About The POEM Festival

POEM stands for poetry of every medium,  and the POEM Festival is the culmination of seventh-graders' study of poetry.

In seventh-grade writing workshop, students begin by thinking about the differences between poetry and other forms of written expression. They consider word choice, form, rhythm, rhyme, as well as the sound and appearance of their words.

They study a wide range of poetry from poets as diverse as Emily Dickinson, Arthur Rimbaud, e.e. cummings, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, Bob Dylan and Mos Def.

They explore subjects such as human rights, nature, suffering, happiness, family and friendship, and explore the perspectives of poets as well as their own perspectives.

Throughout the process of studying poets and poetic techniques, they compose their own poems and gain confidence in their work and themselves though frequent opportunities to share with the class.

As the POEM Festival approaches, students pick their favorite original pieces and prepare them for a spoken word performance, as well as create a book of their collective poems.

Through the years, the POEM Festival has evolved into a wonderful collaboration between teachers, so that students and their families have the opportunity to celebrate poetry through a variety of media, from writing in English and Hebrew to spoken word, music and visual arts.

In addition to the core spoken word program, this year's POEM Festival featured a poem book written by each student in conjunction with the Genre du Jour literature curriculum; student poem books are inspired by reflections on the literature they read.

The program also included musical numbers by student musicians as well as visual art projects created in art class and inspired by specific poems chosen by each student.

                

The POEM Festival is student led. Each student signed up for a poem committee and was responsible for coordinating certain elements of the POEM Festival related to his or her committee. Committees included Tech, Music, Book Editing, Book Art, Emceeing, Intermission Activity, Front of the House and Decorations.

The POEM Festival is special because it offers seventh-graders an opportunity to take ownership of their learning and share their knowledge and love of poetry with the Day School community. It is not only a celebration of poetry, but also a celebration of our students!