Poetry
Resources and Ideas
Compiled by Amy
Brownlee
There
are tons of resources on the Web, but here are some of my favorite
online resources:
ProTeacher Poetry
lesson plans
Internet
School Lib. Media Center—Poetry
Nat’l
Poetry Month ideas from Scholastic K-2
With
5th graders, I do a Poetry scavenger hunt, where I give groups of
students a stack of poetry books (variety) and then have
them read whatever poems they want out of the books looking for ones
that match
categories. I came up with a list of categories by taking
a look at what else is recognized in April. So as a group
they work together looking for poems to match these categories: sports
(National Youth Sports Safety Month) Nature (Earth Day in April)
Books/Reading
(National Library Month) Funny/Jokes (April 1st) and a Poem
that Rhymes of course. I make a "recording" sheet
to have them list the poems they find that match the categories,
and then when we are done
I also have one person from each group "present" one
of the poems from their list to the class (kind of a "coffee
house" kind
of thing).
When I used to teach 4th grade we did the "Jabberwocky" poems
from Lewis Carroll. Kids illustrated
and wrote stories of their lives.
I like the Brod Bagert books. I also have the tapes of him performing
the poetry and students love to hear those.
If you like "Joyful Noise," you'll no doubt enjoy "You
Read To Me, I'll Read To You," written by Mary Ann Hoberman. ISBN
0-316-36350-2. I believe it was recommended in last year's
Reading Circle catalog, too.
We've had great response when using You Read to Me, I'll Read to
You by
Mary Ann Hoberman in elementary school. They love to do choral
reading in two voices - especially boys/girls.
I like some
pattern poems, especially if I am going to be doing more original
types of poetry also. I like Byrd Baylor as an author and poet. "Ride
a Purple Pelican, Ride a Silver Stork" by Prelutsky is
one I have kids memorize as a class. As I am also the
art teacher, I like to have the students illustrate their poem
after they write it. We
have done Haiku also, harder but the thinking is good for students. Also
fun to illustrate in a sparse Japanese style.
I also like TERSE VERSE. Bruce McMillan's "One
Sun" is an example of poems that rhyme and are only
two words long.
I've heard good things about a poetry handbook for teaching poetry. It
is titled Easy Poetry Lessons That Dazzle and Delight. It
is a Scholastic book and co-authored by David L. Harrison,
a Springfield, Missouri author who writes in many genres.
Another Paul Fleischman selection I use is Big Talk: Poems for Four
Voices. I use it with fourth graders and divide them into groups
for unison reading in the four parts. They beg for more! Have
fun with all the suggestions!
Bruce Lansky's books are also popular with my students.
I have a wonderful kit of poetry big books, student books, and tapes
to go along with the books from Lee Bennett Hopkins...I think I found
it in Teacher Created Materials several years ago and use it with Kindergarten
through 2 grade. I also have used the big book/tape with the Head Start
and Early Childhood classes in my building.
We use the CORE KNOWLEDGE CURR. (E. D. Hirsch) and they have designated
poems for each grade level, so I go by that!
