Poetry can serve as a form of therapy, self-expression, and a means to explore personal and cultural identity. In this episode of Extra Credit, Brooke and Ari visit the Poetry Out Loud state competition in Lansing, Michigan; Lansing Poet Laureate Masaki Takahashi shares how his non-profit, The Poetry Room, aims to create space for writers of color; Flint Public Art Project and Flint Mural Poems combine visual art and poetry to spark important conversations and inspire positive change; Brooke shares her experience meeting Nandi Comer, Michigan’s history-making Poet Laureate; Leah checks in from Chassell, MI with a poem inspired by nature; and Brooke and Paige learn about Ypsilanti’s Youth Poet Laureate program with award-winning poet, Ciatta Tucker.

Learn more about the people and organizations featured in this episode:

Related Lessons

  • La biblioteca es un excelente recurso para que los niños descubran gran variedad de libros y textos informativos y digitales, junto con diferentes géneros de texto, como la poesía. Esta variedad ofrece múltiples opciones para que los niños elijan, y que tengan opciones es importante. The library is an excellent resource for children to discover a wide variety of books and informative and digital texts, along with different text genres like poetry. This diversity provides multiple options for children to choose from, and having choices is important.

  • Las oportunidades de escritura que tiene el niño a diario son importantes para el desarrollo de su alfabetización. El juego dramático y el tiempo de fantasía son oportunidades perfectas para practicar las habilidades de lectoescritura. The daily writing opportunities that the child has are important for their literacy development. Dramatic play and fantasy time are perfect opportunities to practice reading and writing skills.

  • "Seguir instrucciones paso a paso escritas es una excelente manera de fomentar la lectoescritura en las actividades cotidianas. Conecta el texto con acciones y además ofrece una oportunidad de mantener conversaciones más amplias con el niño que incluyan preguntas que no se responden con un simple sí o no." "Following step-by-step written instructions is an excellent way to promote literacy in everyday activities. It connects the text with actions and also provides an opportunity for broader conversations with the child, including questions that aren't answered with a simple yes or no."