Poetry
Poetry in my class is set up the same way my shared reading is set up. I use the same poem all week. This is my focus poem for the week. This is what you
will see on each day.
Monday: Critical Thinking
Tuesday: Vocabulary
Wednesday: Print Conventions
Thursday: Phonological Patterns
Friday: Processing
Poetry Lesson:
First: I read a few poems from the past weeks.
Second: I read the focus poem. I read each line of the poem, and I have the children echo the poem. We try to use a lot of action and expression. We will recite the focus poem two or three times.
Third: I read a poem out of a poetry book.
I have a poem for each letter of the week. I pasted a picture next to the poem and enlarged it on tag board. Then I laminated each poem and use it from year to year.
On Friday, I take the regular size poem and I put it in a 3 ring binder for each child. Then on another paper, we make something for that poem. They glue their project on the back side of the poem we used the week before. I always have them make the project, then I have them draw something that went with the poem.
Sample of Poetry Book (Processing)
The Caterpillar
He creeps along the branch,
He climbs atop the tree.
He crawls around the leaf,
And all over me!
(Sorry,a picture of
a caterpillar
should be here)
The children will glue different colors of circles on this page. They will add a face and antennas. Then they will draw a branch, tree, leaf, or a picture of themselves.
At the end of the year, the kids get to bring a notebook home with 26 poems and 26 pieces of art work.
Resources
The Balanced Reading Program that I use comes from the book Linking The Language Strands The Managemennt of a Balanced Language Programme By Jill Eggleton and Jo Windsor
I had the opportunity to go to New Zealand and meet these two ladies.
I also visited schools in New Zealand and watched the Balanced Literacy Program in action.
My focus poems go with the letter of the week. The main book that I use is
Hands-On Alphabet Activities for Young Children A Whole Language Plus Phonicss Approach to Reading by Roberta Seckler Brown & Susan Carey