Learning from students: Opposites

April 20, 2017, 9:00 pm

≫ Next: Building Blocks of Language Learning

≪ Previous: Learning from students: Cinquains

Here's another example from my adult students sharing poetry with young people in my "learning from my students' students" series.

Here, Lacey got the students involved in PowerPack 6 of Here We Go and they had fun exploring with it.

First, she tried the PowerPlay activity with students focused on "Not this, but that."

Then she created original digital poem postcards for each of the three poems in the PowerPack. Here is a digital postcard for a response poem by Janet Wong:

Then, she shared the response poems that two students wrote in relation to the mentor text poem. These are poems with opposites.

Finally, Lacey also recommended additional resource books that feature opposites that students might enjoy in her final slide:

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Building Blocks of Language Learning

April 20, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Learning from Students: Narrative poems

≪ Previous: Learning from students: Opposites

I'm pausing for a moment in my month-long showcase of my students' creative work to look at another session I'm presenting at the Texas Library Association conference. Here are the details:

Building Blocks of Language Learning

What role does the librarian play in building readers? This session focuses on using a rich poetry toolbox that supports ELAR and ELL TEKS to acquire language skills. Learn to teach educators to celebrate language with humor and meaning.

We're looking at how sharing a poem can also showcase the requisite skills that young children are acquiring as they develop their language knowledge-- and in a way that is engaging and appealing. We'll be sharing poems for several key language learning areas as models. Here are just a few!

SKILL FOCUS: How English is written and printed. The line breaks of poetry provide one example.

SKILL FOCUS: Phonological awareness (phonics). How sound works in poetry, particularly rhyme and alliteration.

SKILL FOCUS: Decoding words using many sources of input. Here, we focus on synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms.

SKILL FOCUS: Understanding new vocabulary. Poetry is FULL of vivid words and an ideal tool for developing and expanding children's vocabularies.

SKILL FOCUS: The use of conventions in writing, particularly capitalization and punctuation. Poets make creative and frequent use of these tools!

SKILL FOCUS: Spelling and how words should be spelled. Poets play with words, spelling, and coining of new words in creative ways.

We even offer a complete matrix of skills coverage in THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR CELEBRATIONS that shows how each of these skills is present in poems in the book.

And finally, there are so many wonderful works of poetry that feature these same elements (line breaks, opposites, wordplay, rhyme, alliteration, etc.). Check them out!

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Learning from Students: Narrative poems

April 22, 2017, 7:24 am

≫ Next: Learning from students: Tercets

≪ Previous: Building Blocks of Language Learning

Here's another example from my adult students sharing poetry with young people in my "learning from my students' students" series.

Here, Jennifer responded to PowerPack 7 of Here We Go herself!

First, she tried the PowerPlay activity.

Then she created original digital poem postcards for each of the three poems in the PowerPack. Here are two digital postcards for two response poems by Janet Wong:

Finally, Jennifer also recommended additional resource books that students might enjoy in her final slide and included a variety of types of books that woven together verse, prose, and a look at Ramadan more closely.

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Learning from students: Tercets

April 22, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Learning from students: Free verse

≪ Previous: Learning from Students: Narrative poems

Here's another example from my adult students sharing poetry with young people in my "learning from my students' students" series.

Here, Jennifer got the students involved in PowerPack 8 of Here We Go with a focus on tercets.

First, she tried the PowerPlay activity with students. They circled every third word in a prose passage and then made a three-line poem using some of those circled words.

Then she created original digital poem postcards for each of the three poems in the PowerPack. Here are two digital postcards for the two response poems by Janet Wong:

Then, she shared the response poem the student wrote in relation to the mentor text poem-- using tercets. Here are two examples.

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Learning from students: Free verse

April 23, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Learning from students: Alliteration

≪ Previous: Learning from students: Tercets

Here's another example from my adult students sharing poetry with young people in my "learning from my students' students" series.

Here, Mary got the students involved in PowerPack 9 of Here We Go and they had fun with it.

First, she tried the PowerPlay activity with students. They drew pictures and made lists of their favorite foods.

Then she created original digital poem postcards for each of the three poems in the PowerPack. Here is a digital postcard for the anchor poem by Joseph Bruchac.

Then, she shared the response poem a student wrote in relation to the mentor text poem.

Finally, Mary also recommended an additional resource book of food-related poetry and a helpful website that students might enjoy in her final slide:

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Learning from students: Alliteration

April 24, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Learning from students: The list poem

≪ Previous: Learning from students: Free verse

Here's another example from my adult students sharing poetry with young people in my "learning from my students' students" series.

Here, Christi got the students involved in PowerPack 10 of Here We Go and they had fun with it.

First, she tried the PowerPlay activity with students circling all the words with start with one letter (in this case "m") in a long list of words. Here's what Charlotte (in 4th grade) found:

Then she created original digital poem postcards for each of the three poems in the PowerPack. Here is a digital postcard for the anchor poem by Renee La Tulippe.

Then, she shared the response poem the student wrote in relation to the mentor text poem-- full of alliteration!

Finally, Christi also recommended additional resource books that students might enjoy in her final slide:

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Learning from students: The list poem

April 25, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Learning from students: Emojis

≪ Previous: Learning from students: Alliteration

Here's another example from my adult students sharing poetry with young people in my "learning from my students' students" series.

Here, Mayra got the students involved in PowerPack 11 of Here We Go and they had fun with it.

First, she tried the PowerPlay activity with her high school students. They considered a list of possible community service activities, chose one, and created a poster or model for carrying out that activity.

Then she created original digital poem postcards for each of the three poems in the PowerPack. Here is a digital postcard for the anchor poem by David L. Harrison:

Then, she shared the response poem a student wrote in relation to the mentor text poem in free verse.

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Learning from students: Emojis

April 26, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: TLA Poetry Round Up 2017 Part 2

≪ Previous: Learning from students: The list poem

Here's another example from my adult students sharing poetry with young people in my "learning from my students' students" series.

Here, Ashley got the students involved in the final section of the book, Here We Go, PowerPack 12 and they had fun with it.

First, she tried the PowerPlay activity with students which involved using emojis to create a rebus-style note to a friend.

Then she created original digital poem postcards for each of the three poems in the PowerPack. Here is a digital postcard for the anchor poem by Robyn Hood Black.

Here is the digital postcard she also created for one of the response poems written by Janet Wong. This is also the title poem for the whole book, "Here We Go."

Finally, Ashley also recommended additional resource books that students might enjoy in her final slide:

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TLA Poetry Round Up 2017 Part 2

April 27, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Dallas Book Festival

≪ Previous: Learning from students: Emojis

I have already shared basic info about the recent TLA conference, but I thought I'd add a few more nuggets. It's always fun to go to the annual conference of the Texas Library Association-- such a great event that's well organized, well attended, and full of opportunities to talk about books, reading, and POETRY! I'm so pleased and proud that the Poetry Round Up continues to make the program and this year was lucky #13! :-) And it's always fun to travel to San Antonio!

The conference leadership was pushing to make this conference more interactive, so I prepared readers' theater scripts of each poet's work. I took an excerpt from each of their books and broke it into reading parts for various characters, highlighted the scripts for volunteers, and made goofy character signs for each volunteer to wear so the audience would find it easy to follow. Then I crossed my fingers that I could solicit volunteers from the audience and that the poets would be pleased at how that worked (since it meant they would have WAY less time to read). YAY! It all worked! Lots of people volunteered (including lots of my former students) and the poets really loved hearing their work read aloud by others.

Then Janet (Wong) and I were lucky enough to have a proposal accepted to feature poetry and curriculum skills called "Building Blocks of Language Learning." We focused on guiding librarians on helping teachers choose and share poetry in fun ways while still highlighting basic language skills. It was a BIG hit and I shared many of the slides last week.

Finally, I also represented my university in several ways-- working the TWU booth and supporting a former student who won a service award-- the lovely Rose Brock. Here are a few more glimpses of those busy 3 days. Enjoy! And think about coming to TLA next year. It will be in Dallas-- just 15 minutes from my house!

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Dallas Book Festival

April 28, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Día today!

≪ Previous: TLA Poetry Round Up 2017 Part 2

I am so pleased to be invited to speak at the Dallas Book Festival and give a little glimpse into the history of children's literature (in 45 minutes!). I decided to use the lens of poetry (of course) to talk about how children's literature has evolved-- a chance to look back, to revisit some old favorites, and to share poetry with a new audience. Here are just a few nuggets from my slide show. Enjoy!

Did you know one of the earliest books published in the U.S. for children included the poem that most people know as the song, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"?

Probably the best known American poem is this holiday classic:

A.A. Milne gave us Winnie the Pooh and many witty poems for children. This is also the first children's book I owned as a child-- given to me by my dad.

Langston Hughes published one book intended for young people (in his lifetime) and this is one of my favorite books of poetry of all time and by any poet.

This British couple brought scholarly study to the world of children's oral folklore, collecting thousands of children's rhymes and games from the playground.

The best-selling book of poetry for young people OF ALL TIME is this one:

This study helped us see that children really love funny, rhyming poetry. (But not JUST funny, rhyming poetry.)

The first award for children's poetry was established by the National Council of Teachers of English in 1977.

Only 5 children's books have been awarded the Newbery medal since it was established in 1922 and this was the first one.

According to Ann Terry's study, this was children's all-time favorite poem at that time:

Jack Prelutsky had authored several books of poetry before compiling this MAJOR anthology and followed with many additional wonderful works of his own.

The SECOND book of poetry for young people to win the Newbery medal:

The third book of poetry for young people to win the Newbery medal, a novel in verse:

An award is established for the Poet Laureate who writes for young people!

The fourth book of poetry for young people to win the Newbery medal:

The fifth book of poetry for young people to win the Newbery medal, a novel in verse:

And indulge me as I promoted the Poetry Friday series too...

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Día today!

April 29, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Happy Star Wars Day!

≪ Previous: Dallas Book Festival

It's time for Día!

Children’s Day, Book Day or El día de los niños, el día de los libros—often known as Día (day in Spanish)—is a year-long commitment to linking all children and families to books originated by author and literacy advocate Pat Mora. Día, a collaboration of national literacy organizations, presses, and readers, creatively celebrates all our children and the the importance of "bookjoy" in their daily lives, and promotes Children’s Day, Book Day celebrations. April book fiestas are held in schools, libraries, parks, homes, and elsewhere on or near April 30.

Here's Pat speaking briefly about Día:

Pat also wrote a poem about celebrating Día for The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations:

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

1. While reading this poem aloud, be sure to clap (in the first stanza), tap (in the second stanza), snap (in the third stanza), and do all three in the final stanza.

2. Share the poem aloud again, inviting children to join in on the clapping, tapping, and snapping, too.

3. Use the resources at Dia.ALA.org to plan a Día celebration program for Children’s Day/Book Day, such as hosting a book club or downloading quick coloring pages and activity sheets.

4. Pair this poem with the picture book Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day/Celebremos El día de los niños, el día de los libros by Pat Mora (Rayo, 2009) and encourage children to join in on the cheers.

5. Connect with another poem that celebrates reading, “At Our House” by Virginia Euwer Wolff (November, pages 286-287), and with the bilingual poems of Colors! Colores! by Jorge Luján (Groundwood, 2008).

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Happy Star Wars Day!

May 4, 2017, 8:53 am

≫ Next: Poetry + Art

≪ Previous: Día today!

May 4 is Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You) and since I'm a big Star Wars fan, I have to share a poem, of course. I always like to remix an existing poem and frame it against a Star Wars motif to think about it in a new way. So, here's Carmen Tafolla's "Everyday Astronaut" from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science.

And just for fun, here are some photos from our family's time at Star Wars Celebration last month (that's the convention for big-time Star Wars nerds like us).

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Poetry + Art

June 29, 2017, 2:37 pm

≫ Next: July in LANGUAGE ARTS

≪ Previous: Happy Star Wars Day!

After a too-long break, I need to get busy again. It's time to catch up and share the fun that Janet (Wong) and I had at the Arts Express conference in Utah. I had never been to a teacher's conference that focused entirely on the arts before and it was so much fun! It was labeled: BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH THE ARTS--
"a two-day event that provides arts integration instruction in all five art forms: dance, drama, media arts, music, and visual arts-- with special insights on ways to integrate the arts with core curriculum. The conference is for elementary classroom teachers, administrators, and parents attending together as they work to create s school rich in arts instruction and integration."

It was such an energy-filled and inspiring event! We were keynote speakers on the topic of"Poetry Across the Curriculum: Integrating Literacy and the Arts" and how to connect poetry with visual art, music, voice, movement, and dance using our “Take 5” approach to integrate literacy and the arts in five minutes.

We shared many of our Poetry Friday Anthology poems (and led the audience in singing, chanting, dancing, readers theater, and acting out poems) and we highlighted many other poetry books that have an arts focus. Here are some of the resources we provided.

Poetry Books about Color

The role of color in evoking imagery in a poem is primal. The poetry books listed here exemplify the effective and powerful place of color in poetry, whether in reflecting nature or dealing with issues of race.

Adoff, Arnold. 1973/2004. Black is Brown is Tan. New York: Harper & Row/Amistad.

Graham, Joan Bransfield. 1999. Flicker Flash. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Hines, Anna Grossnickle. 2005. Winter Lights: A Season in Poems & Quilts. New York: Greenwillow.

Iyengar, Malathi Michelle. 2009. Tan to Tamarind: Poems about the Color Brown. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press.

Larios, Julie. 2006. Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary. Orlando: Harcourt.

Luján, Jorge. 2008. Colors! Colores! Ill. by Piet Grobler. Toronto: Groundwood.

Mora, Pat. 1996. Confetti: Poems for Children. New York: Lee & Low.

O’Neill, Mary. 1989. Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Color. New York: Doubleday.

Salas, Laura Purdie. 2008. Flashy, Clashy, and Oh-So-Splashy: Poems about Color. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.

Sidman, Joyce. 2009. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Thomas, Joyce Carol. 2008. The Blacker the Berry. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. New York: Amistad.

Yolen, Jane. 2000. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills.

Poetry Books that Feature Fine Art

Since poetry is full of imagery and emotion, it may not be surprising that it has often been paired with fine art from around the world. Books such as these can provide an introduction to art, as well as an opportunity to discuss the sources of artistic and poetic inspiration. Consider these examples. Several of these feature poetry written in response to the art, called “ekphrastic” poetry. Encourage aspiring writers to choose a piece of art that “speaks” to them and then try writing a poem in response to it.

Brenner, Barbara. Ed. 2000. Voices: Poetry and Art from Around the World. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society.

Greenberg, Jan. 2001. Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art. New York: Abrams.

Greenberg, Jan. 2008. Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World. New York: Abrams.

Heard, Georgia. Ed. 2000. Songs of Myself: An Anthology of Poems and Art. New York: Mondo.

Koch, Kenneth, and Kate Farrell. Eds. 1985. Talking to the Sun; An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People. New York: Henry Holt.

Lach, William. Ed. 1999. Curious Cats in Art and Poetry for Children. New York: Atheneum.

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2008. Michelangelo’s World. Mankato, MN: Creative Editions.

Lewis, J. Patrick and Yolen, Jane. 2011. Self Portrait with Seven Fingers: A Life of Marc Chagall in Verse. Mankato, MN: Creative Editions.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. Ed. 1998. The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings From the Middle East. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. Ed. 1995. The Tree is Older than You Are: A Bilingual Gathering of Poems and Stories from Mexico with Paintings by Mexican Artists. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Panzer, Nora. Ed. 1994. Celebrate America in Poetry and Art. New York: Hyperion.

Rochelle, Belinda. Ed. 2001. Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art. New York: HarperCollins.

Siebert, Diane. 2006. Tour America: A Journey through Poems and Art. San Francisco: Chronicle.

Sullivan, Charles. Ed. 1994. Here is My Kingdom: Hispanic-American Literature and Art for Young People. New York: Abrams.

Sullivan, Charles. Ed. 1989. Imaginary Gardens; American Poetry and Art for Young People. New York: Abrams.

Whipple, Laura. Ed. 1994. Celebrating America: A Collection of Poems and Images of the American Spirit. New York: Philomel.

12 Poet Artists

There are many poets who also produce the illustrations for their own poetry collections. They are known for their art, as well as their writing, including Douglas Florian’s distinctive paintings+collages, the outrageous cartoon monsters of Adam Rex, the iconic photography ofCharles R. Smith, Jr., the textured quilts of Anna Grossnickle Hines, the irreverent pen and ink sketches of Shel Silverstein, and more. Here are a few titles by each of a dozen poet-artists and artist-poets. Encourage young people to collaborate with a partner, one as illustrator and one as writer, in creating their own poem and art.

Agee, Jon. 2009. Orangutan Tongs; Poems to Tangle Your Tongue. New York: Disney-Hyperion.

Brown, Calef. 2010. Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness. Houghton Mifflin.

Cyrus, Kurt. 2005. Hotel Deep: Light Verse from Dark Water. Harcourt.

Ehlert, Lois. 2010. Lots of Spots. New York: Beach Lane Books.

Florian, Douglas. 2009. Dinothesaurus. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Grandits, John. 2007. Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems. New York: Clarion.

Hines, Anna Grossnickle. 2011. Peaceful Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts. New York: Greenwillow.

Rex, Adam. 2005. Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. San Diego: Harcourt.

Silverstein, Shel. 1974. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper and Row.

Smith, Hope Anita. 2009. Mother; Poems. New York: Henry Holt.

Wassenhove, Sue Van. 2008. The Seldom-Ever-Shady Glades. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills/Wordsong

Weinstock, Robert. 2010. Can You Dig It? New York: Disney-Hyperion.

Songs in Poetry Books for Young People

The link between songs and poetry is very close, with lyrics and poems sharingrhythm, rhyme, and emotional content. Singing songs and performing poems can also share similarities in maximizing the oral medium, incorporating musical or percussion instruments, and using gesture and movement. From lullabies to parodies, here are a few examples of songs, lyrics, and poems in book form.

Andrews, Julie and Hamilton, Emma Watson. Eds. 2009. Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies. Ill. by James McMullan. New York: Little, Brown.

Bruchac, Joseph. 1996. Four Ancestors: Stories, Songs, and Poems from Native North America. Mahwah, NJ: BridgeWater Books.

Bryan, Ashley. 2003. All Night, All Day: A Child's First Book of African-American Spirituals. New York: Atheneum.

Delacre, Lulu. 2004. Arrorró Mi Niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games. New York: Lee & Low.

Fox, Dan. Ed. 2003. A Treasury of Children’s Songs: Forty Favorites to Sing and Play. New York: Henry Holt.

Henderson, Kathy. 2011. Hush, Baby, Hush! Lullabies from Around the World. Seattle: Frances Lincoln.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 1997. Song and Dance: Poems. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Katz, Alan. 2011. Mosquitoes Are Ruining My Summer! And Other Silly Dilly Camp Songs. New York: McElderry.

Lessac, Frane, Ed. 2003. Camp Granada: Sing-Along Camp Songs. New York: Henry Holt.

Ode, Eric. 2007. Tall Tales of the Wild West (and a few short ones): A Humorous Collection of Cowboy Poems and Songs. New York: Meadowbrook Press.

Orozco, José-Luis. 2002. Fiestas: A Year of Latin American Songs of Celebration. New York:Dutton Children’s Books.

Yolen, Jane. 2005. Trot, Trot to Boston: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime Rhymes. Somerville, MA: Cambridge: Candlewick Press.

Then we also conducted a one-hour workshop (twice) showing how we could create simple poem collages. We provided individually printed poems as well as simple art supplies like magazine photos, googly eyes, washi tape, and more. We walked through how to share anchor and mentor poems and lead response activities. Their creations were marvelous and varied and we created a Pinterest board featuring many of them which you can see here.

It's a simple activity that our audience of teachers felt they could take back to their classrooms and do with their students too. Plus, we talked about the value of choosing a meaningful poem, selecting images that "unpacked" the meaning of the poem, and then making choices about how to feature and organize it all. Should I cut the poem apart into stanzas or individual lines? Should I express the poem's content literally or in abstract ways? Should I stay within the 8.5 x 11 frame or go beyond it? It really gave us an opportunity to slow down in reading and understanding a poem and think more deeply about what the poem said and meant and suggested. Here are a few examples:

We also created a gallery of poem collages on the lockers of the school hallway and people had fun browsing through the poems all day long.

If you ever have a chance to attend or participate, we recommend it! We hope to go back some day!

Meanwhile, check out the rest of our Poetry Friday pals and their posts over at Random Noodling.Thanks, Diane, for hosting our Poetry Friday party! I'm glad to be back!

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July in LANGUAGE ARTS

July 21, 2017, 5:56 am

≫ Next: Poetry for Shark Week

≪ Previous: Poetry + Art

Are you a member of NCTE and a subscriber to the journal, Language Arts? I'm so happy to report that the theme of their July issue is... POETRY! And I have an article in that issue! (happy dance!)

The table of contents includes:
"Lived Life through a Colored Lens": Culturally Sustaining Poetry in an Urban Literacy Classoom
by Emily Machado, Andrea Vaughan, Rick Coppola, and Rebecca Woodard

Poems that Move: Children Writing Poetry beyond Popularized Poetic Forms
by Janine Certo

Demystifying Poetry for Middle Grades Students through Collaborative, Multimodal Writing
by Megan Guise and Noel Friend

Language Arts Lessons
Poetry Power: Understanding Language, Content, and Culture through Poetry
by ME!

Invited Dialogue
Poetic Possibilities: A Conversation with WordSong Editor Rebecca David on the Beauty and Passion of Poetry
by Jennifer D. Turner

Children's Literature Reviews
2016 Notable Children's Poetry Books
by Grace Enriquez, Erika Thulin Dawes, Katie Egan Cunningham, and Mary Ann Capiello

Perspectives on Practice
A Wiggle of Worms and a Passion for Poetry: A Community Collaboration
by Lorian Steider Brady and Dianne White

What a great issue, right?
There is lots to think about in this issue with great examples of both thoughtful analysis and practical application. Be sure to check it out. Meanwhile, here are three brief excerpts from my piece (in case you are NOT a subscriber).

Graphic from The Logonauts

Now head on over to The Logonauts where Katie is hosting our Poetry Friday gathering. See you there!

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Poetry for Shark Week

July 27, 2017, 4:58 pm

≫ Next: Luther's 95 theses + my found poem

≪ Previous: July in LANGUAGE ARTS

I thought it might be fun to see what kind of poetry I could find for Shark Week. Of course we have a "Shark Week" poem in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books, 2015), thanks to the awesome Kate Coombs. It's a nice blend of creepy and chant-worthy.

But as I started digging, I found a few shark poetry books and a bunch of sea-ocean-fish poetry collections, including a brand new gorgeous anthology from Lee Bennett Hopkins coming out this fall (Traveling the Blue Road: Poems of the Sea.). See if any of these grab you!

Poetry for Shark Week

Bingham, Kelly. 2010. Shark Girl. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Brown, Skila. 2016. Slickety Quick: Poems about Sharks. Ill. by Bob Kolar. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Bulion, Leslie. 2011. At the Sea Floor Café; Odd Ocean Critter Poems. Ill. by Leslie Evans. Atlanta: Peachtree.
Coombs, Kate. 2012. Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems. Ill. by Meilo So. San Francisco: Chronicle.
Elliott, David. 2012. In the Sea. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Florian, Douglas. 1997. In the Swim. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
Frank, John. 2007. How to Catch a Fish. New Milford, CT: Roaring Brook.
Franco, Betsy. 2015. A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters. Ill. by Michael Wertz. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook.
Harley, Avis. 2006. Sea Stars: Saltwater Poems. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills.
Hauth, Katherine. 2011. What’s for Dinner? Quirky, Squirmy Poems from the Animal World. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Heard, Georgia. 1992. Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/ Boyds Mills.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2017. Traveling the Blue Road: Poems of the Sea. New York: Quarto/Seagrass Press.
Lewis, J. Patrick. Ed. 2012. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Washington DC: National Geographic.
Maddox, Marjorie. 2008. A Crossing of Zebras; Animal Packs in Poetry. Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.
Ode, Eric. 2013. Sea Star Wishes: Poems from the Coast. New York: Sasquatch Books/Random House.
Shaw, Alison. Ed. 1995. Until I Saw the Sea: A Collection of Seashore Poems. New York: Henry Holt.
Swinburne, Stephen. 2010. Ocean Soup; Tide-Pool Poems. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Zahares, Wade. 2001. Big, Bad, and a Little Bit Scary: Poems that Bite Back! New York: Viking.

Now head on over to A Word Edgewise where Linda is hosting Poetry Friday.

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Luther's 95 theses + my found poem

August 18, 2017, 1:56 pm

≫ Next: Are you PET CRAZY? I am!

≪ Previous: Poetry for Shark Week

This summer I've had the chance to travel to Germany, visit extended family, and see the sites of Martin Luther's life in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. When we went to the city where Luther nailed his famous 95 theses to the church door, I thought it might be fun to "nail" my own statement on that same door. (The doors are now bronze, so no actually nailing occurred!)

So, I downloaded an English translation of those 95 theses (originally in German) and worked on creating a "found" poem using those words from Luther so many years ago questioning the status quo. I wanted to use at least one word from each of the 95 theses (so at least 95 key words!). It took some doing, but I made something that turned out to be surprisingly meaningful for me. I "hammered" it to the door in Wittenberg where Luther nailed his original 95 theses. So fun and meaningful to do! Thought I might share it here too.

You can find the whole text for the original (in English) here. (It's LONG!) Here's a step back to look at the whole church-- pretty impressive! (I brought a goofy "Flat Luther" with me on this trip to pose at various spots, so that's why he's in front of the church. Don't judge!)

It was also cool to see that the German Lutheran church had sponsored an art exhibit of doors (more doors!) to focus on celebrating diversity and honoring those with special needs. Here is a glimpse at that exhibit made of many doors, too.

Now head on over to Kay's blog, A Journey Through the Pages, where she is hosting all our Poetry Friday goodness.

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Are you PET CRAZY? I am!

August 24, 2017, 4:15 am

≫ Next: More on pets and poems and connections

≪ Previous: Luther's 95 theses + my found poem

I’m back from my travels, ready for a new semester to start, and happy to celebrate a brand new book just in time for the new school year. Please indulge me as I plug another collaboration with the wonderful, endlessly energetic Janet Wong, and the fabulous poets who collaborated with us on ourlatest book, Pet Crazy, a story-in-poems about wanting and getting a new pet (Pomelo Books, 2017). Just for fun, enjoy this hilarious video of Janet reading her cat poem from Pet Crazy to Tony the Tiger himself!

Thanks to these fabulous poets for their poems that “anchor” this book: Kristy Dempsey, Helen Frost, Janice Harrington, Eric Ode, Laura Shovan, Eileen Spinelli, Elizabeth Steinglass, Don Tate, Padma Venkatraman, April Halprin Wayland, Carole Boston Weatherford, and Tamera Will Wissinger. We’re also excited to feature new illustrations by German artist Franzi Paetzold, whom I just met in person during my travels through Berlin!

PET CRAZY is the third installment in our Poetry Friday Power Book series that weaves together poetry, activities, and resources for young readers and writers. Just like the two previous books, You Just Wait and Here We Go, our new book Pet Crazyfeatures twelve PowerPacks that use creative activities to get children (K-3) thinking, drawing, reading, and writing about cats, dogs, lizards, rabbits, and more.

Resources for children (as well as parents, teachers, and book club leaders) include “Hidden Language Skills” to sharpen language learning even further, recommended reading lists and websites, tips for reading aloud and writing, talking points, and places to publish.

One of my favorite things about this book (besides the fun topic of pets that remind me of all the dogs, birds, and turtles we’ve had in my family) is the new, big size of this book—so easy for young children and their teachers to use, share, and enjoy.

And I love all the layers to explore in this book-- the game-like drawing and thinking activities, the engaging poems that tell a story, the extra resources in the back for MORE reading and writing, and the subtle skills woven throughout for kids to notice and explore. And all of this is arranged in a dozen "PowerPacks" or subsets of poems and activities that make a natural "mini-story" to read and discuss. Let's look at one sample PowerPack (#8) that focuses on "found" poetry.

PowerPack 8
Each PowerPack always begins with fun "PowerPlay" activities that get kids thinking, drawing, doodling, and ready to read and talk about poems, words, and language. For PowerPack 8, we invite children to try two puzzles that get them skimming and scanning and hunting-- just like we do when we create "found" poems!

Next, is the heart of the PowerPack, an "anchor" poem-- each poem by a different poet. The talented Laura Shovan, author of the award-winning novel in verse, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, wrote this wonderful "found" poem (and we created this visual poster/postcard for her poem):

Laura used the following text for creating her poem. See how she chose six key words and built her poem around those words-- and from the point of view of the lost cat!

Next in the PowerPack is a response poem. Here, Janet (Wong) writes a new, original poem in response to the anchor poem by another poet. She uses Laura Shovan's poem itself as the root of her "found" poem. THEN, she follows with another new poem that we call a "mentor" poem because it leads to the writing activity that concludes the PowerPack. Here, she used text from a government website about pet care as the root text for her "found" poem.

Here is the response poem and mentor poem created by Janet-- these two poems work together with the anchor poem to tell a tiny bit of the story, while moving the book's whole plot forward too.

Every PowerPack ends with an opportunity for kids to WRITE by building on everything they've been thinking about and reading about in the three poems that are the building blocks of each PowerPack.

As the book continues, each PowerPack follows with more of the story, but with a new poem focus (like rhyming, questioning, using repetition or alliteration, understanding stanzas, conveying emotion, employing dialogue, and trying found, acrostic, list, and free verse poems). Each time, there are different creative activities to jumpstart the PowerPack as well as an opportunity for children to try writing poetry at the end.

BONUS

Finally, there's a bonus at the very end of the book, with a look at some of the "hidden" language skills commonly taught in the primary grades and all tucked away in the PowerPack poems throughout the book. For example, kids can hunt for antonyms, commonly misspelled words (like they're/their/there), adjectives, punctuation, capitalization, and more (and with the answers provided too).

I was very excited to have an advance copy of Pet Crazy with me at my conference in Poland and add it to the "little library" created out of this old phone booth just outside the conference center! It's so fun to think about a young reader in Poland discovering our little book!

If you would like to see more sample PowerPacks and learn more about Pet Crazy, check out this week's blog post by the wonderful Jone MacCulloch who is also hosting Poetry Friday over at Check it Out.

Order your copy of Pet Crazy now and let us know what you think! We're crazy about it!

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More on pets and poems and connections

September 1, 2017, 9:09 am

≫ Next: Guest post: Don't Be Fooled by René Saldaña, Jr.

≪ Previous: Are you PET CRAZY? I am!

Did everyone see the sweet photo of Otis carrying his own bag of dog food down a Houston street during the recent Hurricane Harvey disaster? Amid all the horrible rain and flooding and suffering, this image captured my heart and made me smile. And I don't think I'm alone there!

aol.com/article/lifestyle/2017/08/29

I hope all the beloved pets will be reunited with their families very soon as the relief efforts continue. We here all over Texas are very concerned about our neighbors on the Gulf Coast and there are already multiple sources of help and relief being offered. Have you seen the Hurricane Harvey Book Club on Facebook? So many authors reading their books aloud and kids reading and responding. Such a great use of social media for outreach and comfort and healing!

As I think about this pet-reading-responding connection, I started gathering a big list of pet poetry together and thought I might share it here. Yes, I am pet crazy with the release of my new Pet Crazybook with Janet Wong (and Kristy Dempsey, Helen Frost, Janice Harrington, Eric Ode, Laura Shovan, Eileen Spinelli, Elizabeth Steinglass, Don Tate, Padma Venkatraman, April Halprin Wayland, Carole Boston Weatherford, and Tamera Will Wissinger), but I also think pets are always such a source of joy, comfort, and companionship. Here are a few photos of pets I have loved in my family and an assortment of poetry books about all kinds of pets. Enjoy!

Pet Poetry Books

Ashman, Linda. 2008. Stella, Unleashed. New York: Sterling.

Clements, Andrew. 2007. Dogku. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Crawley, Dave. 2007. Dog Poems. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills.

Florian, Douglas.2003. Bow Wow Meow Meow: It’s Rhyming Cats and Dogs. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.

Caesar

Franco, Betsy. 2009. A Curious Collection of Cats. Ill. by Michael Wertz. San Francisco: Tricycle Press.

Franco, Betsy. 2011. A Dazzling Display of Dogs. Ill. by Michael Wertz. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle.

George, Kristine O’Connell. 1999. Little Dog Poems. New York: Clarion.

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2002. Little Dog and Duncan. New York: Clarion.

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2004. Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems. New York: Harcourt.

Grimes, Nikki. 2007. When Gorilla Goes Walking. New York: Orchard Books.

Katz, Susan. 2007. Oh, Theodore! Guinea Pig Poems. New York: Clarion Books.

Lewis, J. Patrick. Ed. 2012. Book of Animal Poetry. Washington DC: National Geographic.

MacLachlan, Patricia and Charest, Emily MacLachlan. 2013. Cat Talk. Ill. by Barry Moser. New York: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins.

Sophie

Paschkis, Julie. 2015. Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems/ Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales. New York: Holt.

Pearson, Susan. 2005. Who Swallowed Harold? And Other Poems about Pets. New York: Marshall Cavendish.

Prelutsky, Jack. 2004. If Not for the Cat: Haiku. New York: Greenwillow.

Roemer, Heidi. 2009. Whose Nest is This? Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade.

Rosen, Michael J. 2011. The Hound Dog’s Haiku and Other Poems for Dog Lovers. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Rosen, Michael J. 2015. The Maine Coon's Haiku and Other Poems for Cat Lovers. Ill. by Lee White. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Ruddell, Deborah. 2007. Today at the Bluebird Café. New York: McElderry.

Salas, Laura Purdie. 2009. A Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems about Pets. Mankato: Capstone.

Schmidt, Amy. 2013. Dog-Gone School. Ill. by Ron Schmidt. New York: Random House.

Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry. Ill. by Michelle Berg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Meow Ruff. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Singer, Marilyn, 2012. Every Day's a Dog's Day: A Year in Poems. New York: Dial.

Sklansky, Amy E. 2002. From the Doghouse: Poems to Chew On. New York: Holt.

Wardlaw, Lee. 2011. Won Ton; A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. Ill. by Eugene Yelchin. New York: Henry Holt.

Wardlaw, Lee. 2011. Won Ton; A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. Ill. by Eugene Yelchin. Henry Holt.

Anakin and Amidala

Wardlaw, Lee. 2015. Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku. Ill. by Eugene Yelchin. New York: Holt.

Wheeler, Lisa. 2013. The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Vicious Verses. Ill. by Zachariah OHora. New York: Atheneum.

Wing, Natasha. 2016. The Night Before the New Pet. Ill. by Amy Wummer. Penguin/Grosset & Dunlap.

Worth, Valerie. 2007. Animal Poems. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Yolen, Jane. 1994. Alphabestiary: Animal Poems from A to Z. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills.

Guess who is hosting our Poetry Friday fun this week? Kathryn Apel from Australia! Go to her blog NOW!

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Guest post: Don't Be Fooled by René Saldaña, Jr.

September 8, 2017, 7:50 am

≫ Next: Reading Poetry Aloud… even to a rabbit!

≪ Previous: More on pets and poems and connections

Today’s blog post is a guest post by my friend and colleague, René Saldaña, Jr. It’s such a treat to host him, his teaching, and his students.

First, a bit of background: René Saldaña, Jr., is the author of several books for children and young adults, among them The Jumping Tree, A Good Long Way, Heartbeat of the Soul of the World, and A Mystery Bigger than Big, the 4th installment of his bilingual Mickey Rangel mystery series. In honor of pets and in celebration of Sylvia and Janet's latest Poetry Friday Power Books, Pet Crazy, here is a list of his own: Sadie and Chito (dogs) and Gordon, Cotton, Jet, Dottie, and Raisin (all cats). He is associate professor of Language, Diversity, and Language Studies in the College of Education at Texas Tech University.

Here René writes about the evolution of his teaching and shares (with permission) some of the work his students created this summer. Enjoy!

Don’t Be Fooled: Nothing’s Wasted on the Young

A Meandering Piece by René Saldaña, Jr.

Throughout my six years teaching reading and writing in a secondary language arts classroom in Texas, one of the biggest beefs I had with my students on the whole was that they didn’t pay attention: to me, to instructions, to the world around them. A shame, because if only they had, I would tell them, your writing would be that much better. “All you have to do is to pay attention, observe, just take care to notice stuff.” So much world wasted on the young.

Oh, in my arrogance (I had only just graduated with a masters in literature and boy did I know it all, and way more where my students were concerned!) I refused to give them the benefit of the doubt; instead I pulled a Ruby Payne before Ruby Payne existed as such and sought to blame the kids’ culture of poverty for their lack of willingness to learn. To simply sit back and listen to me teach them what I knew in my heart of hearts would show them how they could defeat this mean and ugly world that had managed to stack every card against them, etc., etc, ad nauseam.

Today, a couple decades and a half later, I don’t “teach” as much as I learn to teach in the moment. I’m trying to take my own advice: to do a lot more paying attention of my own in the classroom, to the personality of this classroom compared to the next and the following and adjusting my approaches, observing the individual student to see what he or she will teach me about teaching, planning for tomorrow only after a long day based on how it went today. I’m more chill today. No less rigorous and my expectations are just as high as before if not more so. But the gray hair has set in on my beard and head, I move slower (or smoother depending on the perspective), I prefer the organic nature of teaching.

Here’s a bit of what I’ve learned.

It wasn’t that they weren’t paying attention; in fact, they were paying very careful attention. It had more to do with my teaching, which is to say, I really wasn’t, teaching that is. I stood in front of the classroom, center stage droning on about one thing or another, expecting them to just get it, and if they didn’t, it had more to do with them and their ill-educated parents who cared little about their children’s academic success than with me. After all, wasn’t it I who showed up every morning ready to teach their children, “on the front lines,” we described it as. I had been one of them, literally: I had graduated from this very district years back, had left for college, left the state, as a matter of fact, made it through a bachelor’s and a master’s. I knew what was best for them. What I didn’t know was how to teach them, how to reach them.

Nowadays, I own that I don’t know jack about teaching, despite years doing it at the secondary and university levels, and in a college of education for the past 10 years no less (don’t believe me? I’ve got the lapel pin to show you if you need proof). I have learned a few things, chief among them, young people do pay attention to me (I like to tell myself this at least), to the instructions I give them (today more about inquiry than passively taking in what I dish out), and to the world around them. They’ve actually been paying very careful attention. All they need to show us how much they have been doing so is to provide for them a venue: and poetry—the reading of it, and the writing of it, especially—is just such a venue.

This past summer, I worked with a group of rural kids from West Texas on their reading and writing skills. You see, they’re supposed to be behind their other Texan counterparts in urban and suburban areas. They’re from little towns like Morton and Whiteface, from farming and ranching families, most of them Mexican American. Most of them multi-generational. Many of them will not leave their small towns. Or maybe they will, and this is one of the hopes for this Upward Bound program I’ve gladly attached myself to. The director tells me, “Dr. Saldaña, you have free reign; teach them something about writing.” He might think this lessens the burden for me. On the contrary, the load is made heavier. If I had a curriculum dictated to me, I would follow it, I could blame it if things went awry, I could empathize with the students if it got boring: “It’s not me, it’s this blasted curriculum.” I’d want to act like the Robin Williams character in Dead Poet’s Society and call for a sort of academic revolution: “All of you, tear that ultra-prescriptive syllabus into shreds.” We’d litter the floor in shorn paper. On my way out the door, kids would jump up on the desk one by one and salute me, “O, Captain, My Captain.” But no, I have to create the syllabus myself, the daily lessons, confer with students to assess their progress. All the things of teaching. It’s a big deal, really. Daunting.

So this summer I went with poetry. I’d only recently read Sylvia and Janet’s Here We Go, their second in the Poetry Friday Power Book series, not quite how-to books but rather experience-doing-poetry books, first hand. I also planned a culminating assignment: they were to perform one original piece at the end of our time together. This was the scarier part for a good many of the students, some thirty in all. We read from the book, we did from the book, I read aloud the work of Josephine Cásarez, a beautiful San Antonio poet whose work demands it be performed (“Up Against the Wall” (1993) and “Me, Pepa Makes It Big” (1995)), we deconstructed what I think is one of history’s best haiku, “A Leaf Falls” by e.e. cummings, and we studied found poems and Golden Shovel poems, and more. Then we drafted and revised, workshopped, revised some more, and finally concluded with two days of performance.

We set up the cafeteria at South Plains College in Levelland (TX) for the readings, and each poet came up with poem in hand and read, while the rest of us sat back and enjoyed. They wanted to snap fingers instead of clap because isn’t that how we should react to poetry? One poet wrote a piece about the day her mother died in a violent car accident. The poet had been in the car, and last thing she remembers is her mother there, then when she comes to, the mother gone literally, but also gone-gone, if you get my meaning, and hers. The audience didn’t know how to react. Not a single one of them snapped a finger for her. They were stunned at her bravery to read such a personal poem. Her voice had even quavered at just the right places. I knew the truth: she’d made up that part about the mother dying. She’d started with truth, then veered, dramatically, traumatically, created a persona, and wrote a moving quasi-apostrophe. The audience was relieved to hear my explanation. They were glad at the news, but still couldn’t find it in them to give her a hearty round of snaps. Somehow that worked better.

Following is a sampling of their work:

Thank you, René, Lily, Jasmine, Cynthia, Martha, and Marisol. How lovely to spend some time with you and your summer writing. Your hearts shine through your poems! Please keep writing….

Now, look for more Poetry Friday sharing at Radio, Rhythm, & Rhymewhere Matt is hosting our party and launching his own wonderful new book, Flashlight Night.

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Reading Poetry Aloud… even to a rabbit!

September 14, 2017, 8:52 pm

≫ Next: Bilingual Poetry in Audio Form

≪ Previous: Guest post: Don't Be Fooled by René Saldaña, Jr.

From: Principalj.blogspot.com

If you’ve been following my blog AT ALL, you know I am a big (huge, total) fan of reading poetry aloud. Heck, I even wrote a book about it (Poetry Aloud Here)! I believe it is the ideal way of sharing poetry with children. It builds on their oral language expertise, expands their listening skills, invites participation, models pronunciation and diction, demonstrates fluent reading, and takes very little classroom time. I could go on and on. Plus, poets always tell me that their poetry is meant to be HEARD. They choose each word, plan each line and stanza, and craft each poem for the auditory impact, as well as for meaning and emotion. But it’s so basic, that I find people often dismiss this simple practice. Please DON’T!

One of the reasons I love this new movement of inviting children to read to pets (therapeutic dogs and even stuffed animals) is that it focuses on reading aloud. It provides such a comfortable context for kids to practice their reading aloud—especially kids who are lacking in confidence or still struggling with reading easily and smoothly. Why not incorporate poetry into this practice?

When it comes to reading poetry aloud to kids, just about any book of poetry will work—particularly if YOU enjoy it and if it’s a topic with kid appeal. Instant success! But there are some books of poetry that are planned for this purpose—designed to be read aloud and shared with a partner or group. I thought it might be fun to pull a list of those together to share here. Here are 20 books with poems that beg to be read aloud—and some include action and motions, always fun!

Poetry collections designed for reading aloud

Ada, Alma Flor, and Campoy, Isabel, comp. 2003. Pio Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes. New York: HarperCollins.
Ada, Alma Flor and Campoy, Isabel, comp. 2010. Muu, Moo! Rimas de animales/Animal Nursery Rhymes. New York: Rayo/HarperCollins.
Bagert, Brod. 2007. Shout! Little Poems that Roar. New York: Dial.
Calmenson, Stephanie. 2005. Kindergarten Kids: Riddles, Rebuses, Wiggles, Giggles, and More! New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Crews, Nina. 2004. The Neighborhood Mother Goose. New York: Greenwillow.
Crews, Nina. 2011. Neighborhood Sing Along. New York: HarperCollins.
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai. 2004. Over in the Pink House: New Jump Rope Rhymes. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.
Franco, Betsy. 2004. Counting Our Way to the 100^th Day. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Hale, Glorya, ed. 1997. Read-aloud Poems for Young People: An Introduction to the Magic and Excitement of Poetry. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal.
Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2001. You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You;Very Short Stories to Read Together. Ill. by Michael Emberley.Boston: Little, Brown.
Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2004. You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You; Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together. Ill. by Michael Emberley. Boston: Little, Brown.
Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2005. You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You; Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together. Ill. by Michael Emberley. Boston: Little, Brown.
Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2007. You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You; Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together. Ill. by Michael Emberley. Boston: Little, Brown.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett, comp. 1998. Climb Into My Lap: First Poems To Read Together. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Katz, Bobbi. 2001. A Rumpus of Rhymes: A Book of Noisy Poems. New York: Dutton.
Mora, Pat. 1996. Uno Dos Tres. New York: Clarion.
Newcome, Zita. 2000. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and Other Action Rhymes. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Orozco, José Luis. 2002. Diez Deditos: Ten Little Fingers and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America. New York: Dutton.
Schertle, Alice. 2003. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. New York: HarperCollins.
Sierra, Judy. 2005. Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids’ Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun. New York: Knopf.

And for a more advanced group, don’t forget to try poetry for multiple voices. This takes a bit more planning, but can be so enjoyable and meaningful!

Poetry for multiple voices

Fleischman, Paul. 1985. I Am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices. New York: Harper & Row.
Fleischman, Paul. 1988. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. New York: Harper & Row.
Fleischman, Paul. 2000. Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Franco, Betsy. 2009. Messing Around the Monkey Bars and other School Poems for Two Voices. Ill. by Jessie Hartland. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Gerber, Carole. 2013. Seeds, Bees, Butterflies and More! Poems for Two Voices. New York: Holt.
Harrison, David L. 2000. Farmer’s Garden: Rhymes for Two Voices. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills.
Heard, Georgia. 1992. Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/ Boyds Mills.
Pappas, Theoni. 1991. Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices. San Carlos, CA: Wide World Publishing/Tetra.

For more tips on reading poetry aloud, check out Paige Bentley-Flannery’s post at the ALSC blog here.

Last week, Janet (Wong) and I were so pleased have our post featured at the Nerdy Book Club blog. We featured our latest project of course—PET CRAZY, which is so fun to read aloud, especially with pets or stuffed animals. It even has a poem about reading to a pet—Liz Steinglass’s awesome poem, “Book Hound” about reading to a dog named Ruby. Here it is:

Janet wrote a wonderful response poem to Liz’s poem about reading to a rabbit!

And when Janet and I found a “Reading Rabbit” that you can record a message on (to have the Rabbit “speak” to you), we went bananas! (Or should I say, “we went carrots!”?). We bought that Reading Rabbit, recorded a special message, and in honor of our pet theme, we are sending that Reading Rabbit—to one of the people who helped us spread the word about our Nerdy Book Club post and our PET CRAZY book. After gathering all those names (thank you ALL so much!), we drew one name and the winner of our special Reading Rabbit is…..

Allison Jackson

3^rd grade teacher

Waggoner Elementary School

Tempe, Arizona

Congratulations, Allison! We’ll be mailing our Reading Rabbit to you shortly! We hope you and your students have a great time reading poetry aloud to RR—and we’d love to see some photos, if you have time!

Meanwhile, join the rest of the Poetry Friday crew over at Today’s Little Ditty where the wonderful Michelle Heidenrich Barnes is hosting our gathering!

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