions for the rescue dog. This could be in the form of an interview. So important to see this problem from all perspectives. Thank you!
That’s a great idea, and one that I did not think of!
Lou, this is such a fun and thoughtful prompt! I hope lots of kids have fun writing it. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Sarah. I’d love to see what they do with it. I hope we can.
Hi Lou–what a fun prompt! I especially like the brainstorming/jumpstarting questions you pose for writers! Happy Poetry Month :>)
Thanks Laura! And happy Poetry Month to you too!
I love this prompt, Lou. Not only to write in the voice of a dog, but a dog with a climate- related mission. Thanks for participating I’m the #climatepoemproject.
You’re welcome! It was fun to come up with something children might enjoy.
Very fun prompt, Lou. I’m hoping to squeeze in writing to these #ClimatePoemProject prompts as part of my NPM project (30 poems/30days/30 forms). Thanks!
That’s a great project for NPM. Mine’s to tame the triolet, but why didn’t I think of yours?
Terrific prompt Lou and great questions too, thanks!
Thanks, Michelle!