I talked about this book last week, too, for one that is great to share during National Poetry Month 2010 or any poetry unit you do with elementary students. More Pocket Poems edited by Bobbi Katz is a sequel, of course, to Pocket Poems. So, actually, either one is nice for sharing poetry with young students. Today, I wanted to point out some poems from More Pocket Poems and activities you could do with them.
One of the first poems in the book is “March” by Emily Dickinson. It starts: “Dear March, come in!” Children could take any month they want to write about and follow Emily Dickinson’s format to write their own poems. For example, you could write: “Dear May, come in! How excited I am! I looked for you before. Put down your hoe, you must have worked, In the garden ’til you’re sore.” Or something like that. . .:)
Another poem in the book is “August Ice Cream Cone Poem,” and it’s two words long: “Lick quick.” This is a great one to discuss with students, starting with, “Why is this a poem?” and talking about how important poem titles are. Without this title, the poem would not make any sense. Children can try to come up with their own rhyming word pairs and then a title and illustration to create a poem.
The poem “The Taste of Purple” is filled with great imagery that makes you want to eat some grapes. Bring in some grapes while you enjoy this poem with your students; of if you home school, share some grapes with your children. Then ask them to write a response to this poem in their reading response journals. (Part of National Poetry Month 2010 activities can be writing and discussing poetry as well as creating some.) SO, in their journals, they should write if they agree with the author that her poem describes what purple tastes like. They should also discuss what they think other colors taste like. For example, children can pick their favorite color, think of foods that are that color, and then write a poem based on these thoughts.
Do you have any poetry activities you do on a regular basis in your classroom or at home to celebrate National Poetry Month 2010 in April or during a poetry unit?
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