Week 5

It's Week 5 in our weekly sharing of poems on Poetry Friday and the theme is "More Pets."
For a taste of The Poetry Friday Anthology, here's an excerpt from the poem for Grade 5.


Good Dog! Bad Dog!
   by Jeannine Atkins

Good dog never wakes us up.
Yip! Bad dog jumps on the bed.
Good dog shakes for a biscuit.
Bad dog snitches jam and bread.

...


[For the rest of the poem, check out p. 231 in the book.]



TAKE 5
1. To kick off this poem, show images of the two masks of drama—comedy and tragedy. Then read this poem aloud using a light and happy voice for lines 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12 and a frustrated voice for lines 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.

2. Next, display the words of the poem and divide the students into two groups—one to say the words Good dog as they occur in the poem and one to say the words Bad dog. You read the rest of the poem, including the conclusion of lines beginning Good dog or Bad dog.

3. Invite students to share their own favorite pet stories.

4. Poets give their poems shape and meaning in many ways. Talk with students about each stanza and what it adds to the poem. Consider the poet’s use of rhyme (bed/bread; chair/care) and how the rhyme depends on the final syllable in one case (heart/apart).

5. Follow up with more dog poems like “Spotty’s Tongue” by Betsy Franco (3rd Grade, Week 5) or “My Dog Jack Thinks Up His Valentine” by Patricia Hubbell (2nd Grade, Week 21) or selections from Betsy Franco’s book, A Dazzling Display of Dogs.

Head on over to Paper Tigers for more Poetry Friday celebrating!

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Week 4

The theme of Week 4 is PETS, always a popular topic among young readers. This week, we feature a "pet" poem for every grade level with subjects ranging from a petting zoo, pet fish, wished-for pets, not-pets, to pet opposites. Here is an excerpt from the poem for second grade. It's "My Pet" by David L. Harrison. 

My Pet
by David L. Harrison

See those bats?
In the maple tree?
The one on the left
Belongs to me.

Haven't told him yet
He's my pet.

...

(Read the rest of the poem on p. 110 in the book.)

Take 5

1. To set the stage before reading this poem aloud, make an origami bat. A simple model is available here: nickrobinson.info/origami/diagrams/bat.htm. After reading the poem aloud, hang the bat upside down.

2. Read the poem again and this time invite students to chime in on the second and final stanzas in whisper voices while you read the rest aloud.

3. For discussion: If you could have any pet (that’s not usually a pet) what would it be?

4. Guide students in identifying the rhyming words in this poem (tree/me; yet/pet; friends/ends; night/flight; skies/flies). Read the poem out loud again and display the poem so students can join in on the rhyming words.

5. Compare this with another poem, “Bat” by X. J. Kennedy (1st Grade, Week 8) or a selection from Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems About Pets by Laura Purdie Salas.

***

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Find more Poetry Friday fun at Renee LaTulippe's wonderful blog, No Water River.

Week 3

It's Week 3 in our weekly sharing of poems on Poetry Friday. What's the topic? Fun and games! Every poem for every grade level focuses on play and recreation. Here's an excerpt from the poem entry for Second Grade. It's "The Winner" by Georgia Heard. The poem begins...

The Winner
by Georgia Heard

Evenings,
we play ball
next to the creek
in our neighbor’s field.

We run so fast

I
can’t
even
catch
my
breath.

...

(You'll have to get the book for the rest of the poem!)


Here are the Take 5 strategies that accompany this poem:

1. This is a poem that lends itself perfectly to full-body involvement while reading it aloud. Try doing some of the actions described in the poem (swinging a baseball bat, running, huffing and puffing, aching feet).

2. In sharing the poem aloud again, students can say the column of words (I / can’t / even / catch / my / breath) breathing deeply between each word to suggest breathless running while you read the rest of the poem aloud.

3. For discussion: What are some of your favorite things to do AFTER school?

4. Discuss with students how many poems rhyme, but not all. This poem is an example of free verse. It doesn’t rhyme, but guide students in seeing how the poet arranges the lines to highlight the column of single words right in the middle. 

5. Follow up with an acrostic poem about playing baseball. Look for “Last Try” by Avis Harley (from 1st Grade, Week 31).


And if you haven't yet applied for a Poetry Friday Mini-Grant, please consider it. You'll find more information in the sidebar at the right.

Get your own copy of The Poetry Friday Anthology now!

And don't forget to join the Poetry Friday gathering over at Random Noodling.

Week 2

For Week 2, the theme is "More School" since most of us are still helping kids get into the rhythm of school life. Here's a taste from THIRD GRADE with an excerpt of the featured poem by up-and-coming poet Michele Krueger.

Recess
by Michele Krueger

Climbing, sliding,
laughing, skipping,
cherry-flavored
fruit juice sipping

....

walking, talking,
jump-rope turning,
‘til it’s time
to go back learning


This poem is FULL of great action words that describe a variety of recess and playground activities and is fun to perform-- with motions, too.

And here are the Take 5 activities that accompany this poem:

TAKE 5
1. Try pantomiming some of the action words in the poem while you read it aloud (climbing, skipping, throwing, catching, bouncing, hopping, running, walking, jumping, etc.).

2. Alert the students to all the action words in this poem (climbing, sliding, throwing, catching, etc.). Display the words of the poem and invite students to choose their most favorite action and chime in when that word appears.

3. Talk with students about their favorite recess and recreational activities.

4. Show how rhyming words help turn this “list” of action words into a poem. Ask students: What are the words that rhyme (skipping/sipping; smacking/snacking; singing/swinging/ turning/learning). Read the poem aloud again and pause before the final rhyming word in each pair and invite students to complete the rhyme.

5. Pair this poem with another “Recess” poem by Avis Harley (2nd Grade, Week 2) or with selections from Jack Prelutsky’s Good Sports.


Every single poem in this anthology of 200+ poems includes "Take 5" activities just like these to help you introduce and share the poem and tie in a quick skill focus. Stay tuned for more examples each week. And don't forget to join the Poetry Friday round up at Write. Sketch. Repeat. 

Poetry Friday Mini-Grants Available

Tell us your poetry story and win a free copy of The Poetry Friday Anthology—either an advance copy of the paperback book or a copy of the e-book version (your choice). Are you brand new to poetry, but eager to start sharing poems with your students? Or are you looking for new ways to keep poetry fresh?

Send us a paragraph proposal saying why you want to instigate Poetry Friday sharing in your school, library, or educational context, along with your name, affiliation, email, mailing address and paperback or e-book preference.

Twenty-five respondents will receive a Poetry Friday start up kit and become Poetry Friday Ambassadors. Send application information to: info at pomelobooks dot com. 

Deadline: Oct. 1, 2012

Winners will be announced here, too.

Week 1: School-themed poetry

Here is a sample entry from The Poetry Friday Anthology to whet your appetite.

This is the first poem for SECOND GRADE (Week 1).

Here is the first of the five Take 5 activities that accompany this poem:

1. Arrange a quick visit to the library or bring a pile, bin, or cart of library books on a variety of topics. Show students your public library card and have applications available. Then read this poem aloud; slow down to enunciate each item in lines 5-16.

The Library 

by Sara Holbrook

Take the walk
to the open door,
this is where you
find out more
about the stars,
oceans, quakes,
dragons, cars,
cheetahs, snakes,
unicorns, and
jumping beans,
horses, bugs,
and time machines.
From killer whales,
and free tail bats,
to hammer heads
and kitty cats,
the library has got a book.
Come on in,
take a look.
Learn how to cook
or write a poem.
Read it here
or take it home.
What do you want to learn about?
It’s free!
It’s here!
Check it out!

[Copyright Sara Holbrook, 2012; all rights reserved.]

Then follow up with these additional Take 5 activities.

2. Read the poem aloud again and invite students to read the last three lines in unison.

3. For discussion: What is your favorite book you’ve read (so far)?

4. Select one skill: Help students find the rhyming pairs of “words that sound alike.” Ask students: What are the words that rhyme? (These include: door/more; quakes/snakes; beans/machines; bats/cats; book/look/cook; poem/home; about/out.) Read the poem aloud again, but pause before the second word in each rhyming pair and wait for the students to chime in with the correct response (more, snakes, machines, cats, look, home, out).

5. Follow up with more poetry-- for example, look for another poem in The Poetry Friday Anthology--  “Poems are Out of this World!” by Charles Ghigna (Kindergarten, Week 29) or a poem from Please Bury Me in the Library by J. Patrick Lewis.


If you haven't purchased it yet, get your own copy of The Poetry Friday Anthology here.

Take 5

One of the most significant features of The Poetry Friday Anthology is the inclusion of standards-based mini-lessons for each poem at every grade level (K-5). We call that the "Take 5" component with five activities related to the poem. You're welcome to use some, all, or none of these activities, but they provide a starting place for presenting the poem and connecting with curriculum standards. The Take 5 components also follow a regular pattern: they include guidance on reading the poem aloud, a creative way to engage students in reading the poem chorally, a discussion prompt, a skill focus, and a link to another related poem or poetry book. In just five minutes, you can lead a poetry break that is enjoyable, meaningful, participatory, and skill-based.

TAKE 5

Tip #1: This tip pairs the poem with an easy suggestion for how to make the poem come alive as you read the poem aloud by pairing the poem with a prop, adding gestures or movement, trying out specific dramatic reading techniques, singing the poem to a certain tune, etc.

Tip #2: This tip suggests how to engage children in reading the poem aloud together with you. One example is echo reading, asking them to repeat certain words or lines after you. Note: when leading an echo reading, keep the pace moving so the echo reading won’t interrupt a poem to the point of distraction.

Tip #3: You’ll find a fun discussion prompt here, tailored to fit the poem. It’s usually an open-ended question with no single, correct answer. Encourage diversity in responses! Take a moment to hear what students think and invite them to share their thoughts and feelings.

Tip #4: Here we focus on one skill tied to the Common Core (or TEKS) standards. We designed this tip to connect the poem to a specific language arts or poetry skill or concept such as rhyme, repetition, rhythm, alliteration, and onomatopoeia. Also, this is where we point out poetry forms (cinquain, haiku, tanka, acrostic, diamante) as well as explain techniques such as personification and simile.

Tip #5: In this tip we share other related poem titles and poetry book titles that connect well with the featured poem, keeping the cycle of poetry sharing going.


Get your copy of The Poetry Friday Anthology now for Take 5 activities for 216 poems all year long!