A Lesson Plan for the Inaugural Poem

Most people I know were stunned — in a good way — by the inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman. Her poise was astonishing for someone so young, and her words were stirring in just the way we needed in that moment.

Her poem is a great way to talk with kids about poetry, since she’s not much older than they are. PBS has released a lesson plan for kids from sixth to 12th grades using “The Hill We Climb” as a launching point for freewriting, connecting to other Black female inaugural poets, hunting for allusions in her work and writing memorials for people lost of covid, among other options.

This poem ties into English, history and social studies and is a great way to bring current events into the classroom.Or if your kids are at home you can watch the video together (if you didn’t see it live or want to watch it again it’s embedded in the PBS post) and talk about what it says to you as they share their reactions as well.

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Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day

I’ve written a lot about different Fourth of July activities and crafts over the years (see links below) but one thing I haven’t touched on much is the Fourth of July party. A backyard hangout and barbecue is a classic event, so why not bring some fun outside with red, white and blue games the whole family can play?

Games like these can help develop fine motor skills, and getting kids up and moving is always a good idea. If adults join in, so much the better.

Six Clever Sisters has collected a dozen fun Fourth of July games you can make for the backyard to play for the holiday or any time during the summer.

A lot of these are regular sorts of backyard games like hitting targets with squirt guns or tossing balls into buckets, but given a red, white and blue twist for the patriotic holidays.

These games would be fun throughout the year regardless of whether you put a patriotic spin on them.

For example the tic tac toe game shown here, which is from Hey Let’s Make Stuff, would be cute with x’s and o’s painted in any colors you like. And of course you could make it even easier and just play on the sidewalk with red, white and blue chalk if you don’t have a ready supply of wooden letters.

Check out all the ideas for backyard party games for the Fourth of July at Six Clever Sisters.

Looking for more things to do for the Fourth of July with kids? Check out these posts from previous years for even more inspiration:

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