Poem reading

Just for fun, I grabbed Leslie Bulion at the Texas Library Association conference, handed her my Kindle, and persuaded her to read her poem from PoetryTagTime aloud while I filmed her with my handy Flipcam. Please forgive the background noise, but here is the fun riddle poem, "Knock, Knock, Who's There?" read by the poet herself, Leslie Bulion. Enjoy!

An honest-to-goodness kid response

A friend-of-a-friend sent us this great photo of a young reader enjoying PoetryTagTime on a Kindle!

Janet Wong’s “Scute”

Reminder: PoetryTagTime is the first ever electronic-only poetry anthology of new poems by top poets for children. You can purchase the book for 99 cents at Amazon and read it on your Kindle or through the downloadable Kindle platform for your computer, cell phone, etc.

Previously: Mary Ann Hoberman

Next up: JANET WONG

Setting the Stage: Write the word “scute” on a strip of paper, chalkboard, or note card. Challenge the kids to guess what the word means. Jot down their definitions. (It’s not important that they guess correctly, but that they have fun wondering.)

Poetry Performance: Wong’s poem, “Scutes,” nicely incorporates four concrete examples of her poem’s key concept in four independent stanzas. The format lends itself nicely to being read aloud by four small groups (or four volunteers), each reading one stanza.

Just for Fun: Bring cinnamon rolls and a small pan or a butcher block or wooden cutting board to show the images mentioned in the poem. What other examples of “scutes” can the kids think of?

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Turtles
Moon
Food
Body
Humor

If you haven’t gotten your own copy of PoetryTagTime yet, buy the book now for only 99 cents, so you can share each of the 30 poems along with the ideas and activities that are available here.

Now begin again: Janet’s poem opens with the moons on a turtle’s back. This connects us back with Jack Prelutsky’s first moon poem, “If the Moon” and PoetryTagTime has come full circle.


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.

Mary Ann Hoberman’s “Three T’s”

Reminder: PoetryTagTime is the first ever electronic-only poetry anthology of new poems by top poets for children. You can purchase the book for 99 cents at Amazon and read it on your Kindle or through the downloadable Kindle platform for your computer, cell phone, etc.

Previously: Pat Mora

Next up: MARY ANN HOBERMAN

Setting the Stage: Make a chart with three columns, each topped with a “T” and one labeled “turtle,” one labeled “tortoise,” and one labeled “terrapin.” Invite the children to talk about what they know—or guess—about each.

Poetry Performance: Mary Ann Hoberman’s poem, “Three T’s” naturally lends itself to being read by three groups; one reads the lines specific to the turtle, one reads the lines specific to the tortoise, and one reads the lines specific to the terrapin. All other lines (including lines that refer to all three types) are read by the group in unison.

Just for Fun: Revisit the chart initiated before reading the poem and see what details about each of the three (turtle, tortoise, terrapin) can be added based on the poem. Look for more facts about these three and consider creating a follow up poem as a group using this new information.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Turtles
Sea
Body

Buy the book now (only 99 cents), so you can share each poem along with the ideas and activities that follow here.

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Janet Wong


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.

Pat Mora’s “Maybe Tomorrow”

Reminder: PoetryTagTime is the first ever electronic-only poetry anthology of new poems by top poets for children. You can purchase the book for 99 cents at Amazon and read it on your Kindle or through the downloadable Kindle platform for your computer, cell phone, etc.

Previously: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Next up: PAT MORA

Setting the Stage: Ask the kids to share what they consider signs of spring? Warmer weather? Flowers blooming? Sunny skies? What about turtles lumbering?

Poetry Performance: The title of Pat Mora’s poem, “Maybe Tomorrow” is also a repeated refrain throughout the poem that is perfect for the whole group to chime in on again and again while the librarian or teacher reads the poem aloud.

Just for Fun: Do turtles really eat bananas or peanut butter? What other foods do turtles eat? Work with the kids to look up more information about the turtle’s diet. Insert surprising food finds into the places where “bananas” and “peanut butter” are mentioned. Read the new poem “version” aloud for fun.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Dialogue
Repeated lines
Turtles
Food
Sun
Winter
Spring
Onomatopoeia
Bugs
Home

If you haven’t gotten your own copy of PoetryTagTime yet, buy the book now for only 99 cents, so you can share each of the 30 poems along with the ideas and activities that are available here..

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Mary Ann Hoberman


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer’s “Moonlit Race”

Reminder: PoetryTagTime is the first ever electronic-only poetry anthology of new poems by top poets for children. You can purchase the book for 99 cents at Amazon and read it on your Kindle or through the downloadable Kindle platform for your computer, cell phone, etc.

Previously: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Next up: TRACIE VAUGHN ZIMMER

Setting the Stage: Invite the kids to share their knowledge of ocean animals. Make a list of the marine animals they know. Is the leatherback turtle on the list? Research facts about the leatherback turtle together.

Poetry Performance: Try reading aloud Tracie Vaughn Zimmer’s “Moonlit Race” with three groups, one for each stanza. The first group reads the first stanza, setting the stage. The second group reads the action-packed second stanza. The third group reads the satisfying final stanza.

Just for Fun: Several key “characters” populate this vivid poem. Use various colors of felt to create the sun, moon, ocean waves, turtle(s), cookie, gull, and crab. Invite the kids to place each figure on a flannel storyboard or hang on a short "clothesline" as you read the poem aloud.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Moon 

Night
Sun
Sea
Turtles
Food
Birds
Fear

Buy the book now, so you can share each poem along with the ideas and activities that follow here.

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Pat Mora


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s “My Hand”

Reminder: PoetryTagTime is the first ever electronic-only poetry anthology of new poems by top poets for children. You can purchase the book for 99 cents at Amazon and read it on your Kindle or through the downloadable Kindle platform for your computer, cell phone, etc.

Previously: Robert Weinstock

Next up: AMY LUDWIG VANDERWATER

Setting the Stage: In her poem, “My Hand” the poet, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater invites us to look at our hands and speculate-- what does your hand remind you of? Look like? What else could that shape be?

Poetry Performance: Take the lead in reading this thoughtful poem out loud in a quiet voice. Then invite the children to join in on the end of the poem in two groups, one reading the line, “Were you always human?” and the other reading the final line, “Do you understand?”

Just for Fun: What else might your hand, it’s shape, and it’s movement be compared to? Have the kids outline their hands on a piece of construction paper and then create a creature based on that shape, real or imagined – including the starfish.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Body
Sea
Food
Questions

Buy the book now, so you can share each poem along with the ideas and activities that follow here.

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.