Poetry Folder!!

I think that poetry should be used in every subject possible in elementary school. Also, I feel it should be read everyday. Most people’s experience with poetry has not been a positive one, and I feel this is due to a lack of attention in the earlier years of schooling. Of course, children already read poems everyday through different stories and books, but it is not really talked about. At least it wasn’t when I was in school. I feel that Tunnel and Jacobs would agree with me on this matter. The following poems are examples of how to use poems throughout the school day to enhance writing and start engraving into students a reason to appreciate poetry and all that is has to offer.

1. Adoff, Arnold. (1989). Chocolate Dreams. Illus. by Turi MacCombie. Lathrop, Lee and Shepard books.
I feel this is a very good description of when someone bites into chocolate. It would be a fun poem to use as a craft lesson for eating chocolates. A fun way to introduce the poem is to just say the title and ask the kids what they think the poem is going to be about. I bet one would get a lot of interesting answers!

2. Grimes, Nikki. (1997). Meet Danitra Brown. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. HarperCollins.
A lot of children will know at least one person whom this poem describes. I think it would be neat to read this poem out loud and have the students write down who they think this poem most describes. It is also neat because it rhymes and therefore will keep the children interested.

3. Prelutsky, Jack. (2000). The Random House Book of Poetry for Children: A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today’s Child. Random House Children’s Books.
This would be a great poem to teach kids how to embrace their individuality. I think it is something most kids struggle with. I think this poem would be great to talk about and even post on the wall so the kids can look at it year round. It is so important to teach children to be comfortable in their own skin. This is why I like this poem so much!

4. O’Connell George, Kristine. (1999). Little Dog Poems. Illus. by June Otani. Houghton Mufflin Company.
This poem would be great for introducing poetry in Kindergarten. Most children have dogs or some kind of pet at home, so the teacher could ask each child to share their own stories of how their pet greats them when they come home. It is short and simple, relates to the kids, and therefore I feel it would be great for class discussion and activities.

5. Kuskin, Karla. (2003). Moon Have You Met My Mother? Illus. by Sergio Ruzzier. HarperCollins.
Could this poem describe how reading and writing are essential any better? This would be great to share with students who struggle with reading and writing. I love how it says “reading is writing is learning is growing”. This is exactly how I feel about reading. I would explain to my students that even as an adult I continue to learn through reading and writing. I would explain that learning is a LIFELONG process, and that is why they need to learn the basics now. I just love this poem.

6. Silverstein, Shel. From Falling up. Dr. Akrofi Handout.
Shel Silverstein was my favorite poem author as a child. I remember reading and rereading A Light in the Attic all the time. He always seemed to be able to rhyme everything, and everything he wrote about was just so silly and funny. He always kept me engaged in his reading, and I remember being anxious to turn the page to find what other silly subject he chose to write about. This poem above would be perfect for a science project. The kids could bring their favorite foods to class and take turns looking at them under the microscope. I think it is a lesson the kids will remember forever.

7. Yolen, Jane. Dr. Akrofi Handout.
I feel this is another poem that is great for introducing poetry to young students in kindergarten. It is short and it rhymes in couplets. It is great for kids who live in big cities so they can relate to the city’s smog and tall buildings.

8. Studness, Roy. Dr. Akrofi Handout.
Yet again, here is another great poem to introduce younglings to poetry. Every child can relate to this poem because every child has gotten sick! The teacher could even have their students write a short poem about what they do at home when they are sick.

9. Bacmeister, Rhoda. Dr. Akrofi Handouts.
This poem best serves in a class full of students who have been around snow enough to know that snow gets slushy when you walk on it. The children could do several activities with this poem, like write another poem describing what it is like to walk on other surfaces with other types of shoes. Also, for younger grades, this poem is great for introducing the “es” endings.

10. Moore, Lillian. http://www.k12.hi.us/~shasincl/poems_ocean.html#beachstones
I think this is another poem that would be great for a science experiment. The children can experiment with different objects they take out of the ocean or lake or pond-whichever they live close to. Then, they can write a poem about the different things that happen to the objects.

11. Viorst, Judith. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/some-things-don-t-make-any-sense-at-all/
This is another poem that is great for children just learning about poetry. Most children have younger siblings as well, and they could write a poem about the way the felt when their little brother or sister was born. Or, if the child is the youngest in the family, they could write a poem about how they think their older brother or sister felt when they were first born.

12. Kennedy, X. J. http://www.ralphmag.org/xjkennedy.html
This is a deeper poem and children may not get it right away. I think this is a good thing though because you can take each line for just what it says and make it simpler than it appears. I think this poem is a good example for teaching kids that even though poetry may seem deep and confusing, if you just re-write it in simpler words it makes just as much sense. This might be a good poem to go over right before middle school, when the students start getting into old English poems.

13. Florian, Douglas. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/1133/seasonalpoems/winter.html
This poem is perfect for right before holiday break. After reading the poem out loud, children can share their own stories of family time during the winter, especially on the harsh winter days. Then, the children can write about their different stories either through a letter thanking a family member for everything they do for them, or a note to a friend, or just a short story, or any form of writing really.

14. McCord, David. http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/webstuff/poetry/McCord-HistoryofEduc.html
Students will probably have several questions over this poem. Mainly one like, “HUH!?” However, I think it is great to introduce poems that do not always make sense right away to get children to think more critically about the poem and the words and what they are trying to say. Also, I think it is interesting that this poem was probably written a very long time ago, as in historically, and the poem is titled “History of Education”. It is a good poem to back up the fact that poetry has always been around and so has education.

15. Wong, Janet. http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2007/09/happy-birthday-janet-wong.html
This poem is perfect for talking about culture and diversity and how every child is different. Children can write their own poems about what their faces look like and where they came from.

16. Livingston, Myra Cohn. http://www.brownielocks.com/valentinepoems.html
Obviously, this is a perfect poem for Valentine’s Day. I think it is great for first graders because the poem is simple couplets, and most of them will find this very humorous and appreciate it. This poem could be used to talk about Valentine’s Day and how everyone should get Valentine’s for everyone, and if they want to give special valentines then they can do so outside of class. This way, no one’s feelings will get hurt!

17. Merriam, Eve. http://project1.caryacademy.org/echoes/poet_Eve_Merriam/Samplepoemmerriam.htm
This poem is great for beginners. After reading the poem and having many grand conversations about it, the students can pick their own color to write a short poem about.

18. Stevenson, R. L. (2007). A Child’s Garden of Verses. Illus. by Gyo Fujikawa. Sterling.
This is a cute poem for kids. I think they would be able to follow along with it just fine and relate to it very well. Several different activities can be acquired from this poem alone.

19. Ciardi, John. http://f2.org/humour/language/nonsense.html#HappyFamily
Even though this is a longer poem, the students can take one line at a time and write it in words that make more sense to them. They can re-write the whole thing, write another version of the poem, just take one verse and add on to make a different poem, or something like that.

20. Lewis, J. Patrick. Published by the Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_reasons_for_rainbows.shtml
I think this poem would be great for those who like sports. It is important to gain the interest of every student in poetry and examine all different subjects. I think this is a great sports one to use. I think the boys would really like it!