Poetry

Poetry is a terrific way to boost motivation and reinforce phonemic awareness and fluent reading for students of all ages. Students of all ages will enjoy the humor of poets such as Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky. The shorter length and predictable structure of many poems may provide helpful support for struggling readers.

Poems can be enjoyed in many different formats – as shared reading, choral reading, independent reading, paired reading, and performance texts. Repeated reading of favorite poems is a great way to develop fluency, and new poems often present impromptu opportunities for vocabulary or word study discussions. Here are some ways that poems are used in our classrooms.

Video examples -- coming soon!

Teacher Tips

How do you use poetry in your class? Submit your ideas here!

Kids’ Input

What are your favorite poems or poets? Submit your ideas here!

Favorite Poets

Arnold Adoff

Slow Dance: Heart Break Blues (Macmillan, )
Street Music: City Poems (HarperCollins, 1995)

 

Paul Fleischman

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (Harper & Row, 1988) -- Newbery Winner!
Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices

 

Douglas Florian

On the Wing: Bird Poems and Paintings (Harcourt, )
In the Swim: Poems and Paintings (Hacourt, )
Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings (Harcourt, )
Beast Feast: Poems (Voyager, )

 

Langston Hughes

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems (Knopf, 1994)

 

Jeffrey Moss

The Butterfly Jar (Bantam, )
The Other Side of the Door (Bantam, )

 

Jack Prelutsky

A Pizza the Size of the Sun
My Parents Think I’m Sleeping
Zoo Doings
Something Big Has Been Here
The New Kid on the Block (Greenwillow, 1984)
The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury

 

Shel Silverstein

Where the Sidewalk Ends (HarperCollins)
The Light in the Attic (Harper & Row, 1988)
Runny Babbit

 

Gary Soto

Neighborhood Odes (Harcourt Brace, 1992)

 

Judith Viorst

If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries (Atheneum, 1981)

Collections

Miss Mary Mack and Other Children’s Street Rhymes, edited by J. Cole and S. Calmenson (Beech Tree, 1990)

Soap Soup and Other Verses by K. Kuskin (HarperCollins, 1992)

Yo, Hungry Wolf!: A Nursery Rap by D. Vozar (Doubleday, 1993)

Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States, edited by L. M. Carlson (Holt, 1994)

Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl (Knopf, 1983)

Make a Joyful Sound: Poems for Children by African-American Poets, edited by Debby Slier (Checkerboard, 1991)

Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Color by Mary O'Neil (Doubleday, 1989)

The Book of Pigericks: Pig Limericks by Arnold Lobel (Harper & Row, 1988)

Hip Hop Poetry and the Classics by Allan Sitomer and Michale Cirelli (Milk Mug, 2004)

Resources and Links

Websites

Poetry writing with Jack Prelutsky
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/

Shel Silverstein’s classroom poetry kit
http://www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html

Poetry 180: A Poem a Day for American High Schools
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/

Favorite Poem Project: Americans Saying Poems they Love
http://www.favoritepoem.org

Poetry for Kids -- funny poems by Kenn Nesbitt
http://www.poetry4kids.com

FizzyFunnyFuzzy -- poetry by Gareth Lancaster. Includes themes like "Animal Quackers" and "Indescribabubble," as well as a collection of audio poems. Kids can rate their favorite poems.
http://www.fizzyfunnyfuzzy.com

PoetryTeacher.com -- poems and resources for teachers. Includes poetry for performance, poetry fun, information about poetry contests and author visits.
http://www.poetryteacher.com

Giggle Poetry -- The just-for-kids version of poetryteacher.com. Kids can
http://www.gigglepoetry.com

Children's Poets' web page resource -- find the website of your favorite poet here!
http://www.poetry4kids.com/modules.php?name=Web_Links&l_op=viewlink&cid=1

Resource Books

The Poetry Break: An Annotated Anthology With Ideas for Introducing Children to Poetry by Caroline Bauer (H.W. Wilson, 1994)