Duration

60 to 75 minutes

75 to 90 minutes

3 to 8 weeks

• I work with children up to 12 years of age including beginners ages 4 to 7 in grades preK-2. 
  

• Each type of visit offers the opportunity to write poetry, either individually or as part of a group.
  

• My approach emphasizes hearing the music in words & includes movement, drama and singing as appropriate.
  

• For older students, I offer hands-on sessions focusing on critique and revision.
  

• I select poems that link to the current themes and topics of your curriculum.
  

• Book sales and signings to coincide with school visits can also be arranged.
  

Type of Program

large-group presentation

classroom poetry workshop with

follow-up by mail

Poet-in-Residence

program

Group Size

up to three classes

(about 75 children)

one class

(about 25 children)

one or two grade levels;

up to eight classes,

3 to 6 visits each

Cost    

Please note:  fees listed are a starting point for discussion.  I operate a sliding scale based on the needs of individual schools and organizations.

$150; two for $200;

$275 for three presentations

(same school, same day)

$225; two for $300;

$400 for three workshops

(same school, same day)

starting at $1200;

please email for details

Scroll down to see photos and

read poems written

by children during my programs!

Shadows

by the Molecules in Room 149

dark sun shooting night

black grows

flashlight   carlight   trucklight

short shadows

big shadows

moon follows stars

            I see cool shadows

.Mr. Riley's Kindergarten Class

Arlington Science Focus School

Money

  Red piggy bank:

  A hundred shiny dimes shaking

  Penny, quarter, nickel counting

  Half-dollar, dollar bills--

  One, two three, a thousand!

Ms. Skidmore's Kindergarten Class

Taylor ES,  Arlington

Poetry & Photos from School Programs

see children's poems also on the whisperSHOUT page!

           Getting Places

           Bike, boat

           Hike, float

       Flying, racing, pedaling, walking

       ZOOM, bumpity:  helicopter, tricycle

       Jog, run, ride, motorcycle

       Car, speedy airplane:      WHOOSH!

Mrs. Toner's Pooh Bear Class

Randolph ES,  Arlington

Rainbow Bird

tweet-tweeting

violet-blue-brown

starry-sparkly-shiny-rainbow feathers

run

eat fat diamond seeds

gracefully fly to the top of a tree, our

sparrow-cardinal-hawk-eagle-swan-robin

Ms. Mason's Kindergarten Class

Tuckahoe ES,  Arlington

Nature

Riding my scooter in a circle

I see

rough and smooth seeds, like bugs.

Dirty soil, sun and raindrops

sprout plants:

trees growing green, pink sunflower,

dandelion bush.

Animals visit: blackbirds and bunnies.

Ms. Adler's Kindergarten Class

Tuckahoe ES,  Arlington

A Taste of Lemon Heaven

the reviews, and a few poems from Squeeze

visiting poet programs

Due to other commitments, I'm not very available for school visits this year.  Still, you should e-mail me and ask--you never know!

Blast Off

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0....blast off!

From earth in a

rocket ship full of

cheese pizza power

roaring through space, past the sun

and shooting stars

Police saucer zooming on ahead

Our ship slows down...

We take bites of saucy cheese

and rocket off

with pizza power!

Ms. Hansen's Kindergarten Class

Jamestown ES, Arlington, VA

Zoom, Rocket, Zoom

Zoom, rocket, zoom!

Blast off from earth...

We move through humongous darkness

past the moon and Mars,

past the planets and little shooting stars

We circle around to Venus and the burning sun

In our triangle spaceship

We're spacekids in yellow suits

This is better than the planetarium!

Mrs. Miotke's Kindergarten Class

Ashlawn ES, Arlington, VA

From a Montgomery County Media Specialist: “Heidi made a dramatic impression on both our students and staff – I heard many, MANY positive comments for days after her presentation!  She really connected with the students and helped raise their level of enthusiasm regarding the writing process and poetry.   I would highly recommend her to any other school in the area!”

~PROGRAM CHOICES~

Super Word Power!

for grades K-2 and classes with many bilingual learners

Working with just one or two poems, we explore the ways that poets put together words that match (using repetition, alliteration, assonance and rhyme) to make poems that sound good to your ears and feel good in your mouth.  Together we select a group of juicy, powerful words and combine them into one group poem.  Plenty of movement and participation!

whisperSHOUT:  Poetry Out Loud

for grades 2-5

Working with two or three poems, we explore how word choice and presentation on the page affect the oral performance of a poem.  Children then compose a poem, either in small groups or individually, especially for reading aloud, with the emphasis on making it sound good to your ears and feel good in your mouth.

The Best Words in the Best Order

for grades 4- 5 and classes with more advanced literacy skills

Working with several poems-in-progress (both mine and the students’), we develop critique and revision skills and apply them to make immediate improvements to early drafts.  The emphasis is on word choice, organization of ideas and use of line breaks.  This session can include a brief discussion of the publishing process for a “professional” poetry book.

Scroll down to see photos and

read poems written

by children during my programs!