Poetry Month -- Limericks

There Once Was a Very Odd School and other lunchbox limericks
by Stephen Krensky
illustrated by Tamara Petrosino
Dutton Children's Books, 2004

Sometimes it's fun to play around with a poetry form. Lots of folks do this every week when Tricia puts out a Monday Poetry Stretch invitation.

Limericks are a fun form to try with kids, but the challenge is sometimes finding examples that are appropriate for children. This collection by Stephen Krensky fits that bill.

Here's one of my class' favorites (they are just finishing up dragon sculptures in art):

Nicole drew a dragon in art,
Which breathed fire right from the start.
Then she drew a brave knight,
Which it wanted to fight,
So she had to keep them apart.

National Poetry Month Writing Prompts

Bud the Teacher is celebrating National Poetry Month by inviting readers to write some poems and publish them on blogs, his site, etc. His first prompt along with his poem inspired me to write this poem this morning. Who knew that I could enjoy spending a few minutes writing a poem based on a photo Bud shared? I love the variety of poems that people have already written in response to one prompt. It would be fun for lots of us in the Kidlitosphere to join into Bud's celebration.


The piles
Of books
Have somehow started
to take over my house
Books in every room

The ones I’ve already read
That I can’t part with
Those that I hope
One of my daughters
Loves as I do
Sometime in the future

The ones I haven’t yet read
But that are possibilities
For the future
When I have a quiet
Day for reading

Poetry Month: LOOSE LEASHES by Amy Schmidt

I can never go wrong when I buy a poetry book about dogs. They seem to be quite popular and I imagine the kids will love this new one.

LOOSE LEASHES by Amy Schmidt with photos by Ron Schmidt is a collection of poetry--told in the voices of dogs. They write about things such as getting free of their leash, battling over a bone, and ways to keep cool. My favorite poem is called "I Will NOT Go to the Groomer" and begins like this:

I will not go to the groomer

And won't be washed outside.

To be bathed in a public place

Is quite undignified.

The photos that accompany each poem are too fun and kids will totally love them. "Furry Facts" about each dog are listed at the end of the book. These bios are also quite amusing.

The couple who wrote this book is quite fun--their dog even has his own blog!

Poetry Month -- A Bad Case of the Giggles

A Bad Case of the Giggles
edited by Bruce Lansky
illustrated by Stephen Carpenter
Simon & Schuster, 1994

I am getting ready to replace this book for the third time. It is literally falling apart from constant use. My favorite thing to do when it's missing is to call out, "Who has A BAD CASE OF THE GIGGLES?" and listen to my students crack up.

Kids love funny poems. They love the sly humor of a pun and the bawdy humor of underwear and diapers.

Here's a favorite from A BAD CASE OF THE GIGGLES:

I SAW YOU

I saw you in the ocean,
I saw you in the sea,
I saw you in the bathtub.
Oops! Pardon me.

--Anonymous

Well, since that was by Anonymous, here's another one. This one's good for working on fluency of expression, but don't tell the kids that. Just tell them to make sure it makes...sense.

I THOUGHT A THOUGHT

I thought a thought.
But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought.
If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought
I thought,
I wouldn't have thought so much.

--Anonymous

March Mosaic

Just because it's Poetry Month doesn't mean our regular features won't continue! Here are my Project 365 photos for March. Lots of signs of spring -- love all those patches of bright blue!

Welcome, Poetry Month! Welcome, Hope Anita Smith!

April is finally here! Bring on the Poetry!! Here at A Year of Reading, we will be spotlighting a book of poetry every day this month -- some new books, but lots of old favorites.

But before we get started with that, we need to welcome OHIO POET Hope Anita Smith to the Thurber House Children's Writer-in-Residency position! We look forward to meeting you this summer!

Here's some background information from the Thurber House website:

Originally from Akron, Hope Anita Smith is a storyteller, teacher, artist as well as an award-winning poet. Her first book of poetry, The Way A Door Closes, won several awards including The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award and was chosen as one of the Best Books of the Year by School Library Journal 2004. The sequel, Keeping the Night Watch, was released last spring.

On top of all of her poetry and artwork, Smith is a wonderful teacher and presenter. With her company, INKED WELL WORDS, she has taught writing "wordshops" to writers of every age. She encourages her students to find their 'voice' using paint chips, random words, found objects, magazine pictures.

Hope Anita Smith's newest book, Mother Poems, just hit the shelves. In this book, a young girl deals with the death of her mother.

Ooops--I Forgot One

How To Heal A Broken Wing--close to #1 but I can't decide between the top few...

My Turn--My Top 10 Picture Books

So, in thinking fast about 10 books I LOVE, here is the list I came up with tonight. Could be different on another day. I am sure I forgot some. But I love these 10. This is the list of the Top 10 Picture Books that I sent to Fuse #8. (See Mary Lee's below)


#1 Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
#2 All the Places to Love by Patricia Maclachlan
#3 Lily and the Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
#4 The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
#5 Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
#6 Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
#7 Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
#8 The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
#9 Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
#10 Beware of the Frog by William Bee

My Top 10 Picture Books

Something there is that loves a deadline.

We're down to the wire on picking our top 10 picture books for Fuse #8's Top 100 Picture Books of All Times Poll -- the deadline is midnight tonight.

I gave myself 15 minutes in front of the picture book shelf in my classroom to make my picks. Instead of agonizing over my list, I was quick and impulsive. Even now, I am refusing to allow myself the right to second guess.

10. A River of Words by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. This is my newest favorite. I can't wait to see how Melissa Sweet's style evolves.

9. The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Stephen Gammell. This is one of my oldest favorites. It has been fun to see how Cynthia Rylant's career has evolved.

8. Traction Man is Here by Mini Gray. Toys that come to life in our imagination. Nothing better. Takes me right back to my childhood.

7. And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon by Janet Stephens, illustrated by Susan Stevens Crummel. Love all the literary (kid-sized) humor they embed in the story and the illustrations. A fork in the road -- brilliant!

6. Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt. (Or should I choose Chester for this spot? No, Scaredy. No, Chester...)

5. Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett. Well, everything by Emily Gravett, actually. Did I mention (once or twice or twelve times already) that I got to see her sketchbook for Little Mouse at the Notables session at NCTE last November? It was WAY cool!!!

4. The Three Pigs by David Wiesner. I love how he got everyone thinking about breaking the boundaries in picture books.

3. The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang. Still my favorite wordless picture book (and I have A LOT of favorites).

2. Black and White by David McCauley. He, like Wiesner, really shook things up in the children's book world with this book. STILL a great book for conversation with kids. (And adults, for that matter...)

1.



I refuse.

I can't do it.

There is no such thing as my single, all-time, one-and-only favorite picture book.

I can't.

Sorry if you're disappointed, but it was all I could do to number the rest of them in some semblance of favoritism.

That's as good as it gets. Deal with it.

Life Long Learning

I had two experiences during spring break last week that have interesting implications for the classroom.

1. I started learning Tai Chi. The way the instructor explained it, I will never be finished learning Tai Chi! This form of exercise or mind/body practice is clearly an example of PROCESS vs. PRODUCT. I am at the stage right now where I have no idea what I'm doing, but when I watch the more experienced members of the class going through the forms, I know what I'm aiming for. I just need to relax and learn at my own speed. I ask my students to do this all the time -- be at peace with their learning -- and now I will be able to give them an example where I am in exactly the same place they are. (This poem from The Writer's Almanac resonates with this idea in interesting ways, although it's more about going with the flow...)

2. I had my swimming stroke videotaped and analyzed. Here's an example of AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. I chose to be "tested." I wanted to learn what I am doing well and what I need to work on. Lots of the time, we don't have a choice about our testing (school, driver's license, doctor's orders for a colonoscopy). When we do, we are far more invested in success and learning from the results. I am going to offer my students the chance to sign up to have their reading (fluency, individual conference, literature circle conversations) videotaped and analyzed. I wonder how that offer will change my students' outlook on being tested. I wonder what other types of videotaped assessments they'll come up with. (Interesting link related to this topic at Moving at the Speed of Creativity.)

What's an example of learning or assessment from your life that you can share with your students?