Mentor Text Linky: Poetry

For this week's Mentor Text Linky with Collaboration Cuties I decided to share a few poetry books I love to use. Sorry that I could not choose just one! LOL!

We have started our poetry unit and we will spend time reading and writing poetry this month. My kids have created their own poetry books, too. As with any genre I teach, the students learn best from the experts--published authors. We will spend time reading, analyzing, and writing poems. One of my most favorite activities is to participate in Poem in your Pocket Day. Click HERE to read more about it on Poets.org. The idea is for students to find a poem they love (original or published), copy it or write it out on a piece of paper, carry it in their pocket, and share it all day. I've asked staff at my school to ask the kids to read their poems if they see us around school. I carry a poem, too. My favorite is Love that Boy by Walter Dean Myers. I first learned of this poem while reading Love that Dog by Sharon Creech. If you have not ever read this book, please do as soon as possible. The entire book is written in the form of a poem. You could read it aloud in a few sittings. The kids won't want  you to stop. I always get choked up at certain parts (don't want to give it away). The sequel is just as touching!

Here are a few poetry books I use in my classroom. I have many, many more!

   

A Kick in the Head is perfect resource for introducing different types of poems. Each page has the name and definition of the poem type.

My media specialist just introduced me to this book of animal poems called The Beauty of the Beast by Jack Prelutsky.  She uses this book to play a game called Teapot. She reads a poem replacing the animal name with the word Teapot. The kids have to guess the animal the poem is referring to. Whoever guesses reads the next poem. She insisted I check out the book and continue playing with my class because they loved it so much. It's an older book, so I don't how easy it is to find, but maybe it's in your library. I really loved the artwork in this book, too.

Now here is a super fun book! Joyful Noise-Poems for Two Voices. This is a book of poems written for two voices to read.  The first voice reads the left side and the second voice reads the right. Any lines that are next to each other are read by both voices. The kids have a blast with this, but it does take lots of practice!!

You can use these poems as a mentor text for compare and contrast, too. Have students choose a topic that they know about or use a topic you are studying to write their own poems. Book characters work great for this. They can work individually or with a partner. The kids have fun writing and sharing these poems. Click HERE for a graphic organizer that can be used for this activity. Hope you find some new books and activities you can use in your classroom!

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