The National Writing Project is providing different opportunities for teachers and students to celebrate National Poetry Month and the eclipse on April 8th by engaging in different writing projects and activities.
Reading, Writing & Creating with the Eclipse in Mind
The Ohio Writing Project and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park have compiled resources inspired by poet Paul Dunbar’s “The Madrigal” and the 2024 solar eclipse, which provide numerous avenues to explore the intersections of writing, science, and history. Resources encompass both writing activities like their blackout poetry prompt and art activities like making negative space art.
“Shared Sky” is an interactive online poetry project celebrating the science and wonder of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. The project’s namesake, a poem by David Hassler, is the foundation of the project and its activities, which include sharing images, videos, or writing to the community poem and gallery, and viewing the submissions of other members.
“Sparks” is a collection of interactive writing prompts with a focus on poetry encouraging writers of all ages to write outdoors and in public spaces in their local communities.The collection presents a wide variety of poetry forms, such as spoken word, blackout, and small verse, with each resource including 1-3 prompts along with linked resources exploring these different approaches to writing poetry.