I don’t like chalk (because it’s messy), but I adore Betsy Hubbard (because she’s artistic, brilliant, and caring) so I went outside to chalk with my daughter this afternoon. Unlike me, Isabelle likes to use chalk! See:
Now, on to my poetic masterpiece (or not) in honor of April’s Chalk-A-Bration.
The Case for Poetry All Year Long/Imagine a world…/Where chocolate is eaten only in February/And turkey is just consumed in November./That’s horrible –/Dreadful even!/Now imagine a world/With a daily diet of poetry./Tastier,/right? (Click on the image to enlarge.)
I was one of those classroom teachers who infused poetry into my classroom all year long. I couldn’t imagine teaching without poetry all year long thanks to my first literacy coach, Pat Werner, who opened the door of poetry to me during my first year of teaching. Betsy hosts Chalkabration on the final day of each month at http://teachingyoungwriters.blogspot.com.
I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island.
I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010).
I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.
View all posts by Stacey Shubitz
I am in with you. Poetry all year long! We chalked all over the front walks at school. No one gets by without a little taste. Tomorrow mothers are coming for muffins. They will be treated to poetry, too.
Raising Literate Humans 
Amen!
Atwell says that Poetry is the Mother Genre of reading!! I agree
I am in with you. Poetry all year long! We chalked all over the front walks at school. No one gets by without a little taste. Tomorrow mothers are coming for muffins. They will be treated to poetry, too.
I adore you too! Your poem is brilliant and I love all the chalk art your little sweetie created with you. Beautiful