In honor of National Poetry Month, fifth grade students from West End Elementary School studied different styles of poetry and put their creative writing to the test. As a culmination of the unit, the in-person students, along with a remote class, participated in a Poetry Picnic on April 23 on the West End field.

Leading up to the picnic, each fifth grader wrote original poems in the styles of free verse, haiku, list, personification, rhyming, simile and more. Students were encouraged to bring a towel or a blanket and distance themselves on the grass for the big event as they watched as their peers presented one of their original poems. Fifth grade teachers shared in the experience as well and presented their own poems with the students.

The fifth graders cheered on their classmates as they approached the microphone to read their poetry pieces. Topics included pre-pandemic times, family, sports, springtime and many more.

“My favorite part about this poetry unit was writing about what I like and learning about the different poem styles,” said fifth grader Nicholas Marino. “I especially liked doing the rhyming poem because I wrote about my love for basketball.”

His classmate, Matthew Ryan, found a new appreciation for poetry through the comprehensive unit.

“I didn’t like poetry a lot before this and when we started doing this unit, I found that I liked it because I learned a lot of new things,” he said.

The Poetry Picnic allowed students to proudly showcase their work, practice their public speaking skills and gave them a safe environment to connect in this pandemic era.