Poetry Break Has a New Look!

Today I'm celebrating my passion for sharing poetry by revisiting how I originally got started with presenting poems to children. Although I've always shared poetry in small ways, about ten years ago I began doing "Poetry Breaks" - popping into classrooms with an announcement of, "Poetry Break!" with a sign and whistle or bell to signal that, much like D.E.A.R. (drop everything and read), we pause for a poem.

In my first post participating in Poetry Friday (from 2012!), I share how I got started with conducting Poetry Breaks. I also share a brief video Booktalk that features Caroline Feller Bauer's Poetry Break! book. Check it out here.

In a Poetry Friday post from 4 years ago, I wrote a Tribute to Caroline Feller Bauer and my inspiration and mentor for sharing poetry with children.

always searching for

the perfect poem to share

it's "Poetry Break!" ~C. F. B. 

I now take time out for "Poetry Breaks" in my school library. I incorporate them into lessons when students in grades pre-k through 5th grade visit the library on a weekly basis. Poems relate to seasons, holidays, curriculum topics, student interest, and much more!  I also use "Poetry Breaks" as a way to Booktalk Poetry books, as well as many other books and magazines in the library. The poem possibilities are endless.

I was so excited when my new sign arrived in the mail, just in time for National Poetry Month. My cousin, Tara Sawyer designed and created my amazing new and improved, "Poetry Break" sign, which is proudly on display in my library, just waiting to announce the arrival of a "Poetry Break!"

Add

Be sure to check out Tara's beautiful designs at Bird Branch Designs.

Celebrate today, celebrate #nationalpoetrymonth, celebrate #slm17 by pursg the Poetry Friday  Roundup, hosted by Doraine at Dori Reads

Hound Dog Adventures

Unpopular Rex a video by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.

Welcome to a new kind of "Poetry Break!" My "Poetry Breaks!" always consist of me popping into classrooms to share poems with students and their teachers. For this "Poetry Break!" I created a video (after about 437,000 re-takes, I finally called it a night and used this one! Oh, and I also had several technical difficulties! So please bear with my novice video-making skills!).

The idea began with Mrs. Connie Buchinsky, a first grade teacher at my school. She asked me for poem ideas to utilize in a lesson. We chatted about poems, poetry books, and her lesson. After she took home J. Patrick Lewis' book National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry, she showed me the poem she had chosen. I loved it and proceeded to tell her a story about a personal connection that I made to the poem. Connie loved it and told me I needed to make a video of what I had just told her. She wanted to be able to incorporate the story and technology into her lesson.

So, I figured I'd try a virtual "Poetry Break!" This way, I can share more poetry love with more students, more often, and allow students to access the poems whenever they wish! (I feel it is so important to hear poetry read and recited aloud ~ so many, many benefits to this! This could be a whole post itself!).

I will attempt to post a "Poetry Break!" video a couple of times a month. I think it will be a fun and worthwhile adventure!

If you'd like to read my post about Hug Your Hound Day, click  here!

Thanks to Connie, for inspiring me to create "Poetry Break!" videos!

It's Poetry Friday! Poetry Leaves a Lasting Impression!

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!!!

It's Poetry Friday: Poem Posters

Poem Posters

Today's Poetry Friday Round-Up is being hosted by Renee at No Water River.  
She has lots of "Poetry Candy" for us to sample.  Make sure you indulge your poetry sweet tooth!

Poem Posters . . . 

 As Martha Stewart would say, "they're a good thing."  What are Poem Posters you ask?  Poem Posters are exactly what they sound like.  They are posters created by using the text of a "Poetry Break!" poem and some sort of visual (clip art, illustrations, craft items, etc).Last year I began to create Poem Posters to leave in the classrooms after I presented a "Poetry Break!"  Teachers and their students were able to revisit, read, and recite poems every day.  

One teacher used a clothesline, strung across her classroom, to hang the Poem Posters.  Students were able to read and recite "Poetry Break!" poems from the entire school year.   At one time, she needed to use the clothesline for another purpose and had to remove the Poem Posters.  Students were surprised to see that the poems were not in their usual place and were quite disappointed.  The teacher had to reassure her students that the poems would soon be returned to their proper place.  




Poem Posters are fun to make and they become a much loved part of the classroom.  Poem Posters give students and teachers daily opportunities to take a "Poetry Break!" at any time and on any day! 

It's Poetry Friday! Planning for the School Year Ahead

 

 

Selecting Poems for "Poetry Break!"

An Excellent First Poetry Experience:

Besides presenting an actual "Poetry Break!" one of my most favorite things to do is search for just the right poem.  I am always on the lookout for new poetry collections and anthologies but I love rereading through my collection of books.  One of my most favorite anthologies of poems for young children is Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young selected by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Marc Brown.

Well-known and loved poet, Jack Prelutsky has selected many short and wonderfully child-like poems by numerous poets.  Poems are grouped together by popular themes and topics of childhood, such as; play, animals, seasons, holidays, foods, weather, daily routines, and much more.  Every page contains two or three short poems that are accompanied by Marc Brown's (award-winning author and illustrator of the Arthur books) delightfully playful, color illustrations. 
Poem seekers will find helpful indexes, listing poems by first line, title, and by author.  



Check out this great Reader's Guide for Parents and Educators. Jack Prelutsky offers great advice for sharing this book with young children!


Read-aloud expert, Jim Trelease provides readers with an interesting and insightful introduction to this poetry anthology that was created with the youngest of children in mind.  Trelease makes this excellent point about the value and importance of sharing poetry with children:

Unlike the toys we buy our children, poems cannot break.  Their flavor will last longer than a hundred boxes of candy.  They come already assembled and need only one battery - a reader connected to one child.  And that reader can start a glow that lasts a lifetime. 

Go ahead . . . "ignite the glow" in a child today - take time for a "Poetry Break!"

Today's Poetry Friday Round-Up is being hosted at  Dori Reads.  Be sure to check out all of the wonderful poetry posts!

A Tribute to Caroline Feller Bauer

 Today's Poetry Friday Round-Up is being hosted by Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids.  I can't wait to visit and indulge in all of the poetry treats that she has gathered!

Remembering Caroline Feller Bauer

Last week I discovered that my "Poetry Break!" mentor,  Caroline Feller Bauer passed away. 
I first had the great pleasure of seeing her present a full-day literacy workshop.  I was totally enthralled with EVERYTHING that she shared - storytelling, poetry, songs, puppets, props, and endless ideas for bringing books and reading to life!  I saw Dr. Bauer's dynamic presentation a second time, devoured her books, wrote letters to her (she responded to each of my letters!), and began to try MANY of her literacy-loving ideas! 

Over the years I have continuously referred to Dr. Bauer's jammed-packed resources.  I lovingly read and reread her books over and over again. 

Click here to read School Library Journal's tribute to Bauer. 

Here is one of my first posts where I share a video clip that features one of my favorite poetry resources, Bauer's Poetry Break Book!

I have never publicly shared a poem but in honor of my "Poetry Break!" inspiration, idol, role model, and friend (through reading her words I feel as if she is a close, personal friend), I decided to share a simple, little haiku poem that I have written. 

In memory of Caroline Feller Bauer . . .

always searching for

the perfect poem to share

it's "Poetry Break!"

Thank you Caroline . . . your legacy will live on.

Ordinary Magic

I'm Celebrating this Past Week!

Writer and educator, Ruth Ayers at https://ruthayreswrites.com/celebrate-link-up/ created Celebrate This Week, a community of writers that write about their week’s celebrations, whether ordinary or extraordinary. I decided to gather some of my celebrations from this past week here, today.

Poetry Celebration #1!

Each Friday, not only on my blog, but at school, I like to take the time to celebrate poetry. I share a “Poetry Break!” with the entire school, by reading a poem on the morning announcements. Yesterday, to wrap up Random Acts of Kindness Week, I read Eileen Spinelli’s “How to Love Your Little Corner of the World.”  It’s one of my favorite poems. It's one I've copied into my Poetry Journal and created a collage for. It was appreciated by many staff members as well as some students who commented that they liked the poem that I shared on the announcements. I love that I can reach the whole school by sharing a “Poetry Break!” on the announcements!  It's a great way to begin our day.

Poetry Celebration #2!

A second celebration around poetry also occurred yesterday. I call each Friday, Poetry Friday and share poetry with my Book Clubs (also known as my reading intervention groups). I read aloud poetry, have s collection of poetry books for students to peruse, give out poems to read and sometimes illustrate with a sketch, and many other activities that involve poetry. Students love Poetry Friday in my Book Clubs!  I know this because they tell me so each week. As a matter of fact, yesterday, one of my fourth grade boys commented, “Why do we only get to have Poetry Friday?  Why not Poetry all the time?”  My response was that we also had many books that we would be reading.  Another student replied, “Yeah, we should have Poetry Friday and Poetry Monday!”  I thought about how excited these kids were to have time built into their day to spend with poems. I decided that I will add poetry into each day that I see my Book Clubs. After all it takes a minute or less to read aloud a poem.

I Won a Scholarship!

I'm so excited that after applying for a scholarship, I won!  The scholarship will allow me the opportunity to attend the New York State Library Association’s annual Conference!  I've not yet been able to attend one. So this May I'll be attending the NYLA SSL Annual Conference!  Here's a link to the list of amazing speakers https://sites.google.com/view/nyla-ssl2019/home. I love learning from authors, educators, and other speakers!  I also submitted a proposal to present at the conference. I'm still waiting to find out if it was accepted.

New and Improved Reader and Writer!

To wrap up my celebrations for this week, I'll add that I signed up for two writing courses through SUNY Broome’s  Continuing Education program. I can't wait to participate in them!  I've also been in touch with a couple of authors regarding the NYSRA Charlotte Book Award and not only considering their books for the Ballots but also to set up interviews that I'll feature here.

I feel as though each day I come closer and closer to the reader and writer that I once was. Not only do I feel that I am nearer to her, but I feel as if I am a new and improved improved reader and writer. I'm a better version of each because all my experiences from the last few years have had a tremendous impact on my growth and learning.

Introducing Poetry Friday!

Friday will be the day that I devote to highlighting poetry books, poetry websites, student poems, teacher's poetry activities, ways to present and share poetry, poet spotlights, and anything else that has to do with poetry!

The upcoming school year will begin my fifth year of conducting "Poetry Breaks!"(wow!  I can't believe it has been five years already!) with students at Calvin Coolidge elementary school.   "Poetry Breaks!" are an excellent way to share poetry with children.  To read more about the specifics of "Poetry Breaks!" check out my poetry virtual library at Pocketful of Poems.

I am always on the lookout for anything and everything to do with poetry!  This summer I have been pouring over my piles of poetry books in search of just the right poems to share with students and teachers.  I have many tried and true favorites but I also love to find new gems to add to my "Poetry Breaks!"  

Here is one of my favorite poetry resources!

Poetry break book a video by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.

For lots of poetry treats, check out this week's host of Poetry Friday!

A Year of Reading
 

Origami & Poetry ~ Perfect Partners!

It's Poetry Friday!  Celebrate with me!  Today's round-up is being hosted by Elizabeth Steinglass.  Visit her blog, Growing Wild to link to many wonderful Poetry Friday posts!

One of my favorite poets is Kristine O'Connell George.  Her many poems seem to celebrate the simple joys of childhood.  Two of those joyful simplicities are playfulness and possessing an  imagination.  I adore her book, Fold Me a Poem.  It is a lovely collection of poems about animals created by Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.  One of my favorite "Poetry Breaks!" is accompanied by a quick demonstration on how to fold an Origami dog.  I begin with a brief explanation of Origami, followed by the reading of a few poems from Fold Me a Poem.  Displaying the bright, bold, and beautiful illustrations that Lauren Stringer created to accompany George's poetry is always intriguing for students and it helps those who are unfamiliar with Origami, to get a better understanding of it. 

I also booktalk and introduce George's adorable Little Dog Poems and Little Dog and Duncan books ~ two sublime books of poetry for dog-lovers!

Be sure to check out all of the great Origami resources and links on Kristine O'Connell George's website!

Click here for directions on how to fold an Origami dog. 

Below are some photos of my "Poetry Break!" that pairs George's poetry with the folding of an Origami dog.

Poetry and Origami inspired one of my students ~ the day following my "Poetry Break!" she brought a little Origami book from her own collection.  It was about folding pets.  She showed me the various animals that her book demonstrated how to create and declared, that we needed to fold a cat and that, "now I need to learn a poem about cats!"

It's Poetry Friday! Taking A "Poetry Break!" with Alan Katz

NYSRA, Syracuse, NY October 2012:  Taking a "Poetry Break!" with author Alan Katz!  

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is hosting today's Poetry Friday Round-Up at The Poem Farm!  Be sure to visit her blog for lots of poetry delights!

 

 

 

“Alan Katz: A Silly Dilly Author”                                                                                           

NYSRA Conference 2012 attendees may have been lucky enough to experience a relaxing, humorous, and inspirational breakfast and/or conference session with funny-man and author, Alan Katz!  Mr. Katz has a long list of credits to his name, including, having written for television shows, games shows, children’s programing, newspapers, comic books, poetry books, trading cards, games, picture books, and much more!  Mr. Katz inspired and entertained his audience by sharing his own writing stories and inspiration for their creation.  One such strategy is for writing parodies.  First one must select a well-known song, then count the number of syllables in each line, and finally change the lyrics to match your topic.  Singing silly songs is what led Mr. Katz to create silly poetry and tales.  He has always enjoyed writing and writing about the ordinary, which is often funny and silly.  A major source of writing inspiration has always come from his experiences with his own family.  Mr. Katz’s many songs, poems and stories have sprung onto the page as a result of something his children have said or done.  Additional advice for achieving one’s dreams, offered by Mr. Katz, is “if you want to be a writer (or whatever interests you), you need to get out there and write (or do whatever it is you want to do)!  

Alan Katz’s book titles include:

Oops!   

                                                                                                                                     Poems I Wrote While No One Was Looking

Don’t Say That Word!  

                                                                                                                
Several Silly Dilly Songbooks      

                                                                                                                                          
Karate Pig

Be sure to check out these funny and engaging poetry books, silly song books, and picture books!  You will also not want to miss Alan Katz's website.  Click here to visit his site! 

What is a Book Break?

As a Reading Specialist, I have always taken the time to read aloud great children's books to my students.  As I pursued a degree in School Library and Information Technologies, I began to further explore the vast and wonderful world of children's and young adult literature.  My interest and love for books and reading has only continued to grow and I wanted to be able to share the amazing world of books with both children and adults!  That is how I began to implement a booktalking program that I fondly refer to as my Book Breaks!  

I was already conducting a weekly Poetry Break, an idea that I have explained in my poetry wiki, www.pocketfulofpoems.wikispaces.com, so it seemed to be a natural way to explore booktalks with the students in my elementary school.  Last year was my "pilot" year for implementing Book Breaks.  Since I was already conducting the Poetry Breaks with first grade classrooms, I began with the offer to conduct a weekly Book Break as well.  One of my colleagues, Tricia Anastos, eagerly scheduled Book Breaks for her class on Thursday mornings at 8:45.  Every week at this time, I would appear at her classroom door, blowing my train whistle to announce my arrival with an exciting new book (or books, I often couldn't resist the opportunity to share more than one title, especially when so many books can be grouped together according to one theme or another)!  

Tricia and her students were always so very excited and eager to see what I was bringing in my book bag!  Many of the books that I shared were newly released publications that I had recently purchased at the bookstore or a conference.  Sometimes the books were award winners (which always sparked great conversations!).  Other times, I brought signed copies of titles and was able to tell a little tale of how I had been able to meet the author/illustrator (usually showing a picture of myself with the author/illustrator - it is a great way to demonstrate that authors/illustrators are REAL people!).  Still other books that I brought to share with my eager first grade friends were old favorites!  

A Book Break generally lasts between five and ten minutes.  During that time, I give a brief booktalk, which simply means talking about a book and getting the audience interested in reading it.  I will be sharing some of my Book Break highlights from the past school year, as well as new Book Breaks, as the upcoming school year unfolds.  I will share how I use a variety of techniques and tools to promote the  books in my Book Breaks.  Some of the techniques and tools include the use of puppets, props, pictures, photographs, videos, book trailers, and more. 

I am also very excited to be expanding my Book Breaks!  At our annual end-of-year literacy data meeting, Tricia shared with colleagues and administrators, how much she and her students enjoyed their weekly foray into the world of children's books.  She shared that her students were so interested and motivated to read books and explore other books by the same author.  Additionally, Tricia and our library staff, shared with me that the students would actually argue about who got the books first to be able to check them out of the library!  Now I will be visiting at least two additional classrooms to conduct Book Breaks!  Thanks for having me and my books, Tricia!

Poetry Friday: Poetry Props! 1

   Skeleton Poetry Props!  Literacy teacher, Ellen Mouillesseaux and my 5th grade daughter, Sarah!

Today's Poetry Friday Round-Up is being hosted by Linda at Teacher Dance.  Make sure you stop on over to see what poetry goodies she has for our "Poetry Break!" pleasures!

   

Poetry Props . . . 

 Engaging Readers & Entertaining Audiences!

One of my favorite poems to introduce to children this time of year is Jack Prelutsky's spectacular Skeleton Parade!  Traditionally I dim the lights, introduce the idea of a skeleton and a parade of them on Halloween, turn on my spooky voice, and demonstrate how to dramatize the poem as it is recited.  Children love it and are captivated by the magic of a spooktacularly fun and engaging poem!  Prelutsky's poem is easily remembered and children are able to reread it several times afterwards with confidence in themselves because of the creative dramatics that we used to recite it in the first place.  This poem is one that certainly sticks with you!  

Earlier this week my good friend and colleague, Ellen Mouillesseaux (literacy curriculum specialist), presented me with a poetry present!  She had discovered a lovely little garland of skeletons at her local dollar store and cut the little guys off the garland to become individual skeleton props!  We all had such fun using the little skeletons as we recited Skeleton Parade!  Children dangled tiny skeletons off their finger, marionette-style, as their skeletons "marched about the streets with bony bodies, bony heads, bony hands, and bony feet!"  

If you are not already familiar with Skeleton Parade, march yourself to your school or public library to check out a Halloween poetry collection!  You can find Prelutsky's poem in a couple of different poetry collections or anthologies.  Here are a couple . . . 

 

A Visit With Jane Yolen

Happy National Poetry Month and Poetry Friday!  Today I am VERY happy to welcome, the lovely and talented, Jane Yolen to Mrs. Merrill's Book Break!  Jane has graciously agreed to take a "Poetry Break!" with us.  She has answered some questions about her reading and writing life.  

We (Jane Yolen & Rebecca Kai Dotlich) came to write Grumbles From the Forest . .   Because I had an idea about a book of poems in two voices about fairy tales and asked Rebecca Kai Dotlich--my friend and a poet  I admired--to play. Luckily she said YES!!!      

Grumbles from the Forest is one of the titles on the 2016 intermediate ballot of books for the New York State Reading Association's Charlotte Book Award. 

Readers should read our book because . . . Because the poems are fun, the back matter informative and the pictures great. Becuase it shows you how to write poetry, how to appreciate fairy tales in a different way, how to cooperate writing with a good friend.

My favorite place to read . . . On my exercise bike.

There are bookcases in every room in the house INCLUDING the bathrooms!!!

  
A book that has touched my heart . . . The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber because the story is a fairy tale and I love fairy tales. Because it has heart. Because it has surprises. And because it has great words (some of which like guggle and zatch are made up and still work.).

I collect my ideas and inspiration for writing . . .From things I read, things I observe, conversations I ovthrad, songs/poems I love, from my own adventures, and from my dreams.

Readers should know . . . I love to write, read, bird watch, walk in the woods, read more, go to live theater and live music, read even more, see movies, visit castles in Scotland, and have fun with my grandkids.

Three fun things to know about me: I have gone dog-sledding in Alaska, lost my fencing foil on a date in Grand Central Station in New York, and one of my awards set my good  coat on fire.

A project that I’m/we're currently working on . . .

A third Grumbles book with Rebecca , (the second one, Grumbles from the Town, using nursery rhymes will be out this Fall), and I am working alone on a book about the young Emily DIckinson called Emily Writes, as well as a funny book in rhyme about birds called Dawn Chorus, a series of BIrd Books: On Bird Hill (out this Spring), On Duck Pond (out 2017) and On Gull Beach (out 2018).

You can visit Jane's website here!  

Kick off National Poetry Month the right way ~ stop on over to Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's blog, The Poem Farm.  She is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup.  

Happy Reading!