A Pathfinder to Children’s Poetry for 2^nd graders, their teachers, and parents too.

Keep A Poem In Your Pocket

by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

Keep a poem in your pocket

And a picture in your head

And you’ll never feel lonely

At night when you’re in bed.

The little poem will sing to you

The little picture bring to you

A dozen dreams to dance to you

At night when you’re in bed.

So—

Keep a picture in your pocket

And a poem in your head

And you’ll never feel lonely

At night when you’re in bed.

Source: http://home.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/poem/poem1.html

Introduction:

What a wonderful poem!  Would you like to find a poem to keep in your pocket?  A happy poem, funny poem, sports poem, animal poem, nature poem?  Wouldn’t it be fun to visit a real poet’s website and hear the poet reading poetry?  Or, are you a poet?  Would you like to find a website where you can publish your poems?  Maybe you’d like to try to write some poetry yourself.  There are books and websites that will help you write a poem.

Have you learned about poetry in school?  Perhaps your teacher would like to find some ideas for lessons or a video of a poet performing poetry.

Or, maybe your mom or dad would like to find the name of a good poetry book so they can read poems to you at night when they tuck you into bed.  My daughter likes this one…

Push Button

by Shel Silverstein

I push the light switch and—click—the light goes on.

I push the lawn mover button and—voom—it mows the lawn.

I push the root beer button and—whoosh—it fills my cup.

I push the glove compartment button—clack—it opens up.

I push the TV button and—zap—there’s Wyatt Earp.

I push my belly button …

BURP!

Source: 811 SIL Silverstein, Shel. A Light In the Attic. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1981.

If you would like to learn more about Children’s Poetry, follow the links on this pathfinder. It will help you find information in your school library media center, on the Internet, and in the community about Children’s Poetry.

Print Resources - Books and Magazines

There are many excellent books about Children's Poetry.  A few of the books are listed below.  To locate more books, use the suggested keywords and phrases to search the online library catalog. 

NONFICTION BOOKS  

Adoff, Arnold. Eats Poems. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, 1979.

This books contains poems about food that are accompanied by nice visuals.

Adoff, Arnold. Sports Pages. New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1986.

There are thirty-seven sports poems in this collection.

Cassedy, Sylvia. Zoomrimes: Poems About Things That Go. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.

This book is an alphabet book of poems about things that move.

Ciardi, John. Doodle Soup. Boston, MA.: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1985.

This is a collection of clever, humorous poetry.  Kids love his poetry.

Dahl, Roald. Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1982.

Dahl tells his own disgusting versions of classics like Cinderella.  The more revolting the rhyme, the more kids love it!

de Regniers, Beatrice Schenk., ed. Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1988.

A nice collection of classic and modern poetry that is illustrated by eight Caldecott artists.

Fleischman, Paul. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two. New York: Harper, 1988. 

This books is filled with poems written to be read by two readers at the same time.

Activity Idea: This is another great selection for book buddies, partner reading days, or a fun homework assignment to be shared with family.

Florian, Douglas. Beast Feast. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1994.

Wonderful collection of poems about animals.

Activity Idea: My students complete animal reports for their science fair project.  I encourage them to find a poem to include with their project.  This book is a good source.

Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1998.

This book contains paintings and poems about insects.  The boys love it.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994. 

This book tells American history through poetry.

Activity Idea: This book provides a great way to teach a thematic unit.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. Side by Side: Poems to Read Together. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988.

A collection of poems to be read with someone.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. On the Farm. Boston, MA.: Little Brown, & Company,1991.

A collection of poems about life and creatures on the farm.

Review: I love this book.  It's great to use with book buddies.

Kuskin, Karla. Any Me I Want to Be. New York: Harper & Row, 1972.

These poems are written from the subject's point of view.

Kusin, Karla. City Noise. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

A poem about city noises with bright illustrations.

Activity Idea: I like this book for a Social Studies unit I teach on communities.

Lewis, J. Patrick. Riddle-icious. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

Contains 28 poem riddles.

Activity Ideas: After reading this book, students could write their own version of Riddle-icious.

Livingston, Myra Cohn. Celebrations. New York: Holiday House, 1985.

The poems in this books celebrate holidays.

Activity Idea: This would be a good book to use for background when teaching lessons about the various holiday celebrations.

Livingston, Myra Cohn.  Circle of Seasons. New York: Holiday House, 1988.

A poem that takes you through all the seasons.

Activity Idea: This would be a fun poem to copy and illstrate.

Livingston, Myra Cohn. Space Songs. New York: Holiday House, 1988.

Poems about space, the moon, meteorites, planets, etc.

Activity Idea:  Students could select a poem and write a descriptive paragraph about the topic of their poem.  Then, they could share their poem and paragraph.

Lobel, Arnold. The Book of Pigericks. New York: Harper & Row, 1983.

A fun collection of limericks.

Activity Idea: Students could visit the Limerick Machine after reading this book to create their own crazy limericks.

O'Neill, Mary. Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Color. Wallner, John ill., New York: Doubleday, 1990.

"Grade 1 Up-- O'Neill's classic collection of 12 poems about colors (Doubleday, 1973) has been re-illustrated by John Wallner. Gone are Leonard Weisgard's elegant, evocative illustrations that were washed with the color explored in the poem. Instead, Wallner has created montages of each poem's images and colored them with various hues of the featured color." -- Kathleen Whalen.  See www.amazon.com for more reviews.

Opie, Iona ed,. My Very First Mother Goose. Cambridge, MA.: Candlewick Press, 1996.

A collection of nursery rhymes with lovely illstrations.

Opie, Peter ed., and Opie, Iona ed.. The Oxford Book of Children's Verse. New York:Oxford University Press, 2002.

This is a collection of classic poetry from the United States and England.  It's nice to have some classic poetry so children can compare and see how poetry has evolved over time.

Prelutsky, Jack. The New Kid on the Block. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1984.

A collection of wacky, hilarious poetry kids just love.

Prelutsky, Jack. A Pizza the Size of the Sun. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1996. 

Another collection of Prelutsky's wonderful poetry.  My kids just can't get enough of his poems.

Activity Idea: Students choose a poem to memorize and perform for the class.  They can dress up in costume, create props, etc.  Then, I tape their performance so we can watch it as a class later.

Prelutsky, Jack ed,. The Random House Book of Poetry for Children. New York: Random House, 1983.

A large collection of poems sorted into categories.

Prelutsky, Jack. Something Big Has Been Here. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1990.

More of Prelutsky's funny poetry.

Activity Idea: Students could write a letter to Jack Prelutsky telling him how much they appreciate his work.

Silverstein, Shel. Falling Up. New York: Harper Collins Juvenile Books, 1996.     

Shel Silverstein’s final book of weird, wacky poetry before he died.  

Review: "All the things that children loved about A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends can be found in abundance in this eclectic volume, Silverstein's first book of poetry in 20 years. By turns cheeky and clever and often darkly subversive, the poems are vintage Silverstein, presented in a black-and-white format that duplicates his earlier books." –-Publishers Weekly.  See www.Amazon.com for complete review.

Silverstein, Shel. A Light In the Attic. New York: Harper Collins Juvenile Books, 2001.     

A collection of humorous, wacky poetry with illustrations drawn by the poet himself.

Review: "Silverstein's amusing, cartoonish line drawings are every bit as familiar and beloved to readers as his poems. Gone, but not forgotten, the creator of the irresistible poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up, left an indelible mark on children's poetry." --Emilie Coulter  See www.Amazon.com for complete review.

 
Activity Idea: After reading some poems from the books, ask students to imagine the poet’s voice. What would he sound like reading his own poetry?  After they speculate, maybe write their thoughts in a journal, play the CD “A Light In the Attic”.  Discuss if he sounds like they imagined.  

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper Collins Juvenile Books, 2000.

Shel Silverstein’s first book of humorous poetry with original artwork.

Review: "Silly, silly Shel Silverstein. For more than 25 years, he has taken children exactly where they want to go with poetry: into the world of nonsense and wordplay." -- Emilie Coulter  See www.Amazon.com for complete review.

Activity Idea: Play the CD “Where the Sidewalk Ends”.  Then, let students practice performing Shel Silverstein’s poetry the way they think he would have performed it.

REFERENCE BOOKS

Young, Sue. The Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary. New York: Scholastic, 1994.      

This rhyming dictionary contains over 15,000 words.

Review: "Provides an easy-to-use alphabetic format in which young writers can look up the word they are trying to rhyme and then reference its ending sound entry, which is complemented by a list of rhymes." -– Ingram.  See www.Amazon.com for more reviews.

MAGAZINES

Cricket (magazine). Carus, Marianne, ed. Peru, IL.: Carus Corporation, 2003.  

A monthly magazine containing stories, poems, puzzles, recipes and articles dedicated to guiding young people to explore their world.

Review: My students always look forward to reading this magazine each month.  It is well suited for 2^nd graders.  The stories, poems, and articles are very interesting to children.

Activity Idea: The teacher could create a scavenger hunt based on the current month’s issue.  Students could complete the scavenger hunt while reading the magazine.  Students may also be inspired to create their own magazine based on Cricket’s format.

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Online Resources—Internet Sites

Internet Web sites listed on this page have been previewed and selected for this topic and grade level.  If additional information is needed, use the suggested keywords and phrases to search the Internet.

WEBSITES FOR KIDS 

Crazy Limerick Machine

http://ambleweb.digitalbrain.com/ambleweb/ambleweb/ambleweb/year4/limerick.htm 

Students create a crazy limerick by selected the lines from five drop down windows.

Activity Idea: This would make a great center activity.  

Giggle Poetry

http://www.gigglepoetry.com/ 

This site features the humorous poetry of Robert Pottle.  Some features include: Poem of the Week, Ask the Poet, enter Poetry Contests, search for poems Poetry for Teachers, and Fiction for Teachers. 

Poetry Fun: http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poetryfun.cfm  

Kids will enjoy the Poetry Race, Fill-in-the-Blank Poems, Rhyme- Time Poems, and Poetry Theater. 

Poetry Contests: http://www.gigglepoetry.com/contests.html 

Kids can enter various poetry contests and find directions for writing three different poems. 

Activity Idea: This would be a good component for a webquest.  Students could be required to publish a poem for a poetry unit and submit it to the poetry contest at Giggle Poetry.

Grandpa Tucker's Rhymes and Tales

http://www.night.net/Tucker/index.html-ssi#table 

Rhyme Time Fun - http://www.night.net/Tucker/rhyme-time1.html-ssi 

Learn to write rhymes.

Lots of Silly Poems - http://www.night.net/Tucker/index.html-ssi#table 

There are many silly poems for kids to click and read. 

Poetry Pencil - http://www.night.net/Tucker/index.html-ssi#pencil 

Poems written by students.

Activity Idea: Students could complete the Rhyme Time Fun at home with their families and bring the rhymes the create to school to share.  They might want to make a book of rhymes created by their family with a cover created using Kid Pix or with original artwork by the child. 

Jump Rope Rhymes

http://www.kids-teens.org/RHYMES/jump_rope.htm 

This is a fun site where students can read jump rope rhymes.  Peppy music and animation make this site fun.

Activity Idea:  Student could memorize one of the jump rope rhymes and then perform it for the class during weekly Physical Education class.

Kidspage

http://www.veeceet.com/ 

A fun, searchable site with poems from school, the web, Ogden Nash, and more.  The author is no longer accepting poems for submission.

Listen & Write - BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/listenandwrite/home.htm 

Students listen to raps and poems and then create their own.

Magnetic Poetry

http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/scramble2.htm 

Select a poem and use the mouse to click on words and unscramble the poems.  This is a computer version of the magnetic poetry used on refrigerators.

Activity Idea: Students might want to create their own poetry tiles from a favorite poem.  When finished, they can trade with other students and try to decipher the poems. 

Online Poetry

http://www.edleston.cheshire.sch.uk/projects/poetry/poetry.htm

These are fun poems created by children.  Students can click on the poems to hear them performed.  Poems include original artwork, sound, and sound effects.

Activity Idea:  This is a fun center activity.

A Pocketful of Rhymes 

http://www.angelfire.com/md/byme/pocket.html 

Wickywaks World - http://www.angelfire.com/ar/lyrics2/wickmain.html 

Links to several silly stories with animations.

The Poetry Corner - http://www.angelfire.com/md/byme/pocket/poetry1.html 

A collection of humorous poems that remind me of Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky.

Guess What? - http://www.angelfire.com/md/byme/guesswhat/guesswhat.html 

Kids read the rhymes and try to decide what is speaking.

Guess Who? - http://www.angelfire.com/md/byme/guesswho/guesswho.html 

Kids read the rhymes and try to figure out who is speaking.

Finish It Off - http://www.angelfire.com/md/byme/finish/fiomain.html 

Kids read the first three lines of the poems and add the fourth line to finish the poem.

Activity Idea: This is an excellent site.  It could be a fun component to end a webquest.  Or, students could try writing their own Guess What or Guess Who rhymes.

The Funny Forty

http://www.poetry4kids.com/ 

Kenn Nesbit's forty most recent funny poems for kids to read and enjoy.

The Rhyme Zone

http://www.rhymezone.com/ 

A rhyming dictionary site.

Wacky Web Tales

http://www.eduplace.com/tales/c/cinquains.html 

Students will in the blanks to create this "Mad Lib" style poem.

Activity Idea: Have each student create a Wacky poem.  Then, bind them all in a book entitled Wacky Web Poems.  Place it in your class book basket.

DATABASES

Web Collection Plus and WebPath Express.  McHenry, IL.: Follett Software Company, 2003.

Sites are reviewed and chosen by Follett employees.  WebPath Express, when combined with WebCollection Plus, allows students to safely search and utilize Internet sites and online databases from both school and home.

Sample Search: I entered Web Collection Plus from my home computer.  Then, I entered children's poetry and Internet in the search box and pressed enter.  I found about twenty different categories with several websites each.  The websites were age appropriate.  Then, I pressed the "limiters" buttom and limited the responses to anything up to a reading level of grade 4.5.  Again, several good sites popped up. 

Review: Media Specialist, Deb Clark, Maple Elemenatry School, reports she loves Web Collection Plus and WebPath Express.  She demonstrated how easy it is for students to quickly and easily access websites and databases on a variety of topics.

Inspire Databases at www.inspire.net contain two databases with poetry resources.

Inspire Kids. Indianapolis, IN.: INCOLSA, 2003.

Inspire Kids contains the databases Middle Search, Primary Search, Funk and Wagnalls, Newspaper Source, and EBSCO Animals.

Sample Search:

First, students select where they want to search, magazines, encyclopedias, and/or newspapers.  I selected all three.  Then, enter the subject and select full text or citations only.  I entered Shel Silverstein and full text.  Lastly, press "go".  The search netted 26 results, including his obituary.

Activity Idea: Students could take turns researching and writing a little report on a "poet of the week".  When they finish the report, they can share it with the class along with one of the poet's poems.

Lit Finder. Great Neck, NY.: Roth Publsihing, Inc. 2003.

Lit Finder contains the databases Story Finder, Essay Finder, and Poem Finder.

Sample Search:

Students should log-in to the Inspire database.  Then, select Lit Finder.  Next, select Poem Finder.  Click Start.  Once in the Poem Finder site, select Kids Korner.  When inside Kids Korner, select a poetry topic. I selected Fun and Games.  A list of about 50 categories appeared.  I selected riddles.  There were 144 results for that topic with many showing full text.

Review: "No doubt, Lit Finder's triple pack of essays, stories, and poems will be a time saver for students and the general public.  Lit Finder is a good choice for academic, public, and school libraries." -- Reference Books Bulletin, Booklist, 11/1/02.  See MINITEX CPERS - Lit Finder for more reviews.

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Teacher Resources

The following resources are intended to assist teachers in meeting Indiana State Standards and in creating a rich learning environment where students are actively engaged in the learning process.  All web sites were reviewed for content and appropriateness for 2nd grade students.  

WEBSITES

Children's Book Council - Young People's Poetry Week

http://www.cbcbooks.org/html/poetry_week.html 

Provides information about poetry week, lists of poetry resources, poetry bibliographies, and suggested poetry activities for kids. 

The Favorite Poem Project

http://www.favoritepoem.org/ 

The Favorite Poem Project Teacher Link

http://www.favoritepoem.org/forteachers/index.html 

The goal of this project is to “generate interest in poetry and enthusiasm for learning among students".  The projects goals are to reach out and involve the school and local community in an effort to build connections between the school and the community.  There are lesson plan links, information about hosting an event, and more.

Integration Ideas for Second Grade Teachers

http://www.lite.iwarp.com/bltgr2.htm#poetry  

The lesson plans at this site focus on integrating technology into the curriculum.  The shape poetry lesson presented utilizes the Living Book - The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky, Kid Pix Studio, and a several Internet sites.  Students use Kid Pix Studio to create shape poems. 

ISLMC Poetry for Children

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/poechild.htm 

This site contains sections for the following: bibliographies, poetry e-texts, forms of poetry, and poetry in the classroom.  This is a great teaching resource.

Forms of Poetry - http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/poeform.htm 

Links to different forms of poetry including: poems set to music, limericks, free verse, concrete poetry, Haiku, cinquain, ballads, and couplets .

Kristine O'Connell George's Children's Poetry Corner

http://64.77.108.137/ 

Kristine O'Connell George's website has teacher resources, links for kids, and clips where students can hear poetry spoken out loud. 

Activity Idea: Students could listen to these clips as a center activity and then record their own video clips.

Learn New Poetry Forms

http://www.ahapoetry.com/newform.htm 

Learn how to write poems using these poetry forms: a Ghazal, Renga, Sijo, and Tanka.

The Lesson Plans Page - Poetry

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LA23.htm 

Lesson plans created for 2nd grade students are presented on this page. There are lesson links for many different forms of poetry including: metaphors, similies, cinquain, odes, biography poems, and more.

Ongoing Tales

http://www.ongoing-tales.com/SERIALS/oldtime/POETRY/index.html 

Old time poetry is presented at this site. Students can click on the title and read the poem.  Music is provided for the poems.

Activity Idea: Students could ask their parents and grandparents if they have a poem they remember from their childhood.  Students could share these poems with the class or better yet, arrange for the family member to come and share the poem in person.  One year, a mother came to school and shared a whole booklet of poems that had been passed down through her family for generations.  Each generation adds new poems.

Online Poetry Classroom

http://www.onlinepoetryclassroom.org/how/ 

Lots of resources for teachers to use to teach poetry units.

Poetry4Kids.com

http://www.poetry4kids.com/

The links at this site link to children's poetry on the web, poets on the web, links for teachers, useful software, and writing resources.  This is a good starting point for teachers.

Poetry Pals

http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5165/index1.html 

Although the project is no longer accepting poems, the Poetry Pals site contains lesson plan ideas, links, ideas for integrating technology into poetry lesson plans, and more. 

Poetry Post - A Universal Writing Project

http://mecca.mecca.org/~graham/day/poetrypost/ 

Teachers can submit students' poetry for inclusion on this site.  

Activity Idea: Find appropriate poems from the various countries participating in this program to read to students.  This reinforces the idea people and children all over the world enjoy and write poetry.

Poetry Scavenger Hunt

http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/english/edservices/pedresources/webquest/poetry/poetryhunt.htm 

A fun scavenger hunt that takes children to several different poetry websites.

Poet's Corner

http://teachit.acreekps.vic.edu.au/poetry/poem.htm 

Schools sign up and join this poetry project.  Participating classes write a variety of poems and submit them to the project.  New formats are regularly introduced about every four weeks.  After the cut-off date, all poems are included in a file and are e-mailed to participating schools where they can be bound into a book and shared with students.

Activity Idea: Poems could be bound and added to the media center collection for students to check out.

Poetry Break - a webquest

http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/poetry/poetry.htm 

This is a webquest where students create and publish their own original poetry.

Activity Idea: This would be a great activity to complete with older "book buddies".

Poetry Patterns

http://www.berkeleyprep.org/lower/fourth/writing/poetry_patterns.htm

This site contains likes to patterns for writing many different types of poems.

Activity Idea:  One poetry pattern could be introduced each week for a grading period or semester.  Then, students could create poetry anthologies of their work to read and share with other students. The poems could be published and a cover created using Kid Pix or another word procession program.  A special time would be set aside for students to pair with a student from another class to share their poetry.

30 Days of Poetry

http://www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm 

Site contains a poetry unit where students write a poem a day for 30 days.  Then, they choose their favorite 10-14 poems and make a chapbook.  

Scholastic Poetry

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/index.htm 

Three poetry workshops are provided where kids learn to write poetry.  Poets Jack Prelutsky, Karla Kuskin, and Jean Marzollo.  Jean Marzollo and Jack Prelutsky's workshops are suitable for 2nd grade students.

Activity Idea:  When students are finished with the workshop, have an open microphone session.  Borrow the microphone from the music teacher, sit in a circle, and let the students take turns reciting their poems.

Shel Silverstein

http://www.harperchildrens.com/catalog/author_xml.asp?authorID=12731

Background information about Shel Silverstein can be found at this site.  

What Is Poetry?

http://www.liverpool.k12.ny.us/standards/lstandards/curriculum/ELAk-6/elaforweb/poetry.html 

Definitions of what poetry means to various people, a discussion of what poetry means, and a list of 35 fun, engaging poetry activities are presented on this page.

Activity Idea: This would be a good source of ideas for a poetry center day.  Invite several parents to school, give them all an activity to complete with students.  Then, divide the students into groups and let them rotate through the centers.

What Rhymes with Squirrel?

http://www.adifferentplace.org/poetry.htm 

There are activities for teachers and students at this site.  Activities are sorted into categories such as: bugs, jabberwocky, aliens, acrostic, etc. This is a great teacher resource. 

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Videos, CD-ROM, Laserdiscs, etc.

Avon Community Schools has the following multimedia resources on Children's Poetry:

INTERACTIVE BOOKS

Prelutsky, Jack. The New Kid on the Block (computer disc). Novato, CA.: Random House, Broderbund Company, 1993. Maple Elementary School

An interactive book that uses poetry to encourage children to learn new words.

Review: http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue21/greviews/livebook.html

"All of the titles in the LB series have the same general features, and operate similarly. For young children that's a big plus, because once they become familiar with one title, it's a snap to move to the next - and move they will, because these books offer beautiful graphics, enchanting animation, and       wonderful sound." -- Chuck McMath.

Activity Idea: Students can use this program to explore the poetry of Jack Prelutsky.  This would be a good center activity.  It would also be a nice poetry activity for struggling readers.

MARC Record: MARC records for the interactive book and instructional CD

INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE

Kid Pix (computer file). Novato, CA.: Broderbund Company, 1998. Hickory Elementary School

This computer file is a word processing, drawing, and painting program for elementary students.

Review: I have used this program with my students.  It’s easy to use and the kids enjoy creating projects with it. 

MARC Record: MARC records for the interactive book and instructional CD

Activity Ideas: See the following list of websites and lesson plan ideas for using Kid Pix to enrich poetry lessons.

Poetry Quest by Mrs. Kay’s First Grade Class

http://esperanza.dvusd.org/kp_poetry.htm 

Students could create a slide show similar to Poetry Quest using their own original poetry.

Creating and Presenting Haiku With Kid Pix

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/02-1/lesson014.shtml

This lesson teaches students about the history of Haiku and how to write and publish a Haiku poem using Kid Pix.

Point of View Poem

http://www.essdack.org/tips/pov.html

This site contains a point of view poetry lesson plan designed for 2^nd to 6^th grade students.

An October Poem

http://www.joannegoodwin.com/technology/1st/poem/octpoem.html

One good way to learn a poem or really think about it is to copy it and add your own illustrations.  Here, students select a poem and illustrate it using Kid Pix.

AUDIO AND VIDEO SELECTIONS

Meet Jack Prelutsky. Hightstown, NJ.: American School Publishers, 1992. White Oak Elementary

A video showing Jack Prelutsky performing his poetry and talking to the viewer about how he writes poems.

Review: I show this video to my students each year so they can hear Jack Prelutsky’s voice and understand his style.  After viewing the video, students can get so much more out of his poetry because they can almost hear him reading the poems.  He also gives good advice for how to write poetry.  This is a good springboard to use as a poetry prewriting activity.

Activity Idea: Students might want to memorize their favorite Jack Prelutsky poems and create a video of their own.  It would be a fun thing to share with other students at school or to make copies to send home to parents as a Christmas present.

My America: a poetry atlas of the United States. Lincoln, NB.: Reading Rainbow: v. 123. GPN/WNED-TV, 2001.

Review: This video is another superb project from Reading Rainbow.  I enjoy using this video.  It is important to present poems with a variety of subjects and this one is neat because it creates a link between Language Arts and Social Studies.

Activity Idea: Students might be inspired to write a poem about the geographical area where they live.  See http://gpn.unl.edu/guides/rr/140.pdf for additional teaching ideas.

Silverstein, Shel. A Light In the Attic (audio CD-ROM). New York: Harper Collins Juvenile Books, 2001.

Shel Silverstein sings, recites, and shouts a selection of his poetry in a way no one else can.

Review: “For over 20 years, kids and kids at heart have giggled at the jumbled, goofy nonsense poems of Shel Silverstein. And now, lucky readers can listen to his mad meanderings as well with this 20th anniversary edition of A Light in the Attic, which includes a CD read by the author himself.”  See www.Amazon.com for complete review.

Activity Idea: This makes a great center activity and is perfect for Struggling readers.  Listening to Shel Silverstein’s poetry really helps students hear his poetic voice.  Students love to have copies of the poetry on the CD so they can recite the poetry along with Shel.

 
Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends (audio CD-ROM). New York: Harper Collins Juvenile Books, 2000. 

Shel Silverstein sings, recites, and shouts a selection of his poetry.

Review: “The compilation, "recited, sung, and shouted" by Silverstein himself, features highlights from his Grammy Award-winning album, including "Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too," "With His Mouth Full of Food," "Crocodile's Toothache," and "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out." See www.Amazon.com for complete review.

Activity Idea: This makes a great center activity and is perfect for struggling readers.  Listening to Shel Silverstein’s poetry really helps students hear his poetic voice.  Students love to have copies of the poetry on the CD so they can recite the poetry along with Shel.

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Dewey Decimal Numbers to Browse

If you want to browse the shelves in the library to locate information about Children’s Poetry, look for these numbers:

398.8 – rhymes

538 – folklore/poetry

782.4215 – lullabies

808 – nursery rhymes, lullabies

810.8 – literature collections

811 – poetry

818 – short stories and poetry

821 - poetry

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Keywords and Phrases for Searching

Do you need additional information?  Try using these words and phrases to search Inspire, a Magazine Index, the library online catalog, CD-ROM, or print encyclopedias, or the World Wide Web.

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Community Resources-People and Places

The following community contacts may help you with your topic:

Indiana Poet’s Page

http://www.webspawner.com/users/indianapoets/

Provides poems written by Indiana poets. 

The Poetry Alliance of Indianapolis

http://www.webspawner.com/users/poetryjam

Their mission is as follows: The Poetry Alliance of Indy is a self-supporting organization dedicated to furthering the art of poetry, and promoting poetry appreciation throughout the state of Indiana.  It is our goal to support, encourage, and nurture the creative spirit of local poets, whether novice or   veteran, young or old.

James Whitcomb Riley – The Hoosier Poet

Activity Idea: A teacher might want to teach a unit about James Whitcomb Riley.  The following links provide background information for such a unit.  Contact personnel at each site are available to arrange a field trip so students can experience real life learning.

Indiana Historical Society

http://www.indianahistory.org/heritage/riley.html James Whitcomb Riley

The Indiana Historical Society’s biography page for James Whitcomb Riley.

Riley Museum

https://www.rileykids.org/museum/index.asp

This site contains all the information needed to plan a visit to the museum. 

Greenfield Parks & Recreation – James Whitcomb Riley Old Home & Museum

http://www.greenfieldin.org/parks/rileyhouse.htm

This site provides information about James Whitcomb Riley’s childhood home, Riley Festival, and lists a contact person for field trips and information about the “Hoosier Poet”.

The Official State Poem – “Indiana”

Activity Idea: After reading and possibly memorizing this poem, students might want to try to create their own poem about Indiana.  Students could publish their poetry using Kid Pix software.

Arthur Franklin Mapes

http://www.kpcnews.net/mainstreet/mapes.htm

Mr. Mapes wrote the official state poem, “Indiana”.  This page provides background information about his life and other poems he penned.

Indiana State Poem – “Indiana”

http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/emblems/embpoem.html

See this site for the words to the official state poem, “Indiana”.

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Indiana State Standards

When students read the poetry books and engage in the suggested activities in this pathfinder, the following Indiana State Standards will be met.

Standard 1

READING: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development

2.1.6   Read aloud fluently and accurately with appropriate changes in voice and expression.

Standard 2

READING: Comprehension

2.2.2   Use titles, tables of contents, and chapter headings to locate information in text.

Standard 3

READING: Literary Response and Analysis

2.3.4    Identify the use of rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration (using words with repeating consonant sounds) in poetry.

Stan dard 4

WRITING: Process

2.4.1   Create a list of ideas for writing.

2.4.2   Organize related ideas together to maintain a consistent focus.

2.4.3   Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in pictures or books.

2.4.4   Understand the purposes of various reference materials (such as a dictionary, a thesaurus, and an atlas).

2.4.5   Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.

2.4.6   Review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning and clarity.

2.4.7   Proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist or list of rules.

2.4.8   Revise original drafts to improve sequence (the order of events) or to provide more descriptive detail.

Standard 5

WRITING: Applications

2.5.4   Write rhymes and simple poems.

2.5.5   Use descriptive words when writing.

2.5.6   Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person.

Standard 7

LISTENING AND SPEAKING: Skills, Strategies, and Applications

2.7.1   Determine the purpose or purposes of listening (such as to obtain information, to solve problems, or to enjoy). 

2.7.2   Ask for clarification and explanation of stories and ideas. 

2.7.3   Paraphrase (restate in own words) information that has been shared orally by others. 

2.7.4   Give and follow three- and four-step oral directions.

2.7.5   Organize presentations to maintain a clear focus.

2.7.6   Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication (such as an informal discussion or a report to class). 

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Selection Process: Materials for this pathfinder were selected based on the following criteria:

Would the book, Internet Site, CD-ROM, etc. appeal to a 2^nd grader?  

When selected poetry books I chose books with diverse subjects.  I wanted poetry books about sports, nature, silly poems, animal poems, etc.  

The selections I chose for teachers were included to assist the teacher in meeting Indiana State Standards and in creating a rich learning environment.

Conclusion

Kids: I hope you found the poem for your pocket, ideas for how to write poetry, and/or where to publish your poems.

Teachers: I hope you found poems and resources to enrich your lessons, make the curriculum more meaningful and vibrant, and the means to meet Indiana State Standards.

Parents: I hope you found poems to share with your child to help her keep a poem in her pocket and a picture in her head.

Pathfinder created by:

Janette Fluharty

[email protected]

IUPUI - School of Library & Information Sciennce

L595 - Electronic Materials for Children and Youung Adults - Summer Session I

June 4, 2003

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“Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what was seen during a moment.” Carl Sandburg