Congratulations to this year’s Word Up! winning poets. They competed in three categories, Grades 6 – 7, Grades 8 – 9, and Grades 10 – 12.  First, Second, Third and honorable mentions were awarded in each category.  Poems will be posted to the web site after the awards ceremony. To hear these young word smiths reading their poems, join us:

Word Up! Winners Circle

Thursday, April 28

7 – 9 pm

East Columbia Branch (50+ Center)

Guest poet: Linda Joy Burke of Poetry Out Loud

Sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library

Only one week left for your students to submit their original poetry to the Word Up! Poetry Contest.

Students in grades 6 – 12 can enter up to three original poems (no more than 60 lines each) in Howard County Library’s Word Up! Poetry Contest. A Word Up! Educators Resource brochure with writing exercises and other resources is available for teachers online.

Poems are judged by a committee on their originality and language use, among other criteria. Deadline for entries is March 16. All winners will be invited to read their poems on April 28 and will receive cash awards, sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

All winning poems are posted on the Library’s web site. Students may qualify for only one prize in each category.

Category 1: Grades 6 & 7

Category 2: Grades 8 & 9

Category 3: Grades 10 – 12

Get those poems in by March 16!

Katie George – Administration Office

New Word Up! Poetry Contest entries arrive every day!

If your students are in need of a little inspiration, why not invite us to your classroom to lead Writers Camp.  We’ll review the contest rules and judging rubric, then lead a writing exercise to point students along the path to poetry.

If you’re more of a do-it-yourself-er, download the Word Up! Educator Resource Brochure for contest details and writing exercises you can lead in your own classroom. The deadline to submit poetry is March 16.

Word Up! is sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

Katie George, Administration Office

Paper

A piece of paper
So beautiful yet so alone
Those crisp clean lines
Jump at the thought of words
But yearn to keep the secrets
Of anyone who wishes to share them
Like fresh white snow beckoning to a child
It waits Sometimes for forever in a lost drawer
But it waits
For the words of intense thought
That needs to be written down
It waits –Nicki Mallon, Atholton High School (2010 Honorable Mention Word Up! poet)

Word Up! begins today!  If your students have crisp, clean pages that are just waiting, why not encourage them to fill those pages with poetry and submit those poems to the 2011 Word Up! poetry contest. Word Up! is open to all Howard County students in grades 6 through 12. Cash prizes are awarded for first, second, and third place in three age groups.  Winners are invited to read their poems at a special event in the spring.

Poems may be submitted electronically at hclibrary.org/wordup. Download the Word Up! Educator Resource Brochure or request a session of Writer’s Camp in your very own classroom. Deadline to submit up to three entries is March 16. Word Up! is sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

Katie George – Administration Office

Walt Whitman wrote:

What does it all mean poet?
Well, Your brains beat into rhythm, you tell
What we felt only; you express’d
You hold thing beautiful the best
and pace in them in rhythm so,
side by side

Do you know any budding Walt Whitmans? Do you encourage a love of word smithing and playing with language?

Students in grades 6 – 12 can enter up to three original poems (no more than 60 lines each) in Howard County Library’s Word Up! Poetry Contest. A Word Up! Educators Resource brochure with writing exercises and other resources is available for teachers online.

Poems are judged by a committee on their originality and language use, among other criteria. Deadline for entries is March 16. All winners will be invited to read their poems on April 28 and will receive cash awards, sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

All winning poems are posted on the Library’s web site. Students may qualify for only one prize in each category.

Category 1: Grades 6 & 7

Category 2: Grades 8 & 9

Category 3: Grades 10 – 12

Welcome back to school!  Welcome back to Teacher Notes.

If you’re new to Teacher Notes, this is the place to receive the latest updates on Howard County Library’s curriculum enhancements and instructional materials.  You’ll receive details on support we can offer as you plan your lessons and assignments, as well as tidbits to share with your colleagues and students.  Learn how we can support science fair students.  Discover details about Word Up!, our annual poetry contest.  Receive reminders about relevant classes at the Library.  And be in the know about hidden gems, like online Cliff’s Notes.

Visit us regularly or subscribe to the RSS feed and have the information delivered to you!

Katie George – Howard County Library Administration

Join us on Saturday, January 23 for Recycled Poetry and put those old pages to good use. Students slice and dice the words from old magazines to create original poetry and give voice to their own thoughts and feelings. Completed poems may be submitted to the 2010 Word Up! Poetry Contest.

Register online for Recycled Poetry on Saturday, January 23 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm at Central Library.

Katie George -  Howard County Library Administration

Today I am a storm.
A whirlwind of emotion
I can’t hold it inside

–from Today by Gillian Engelbrecht

Does this describe any of your students? Encourage them to put their thoughts and feelings in a poem and enter the 2010 Word Up! Poetry Contest. The contest begins on January 11, and is open to Howard County students in grades 6 through 12. View complete contest details and the 2009 winning poems.

For ideas on incorporating Word Up! into your lesson plans, flip through our Word Up! Educator Resource brochure.

Katie George -  Howard County Library Administration

Calling all poets! The 2009 Word Up! Poetry Contest begins next week on Wednesday, January 21.

Students in grades 6 through 12 and college students (aged 21 and under) are invited to submit their original poetry to Howard County Library’s annual teen poetry contest.

For ideas on incorporating Word Up! into your lesson plans, flip through our Word Up! Educator Resource brochure.

View complete contest details.