Poetry Café Brings Creative Voices to Life at Smith Elementary

The entire second-grade class at Smith Elementary recently transformed their classrooms into a Poetry Café, where students wrote two of their very own poems and presented them to their classmates and parents.

Second-grade teachers guided students through the world of poetry, introducing them to different types of poetry, helping them build skills, and gain confidence to write and share their own work.

“I am so proud of the hard work and creativity that they put in. They wrote from their soul in a way. They used things from their heart, which was sweet for second graders to do,” second-grade teacher Brittany Beltran said. “They just kind of took it head on and they've enjoyed it,” Beltran said.

In preparation for the Poetry Café, teachers provided templates such as biography poems and guided students through revisions, focusing on spelling and content. Students then drafted their work in their Reading/Language Arts notebooks. Once finalized, the students used felt pens to publish their poems on decorative paper, which was displayed in the hallway and compiled into poetry books.

“I wrote one of my poems about the Texas State Fair because I love it,” said second-grader Sloane Snodgrass. “My other poem is my bio poem and it says a lot about me and the people I know,” Snodgrass said.

In addition to their individual poems, each second-grade class worked together to write a collaborative class poem, adding another layer of teamwork and creativity to the event.

“My favorite part about this event is seeing the kids' creative side of what they want to write the poems about and expressing themselves, which is super fun,” second-grade teacher Hope Logan said.

The Poetry Café wasn’t just about writing, it was a celebration of voice, expression, and community. The Bulldogs at Smith Elementary learned not only the mechanics of poetry but also how to speak from the heart and proudly share their words with others.