The Bridges: Our Smarts program for middle-school students and older adults includes a lesson on poetry. A small group of seventh-grade students and their older friends created this acrostic poem about autumn.
Autumn & Fall: Acrostic Poems
Poets: Casey, Zac, Voreen & Royce
Apples
Unusual colors
Time adjustment
Under bare trees
Mom’s Pumpkin Pie
New school year
Falling into the leaves
Autumn seasons
Labor Day
Love the Turkey
After this lesson, a volunteer, Peggy, brought in this wonderful poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson and gave a copy to each student:
Success
By Ralph Waldo Emerson
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and
to endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
