Poetry Performance
Introduction: Awareness and knowledge of different natural habitats is prescribed in the science curriculum for older elementary school students. This poem by Lilliam M. Fisher is an excellent introduction to desert habitats. Familiarize students with any words that might be unfamiliar to them like mesa and prey, showing illustrations of mesas and giving the translation from Spanish to English of table.
"Desert"
Lillian M. Fisher
The desert is holding a giant breath (Chorus)
The air is dusty and dry
Red mesas shimmer in searing heat
Under a blanket of sky.
Coyote's asleep in slender shade
Dreaming of evening prey
For who would go out in a warm fur coat
To hunt on a summer day?
Lazy brown ants have made their retreat
To a colony under the hill
Tortoise and rabbit, even the birds
Are idle and peacefully still.
The desert is holding a giant breath (Chorus)
The air is dusty and dry
Red mesas shimmer in searing heat
Under a blanket of sky.
Extension: This poem paints a vivid picture of the desert landscape and some of the animals who dwell there. Reread the poem, discussing the habitat and invite students to illustrate Fisher's poem with original drawings. Those who are not artistically gifted might prefer to focus on the landscape with the red mesas under a blanket of sky.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. 2000. My America: a poetry atlas of the
United States. Illus. by Stephen Alcorn. New York: Simon &
Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-81247-7.
Introduction: Although most children do not get the measles any more thanks to the prevalence of childhood innoculations, Bruce Lansky's poem "Measles" is a great introduction to the topic of "faking it" to get to stay home from school. Have younger students point to body parts and classroom objects as they are named in the poem. This is an excellent tool for teaching the names of body parts to ESL students.
"Measles"
Bruce Lansky
There are measles on my forehead.
There are measles on my nose.
There are measles on my elbows.
There are measles on my toes.
There are measles on the carpet.
There are measles on the chair.
There are measles on my glasses.
There are measles in my hair.
I'm so tired of painting measles.
I would like to take a rest.
I sure hope I have enough to be
excused from tomorrow's test.
Extension: Discuss the disease, measles, and how prevalent it was until the development and use of vaccines became widespread in America in the 1960s. Have students name and point to other body parts that might be affected by measles. Again this is a great tool for vocabulary development and reinforcement for younger students and those learning English as a second language.
Lansky, Bruce. 1996. Poetry party. Illus. by Stephen Carpenter. New
York: Meadowbrook Press. ISBN 0-88166-245-3.
Introduction: Endangered species are a primary concern of environmentalists world-wide. Use this poem in two voices to introduce a unit of study on endangered/extinct species.
"The Passenger Pigeon"
Paul Fleischman
A B
We were counted not in
thousands
nor
millions
but in
billions billions.
We were numerous as the
stars stars
in the heavens
As grains of
sand sand
at the sea
As the
buffalo buffalo
on the plains.
When we burst into flight
we so filled the sky
that the
sun sun
was darkened
and
day day
became dusk.
Humblers of the sun Humblers of the sun
we were! we were!
The world
inconceivable inconceivable
without us.
Yet it's 1914,
and here I am
alone alone
caged in the Cincinnati Zoo,
the last
of the passenger pigeons.
Extension: The finality of extinction and the effect that it has on the ecosystems of the world is often hard for students to grasp. Discuss the ramifications of extinction through the study of the passenger pigeon, examining the causes of its extinction and the effects that it had on the ecosystem. Have students research other species that are endanged, looking at the causes and efforts to slow the rate of loss of various species.
Students will perform the poem for parents at an end of unit program to see projects completed as a part of the unit. Group A reads the lines on the left, group B reads the lines on the right. Both groups read lines that are printed on the same line.
Fleischman, Paul. 1985. I am Phoenix: poems for two voices. Illus by
Ken Nutt. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers. ISBN 0-06-021882-7.
Introduction: At Halloween, younger children's thoughts turn to monsters and goblins. Use this poem for linearound reading about monsters as a Halloween activity. Assemble a large bowl and a wooden spoon to use as props for each performance. Divide the class into four equal groups and one narrator for the performance. Select one student to be the fifth little monster who gets to lick the pudding from the spoon for each reading.
"Five Little Monsters"
Eve Merriam
(N) Five little monsters
By the light of the moon
Stirring pudding with
A wooden pudding spoon.
The first one says,
(1) "It mustn't be runny."
(N) The second one says,
(2) "That would make it taste funny."
(N) The third one says,
(3) "It mustn't be lumpy."
(N) The fourth one says,
(4) "That would make me grumpy."
(N) The fifth one smiles,
Hums a little tune,
And licks all the drippings
From the wooden pudding spoon.
Extension: Using the props collected and instant pudding mix, make a healthy Halloween treat for all of the students. As the students are stirring the instant pudding, allow them to read/recite the poem again and again. Be sure to bring bowls and plastic spoons for the treat.
Merriam, Eve. 1985. Blackberry ink. Illus. by Hans Wilhelm. New
York: William Morrow & Company. ISBN 0-688-04151-5.
Introduction: Imaginary friends are common among children. Sing this poem by Jack Prelutsky to initiate a discussion about imaginary friends.
"I Have a Secret Dragon"
Jack Prelutsky
(sung to the tune of "I've Got Something in My Pocket")
I have a secret dragon
Who is living in the tub,
It greets me when I take a bath,
And gives my back a scrub.
My parents cannot see it,
They don't suspect its there,
They look in its direction,
And all they see is air.
My dragon's very gentle,
My dragon's very kind,
No matter how I pull its tail,
My dragon doesn't mind.
We splash around together
And play at silly things,
Then when I'm finished bathing,
It dries me with its wings.
Extension: Engage the students in a discussion about imaginary friends that they have or have had in the past. Invite them to share their stories in the form of a drawing, poem, or story.
Prelutsky, Jack. 1993. The dragons are singing tonight. Illus. by
Peter Sis. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0-688-12511-5.
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Updated 07-02-2004