Plan To Take a "Poetry Break!"
Taking a "Poetry Break!" is easy and fun! Anyone can do it! Simply take a few minutes out of your day to share a poem or two with your students, your friend, your family, a pet, or anyone else that you'd like to read or recite a poem to!
There is only one rule for poem selection: you must like your selected poem! Teachers, librarians, and parents, you can select a poem that is seasonal, relates to a holiday or theme, aligns with curriculum or a unit of study, or is simply a poem that piques your interest.
I live in the same neighborhood as the school in which I teach, so I often see students from school as I am out walking my dogs. Last night as I strolled with the dogs, I heard a little voice shout, "Hey! That's my Poetry Teacher!" I wasn't able to see exactly where the voice was coming from but I knew that it was the voice of a student in one of the classrooms where I have conducted my weekly "Poetry Breaks!" I am still smiling and have a warm and fuzzy feeling inside! Sharing poems is so much fun for me and I like to think that I am having a positive impact on the students that experience the poems! Hearing that child as he recognized me (even as I had passed and was on my way down the street) and recalled with such enthusiasm, that I was his "Poetry Teacher," was like hearing him recite a beautiful poem to me!
Poems stick with you! I am reminded of Jack's sentiments in Sharron Creech's wonderful verse novel, Hate That Cat.
I only understood about half the words in that poem but like you said sometimes that is okay because we felt all those bells and we heard all those bells crazily ringing in their tintinnabulation! (20).
When it comes to poetry, Jack's teacher, Miss Stretchberry, has had an obvious impact on him . . .
It's strange that now when you read a poem to the class I hear alliteration popping out everywhere. I never heard it before or maybe I heard the sounds or didn't know why they were sticking in my head (37).
Hate That Cat is the sequel to Sharron Creech's verse novel, Love That Dog. Both books are excellent examples of how poetry can effect students!
Read more about Love That Dog at Sharron Creech's website (click here):
Read more about Hate That Cat at Sharron Creech's website (click here):
Make sure you also check out Ms. Creech's excellent teacher's guides for these novels. Click here to download them from her "Teach Creech" section of her website.
Taking a "Poetry Break!" is a way to make a lasting impression on your students (not to mention fun and motivating!)!
Be sure to check out all of the wonderful poetry resources that are showcased in today's "Poetry Friday" Round-Up. Visit Sylvia Vardell's excellent blog at, Poetry for Children! It's a treasure trove of poetry resources!!!
I'd love to be recognized as the "Poetry Teacher"! I have these two books in my classroom library, too - favorites, both. We set aside Thursdays for our poetry breaks - it's wonderful to set aside time for poetry on a regular basis, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYay for poetry breaks, and for being called the Poetry Teacher! I taught HS and always did poetry up right, with dimly lit classroom poetry cafes and whatnot. We had a ball, and the kids loved it. I hope more and more teachers take up the "Poetry Break!" mantra and give poetry the space it deserves.
ReplyDelete(BTW, my blog is all about poetry videos - poets reading their own work - so I hope you can find something there to use with your students!)
Tara and Renee, thanks for visiting! Yes! Poetry is so awesome in so many ways! I think it's not only fun for the kids but they can also learn so much about language, literacy, content area materials, and so, so much more!
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