Poetry

=__Book Titles__= [|I am Phoenix by Paul Fleischman] [|You Hear Me by Betsy Franco] [|Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?] [|Word UP] Pierced by a Ray of the Sun [|The Basket Counts by Arnold Adoff__]

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 * Using Microsoft Photo Story or Apple iPhoto, have students use images to visually narrate their original poems or stories. Students can add a recorded reading of the poem or have a text-only project.======

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Here is the posting of the many poetry activities I received. Thank you all so much.

5th graders and we had tons of fun. We spent 2 40 -minute class periods on it. I let the kids read their favorites aloud and they begged for more time. It was exciting to see them so pumped about poetry. The lesson plan I use is on my wiki. Scroll about halfway down the page for the lesson plan and a copy of the scavenger hunt page I use. I've also used the book "Take Me Out of the Bathtub" by Alan Katz. It takes familiar songs and puts funny words with them. There are two other similar books by that author, too--"I'm Still Here in the Bathtub" and "Smelly Locker". I used to pick a couple of the songs, type words and copy them on the copy machine as song sheets for kids and we sang them together in class. Lately I've just been displaying the words using my computer projector to display the words typed in a word document and singing them from that. Jack Prelutsky has poetry books called "Scranimals" and "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant" that take animals and mix them with either a plant (such as rhinocerose, bananaconda) or a household object (clocktopus, alarmadillo) to create a new, funny animal. That animal is illustrated and has a poem about it. Kids love this as a read-aloud, and then they could also create their own mixed up animal. I've done "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll with 6th graders and they enjoyed it.
 * I did a Poetry Scavenger Hunt with


 * How about Reader's Theater with Joyful Noise?

get into groups and learn poems. They brought props, etc. I picked out funny, relatively short poems for the kids and then had them work on them at home and in their classrooms. We had a poetry break time set for every day (10:00, 2:30, whatever time you want). Each group of 5th graders would go to a class - even if they were in gym or music or whatever - and everyone would take a break while the 5th graders presented their poetry. The groups went to different classes every day. Each break lasted about 8-10 minutes. It was fun - the kids all seemed to like it.
 * I did a poetry break one year. Had the 5th graders (oldest in our school)

to select and practice reading in his/her head one of the poems in it and then read it aloud. I like Florian and Prelutsky books for this. I also use the_ I'll Read to You and You Read to Me_ books for presentations-- pairs read the two parts out loud. Sometimes we practice a week and then present the following week. Sometimes I videotape them so we can watch it later. Poetry is meant to be read aloud and our kids don't get to practice that much public speaking. I copy a poem I love and paste it into an email and send it out to my staff weekly during the month of April. Have a poem read over the PA for announcements.
 * I select short, fun poetry books and give each student a few minutes

for Two Voices. Or any other 2-4 art voice poems.
 * Read from _Joyful Noise : Poems

Poetry Celebration every year in April with any students in grades 1-6 who want to participate. All they have to do is choose a poem, get it approved, memorize it and then on our Poetry Celebration afternoon, everyone who has been approved because we know they have memorized their poem, then they come to the library and share their poems with everyone else who is particpating. I video them now so they can see them later. We have treats and discussion after everyone is finished.
 * I do a


 * We have a wonderful, but under used, courtyard in our school where special events are held during lunch blocks. My plan is to select about 5 students per lunch block, allow them to invite a friend, and then eat lunch in our courtyard (10 students per block/4 blocks....40 students per day...plan to do this 4 days). Getting to eat in the courtyard will be a real treat, weather permitting, and I think it will be a great incentive to get involved. I want to call it POETRY PICNIC or PALATABLE POETRY or something catchy, and somehow tie in poetry with the determination of WHO gets selected to eat in the courtyard. A good way to select the students? A couple of ideas that have crossed my mind are: (1) writing and submitting a poem (to be judged/selecting 5 per day) and (2) choosing their favorite poem/book of poetry, and take it into the courtyard to read during lunch (those who want to participate would have their name drawn...select 5 each day get to participate).