Free poetry e-books

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Here's an opportunity to win a copy of one poetry e-book from the PoetryTagTime series:

PoetryTagTime (for children)

or

P*TAG (for tweens and teens)

or

Gift Tag (for all ages)

If you want a chance to win a copy of PoetryTagTime, post your 12-word comment below (connected to this post). Thanks!

For more information go to PoetryTagTime. Good luck!

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.

Robert Weinstock’s “Whiff”

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: Laura Purdie Salas

Next up: ROBERT WEINSTOCK

Setting the Stage: Stop and sniff the air. What scents to the kids detect? Start a list of smells. Research five facts about the sense of smell.

Poetry Performance: Read Robert Weinstock’s “Whiff” along with 4 brave volunteers. The leader reads the first two lines and the last line; one volunteer reads the third line, another volunteer reads the fourth and fifth lines (both), another volunteer reads the sixth line, and one more volunteer reads the seventh line. (The leader reads the last line.) Try it faster and faster-- it's almost a tongue twister!

Just for Fun: Challenge kids to keep a “whiff” diary for one day listing all the things they smell in one 24 hour period. Bring it back to share and compare.

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

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Amy Van Derwater


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

Laurie Purdie Salas’s “After the Storm”

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: Paul B. Janeczko

Next up: LAURA PURDIE SALAS

Setting the Stage: Ask the kids if they know what an acrostic is. Show an example, if possible.

Poetry Performance: To perform Laurie Purdie Salas’s “After the Storm," write each line of the poem on the back of a colored piece of paper—using 7 colors of the rainbow. Write the capital letter (the first letter of the line) on one side of the colored paper, and write the single line of the poem on the other side of the colored paper. Ask for 7 volunteers to participate. Each holds a sheet of colored paper showing the poem line to the audience and lined up in order (to spell the poem subject). Students read their lines and then turn the colored paper around to show their letter, one at a time, gradually spelling the poem's subject.

Just for Fun: Collaborate with the gym teacher or physical education instructor to introduce or demonstrate backbends. Compare other phenomena of nature to gymnastic exercises and activities, e.g., cartwheel = tornado. Work as a group to create a new acrostic poem for a new nature + gymnastics connection.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Storm
Acrostic
Body
Rainbow
Color
Summer
World

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Robert Weinstock


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

Paul B. Janeczko’s “Approaching Storm”

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: Bobbi Katz

Next up: PAUL B. JANECZKO

Setting the Stage: Invite the kids to discuss how they know a storm is coming BEFORE it comes? What signs do they look for? Where would they look for information about storm-watching?

Poetry Performance: Share Paul B. Janeczko’s poem, “Approaching Storm,” by breaking the larger group into two smaller groups. The two groups alternate reading, each taking two lines. Group 1 reads the first two lines, Group 2 reads the next two lines; Group 1 reads the next two lines, and Group 2 reads the final two lines. Read again, switching groups and lines.

Just for Fun: Bring or grow a potted geranium plant; keep it in the window for a season. Write Janeczko’s poem on the clay pot itself.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Storm
Light
Dogs
Flowers
Summer
Sea

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: Laura Purdie Salas


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

Bobbi Katz’s “Things to Do If You Are a Snowman”

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: X. J. Kennedy

Next up: BOBBI KATZ

Setting the Stage: Discuss the process of how to do a favorite activity (such as making a peanut butter sandwich) step by step, in sequence. Write the steps on strips of paper to move or arrange them in order, if necessary.

Poetry Performance: Bobbi Katz’s poem, “Things to Do If You Are a Snowman," is a "list" poem, perfect for individual line-around reading with 12 volunteers, if possible. Or if kids are more comfortable working with partners, that's a possible alternative (for 2 people per line, or 2 lines per pair for 6 pairs).

Just for Fun: Work together to write a “Things to Do…” poem based on the form that Katz invented over forty years ago. You can work as a group to create a "How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich" poem or encourage kids to work in small groups to create their own "things to do" poems. Challenge the kids to stick to her original rule to limit these poems to nine lines.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Snow
Body
Night
Food
Things to do
Winter

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Paul Janeczko


Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

X. J. Kennedy’s “Snow Day”

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: Jane Yolen

Next up: X.J. KENNEDY

Setting the Stage: Invite the kids to share “snow day” stories. What are some of the most memorable things they’ve done on unexpected days off from school?

Poetry Performance: In bringing X. J. Kennedy’s poem, “Snow Day,” to life, invite the whole group to make the sound effect of the firehouse horn, “Bawp bawp!” in the first stanza. (You may need to clarify that this is the way the community is informed when there is no school.) Then invite a volunteer to read the following line of “dialogue” also from the first stanza:

“Go back to bed!/ No school today! It’s snowing!”

A second volunteer can read the part of the friend calling in the third stanza:

“You want to build/ A snowman, I suppose?/ I’ve got some licorice jellybeans,/ You bring the carrot nose.”

The adult leader reads the rest of the poem out loud.

Just for Fun: Make a paper snowman, cut out paper snowflakes; eat licorice, try carrots-- some of the basics of snow man building. Compare and contrast winter fun with summer fun.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Dialogue
Winter
Snow
Butterflies
Food
Summer
Questions
Friends
Color
World
Onomatopoeia

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Bobbi Katz

Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

Jane Yolen’s “Glow”

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: Ann Whitford Paul

Next up: JANE YOLEN

Setting the Stage: What things give off light? Invite the kids to brainstorm a list to kickstart this poem. They might consider: electric lights, stars, moon, planets, car headlights, glowing windows at night, candles, flashlights (all mentioned in Yolen’s poem).

Poetry Performance: Jane Yolen’s poem, “Glow” begins and ends with the same stanza, the perfect way for kids to open and close the poem. They can read the entire stanza in unison or divide it in half with two groups reading each half. The teacher or librarian then reads the rest of the poem out loud.

Just for Fun: If possible, share the poem in a dimly lit room with twinkling holiday lights on and/or clicking a penlight on and off each time a “light” word is read in the poem. If multiple penlights or flashlights are available, invite the kids to participate. (Practice first and provide reminders of safe use of lights.)

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Night
Light
Moon
Sky
Repeated lines

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: X. J. Kennedy

Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

Ann Whitford Paul's "Fireflies"

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: Julie Larios

Next up: ANN WHITFORD PAUL

Setting the Stage: Ask the children to describe any experiences they have had with fireflies. Do they know what fireflies are? Have they seen them? If possible, locate and share a videoclip to show examples of fireflies at night.

Poetry Performance: Invite three groups or three volunteers to chime in on the words “flash” and “flashing” in Ann Whitford Paul’s poem, “Fireflies.” One group or volunteer reads the first “flash,” a second group or volunteer reads the second “flash,” and a third group or volunteer reads the word, “flashing.” Coach them to pause before reading their word for maximum impact. The adult leader reads the remaining words and lines.

Just for Fun: Who would think that bugs could be compared to punctuation marks? Ann Whitford Paul compares fireflies and their soft light to “periods and dashes and commas” in the night. Challenge the kids to consider what other insects or animals might be compared to other punctuation marks. What might be like a question mark? An exclamation mark? Quotation marks?

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Night
Punctuation
Bugs
Light

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Jane Yolen

Image credit:

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

Julie Larios’s “Song of the Hog”

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: David L. Harrison

Next up: JULIE LARIOS

Setting the Stage: Invite the kids to share any pig-related words or phrases they may know. Share some of these from the poem: pig, hog, grunt, mud, muck, snout, runt, swine, lout, curly tail, pink, squeal, pork, porcine. Look them up together if these words are unfamiliar.

Poetry Performance: Ask the kids to choose whether they want to be the “hog” or the “runts” in reading the parts of Julie Larios’s “Song of the Hog” poem. The “runties” read the designated lines in quotation marks:

“O, Rotund One! O, Royal Swine!
You are the barnyard’s Master Lout.
We’re curly-tailed and pink and squealy,
but you are the Porcine King, no doubt!”

The “hog” readers read the rest of the poem. Try it and then switch parts to read again. [Be sure to read it aloud first in its entirety to provide a model of how to pronounce “ferocious,” “runties,” “rotund,” and “Porcine,” for example.]


Just for Fun: Feeling outrageous? Invite the kids to copy the poem onto a pink piece of paper, outline the poem with a pig shape, then splatter it all with mud! Let dry and display. Research and show the kids the famous painting of the hog by American artist Jamie Wyeth that inspired Larios’s poem.

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

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Ann Whitford Paul

Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

David L. Harrison’s “Meanwhile”

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: Joan Bransfield Graham

Next up: DAVID L. HARRISON

David's blog

Setting the Stage: Lead the kids in a discussion of the two major roles for bees: drones and queen. Do they know which is which and what each does in the hive? If not, research and share.

Poetry Performance: David Harrison’s poem, “Meanwhile” is a concrete or shape poem that suggests the look of a bee’s hive. But it also uses the shape to suggest a slowing-down rhythm for reading the poem. Read it aloud to the kids first beginning at a normal pace, then pausing after the word “once” to read the remainder of the poem more and more slowly. Then invite them to join in on repeated readings with the same rhythm, pausing after “all,” “they,” and “ask” for extra impact.

Just for Fun: Join the kids in looking for more shape poems, more bee poems, or creating a hive shaped poem from the queen’s point of view (perhaps growing from smaller at the top to larger at the bottom).

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Bees
Shape poem
Sky
Humor
Bugs

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Julie Larios

Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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

Joan Bransfield Graham’s “Buckaroo Bees”

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: Avis Harley

Next up: JOAN BRANSFIELD GRAHAM

Setting the Stage: Ask the kids if they have ever seen bees near flowers. What do the bees look like? What are they doing? Why might the poet (Joan Bransfield Graham) here describe a bee’s legs as “saddlebags”?

Poetry Performance: To bring Graham’s “Buckaroo Bees” poem to life, divide the larger group into four small groups or ask for four volunteers. The first group or volunteer reads the first two lines. The second group or volunteer reads the third and fourth lines. The third group or volunteer reads the fifth line only. The fourth group or volunteer reads the sixth and seventh lines. Practice multiple times to get the staccato delivery just right.

Just for Fun: Join the kids in researching what a magnolia blossom looks like, where it can be found, where the pollen is located in the blossom, etc. If possible, bring a real or artificial magnolia flower to share. Since the poem is very short, see if you can write each line of the poem on a separate petal of the (artificial) magnolia flower (in order, if possible).

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Bees
Flowers
Wind
Body
Bugs

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: David Harrison


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

Avis Harley’s “All Aflutter”

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 free downloadable Kindle platform for your computer, cell phone, etc.

Previously: J. Patrick Lewis

Next up: AVIS HARLEY

Setting the Stage: Ask the kids if they ever feel nervous. At school? At night? Playing sports? Have they heard or used the expression “butterflies in the stomach” to describe a nervous feeling? Is being nervous ever a GOOD thing?

Poetry Performance: For Avis Harley’s poem, “All Aflutter,” she employs the same line to begin each of her five stanzas: “Butterflies in your stomach” (with one additional word in the final stanza). This is the perfect opportunity for all the kids to join in on the repeated line, jump-starting each stanza of the poem while the teacher/librarian reads the rest of each stanza out loud.

Just for Fun: Work together to create a unique poem display by writing each stanza of the poem on a butterfly-shaped piece of paper and then attaching it to an outline of a person (one of the kids outlined on butcher paper perhaps?) placing the butterfly stanzas in the stomach area.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Body
Fear
Repeated lines
Butterflies
Night

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Joan Bransfield Graham


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

J. Patrick Lewis’s “Edgar Allan Poe’s Apple Pie”

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: Leslie Bulion

Next up: J. PATRICK LEWIS

Setting the Stage: Ask the kids if they have ever had to share a yummy treat with someone else—like a sandwich, pizza, candy, apple, etc? How did they decide on dividing the portions?

Poetry Performance: For reading aloud J. Patrick Lewis’s poem, “Edgar Allan Poe’s Apple Pie” invite 2 volunteers to read the lines of dialogue (“How many cuts give me ten pieces?” and “Never four!” as they occur in the poem) while you read the rest of the poem in a very melodramatic voice.

Just for Fun: Find a recording of a reading of the classic Edgar Allan Poe poem, “The Raven,” and play it for the kids. Compare it to the parody that Lewis has created here. What other parodies of classic poems can you find? And of course you have to demonstrate the math in the poem, dividing a paper (or real) apple pie into 10 pieces with 5 cuts.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Onomatopoeia
Night
Food
Parody
Dialogue
Riddle
Questions
Sleep
Fear

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Avis Harley


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