Joyce Sidman’s “Maybe”

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: Jack Prelutsky

Next up: JOYCE SIDMAN

Setting the Stage: Joyce Sidman’s poem, “Maybe” asks the reader or listener to wonder “what if?” What if the world started with an egg? How might that happen? What could that look like? Bring an egg (hard-boiled) as a prop to hold, examine, and ponder.

Poetry Performance: Read the poem aloud to the children first without showing the poem. Then invite the children to join in each time you read the word “maybe.” (Write the word “maybe” on egg-shaped paper and hold it up when it’s time for them to pipe in for non-readers, ESL/ELL students, or just for fun.)

Just for Fun: Joyce’s poem is a shape poem or concrete poem written in the shape of the poem’s subject. Look for other collections of shape poetry (including Sidman’s Meow, Ruff) to read, share, and discuss. Kids can work with a partner to take a favorite poem and write it on shaped paper or try their hands at creating their own original shape poems.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Egg
Food
Sun
Sky
Shape poem
Earth
Light

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Nikki Grimes


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

Jack Prelutsky's "If the Moon"

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.

First up: JACK PRELUTSKY

Setting the Stage: Jack Prelutsky’s poem, “If the Moon” raises questions about what the moon is-- and is not. Ask the kids if they have ever heard the expression, “the moon is made of cheese.” Discuss why the moon might seem like cheese. (Bring in a block of swiss cheese, in particular, as a visual prop, if possible.) What other things might the moon seem like? Make a list. Look for more poems that compare the moon to other things.

Poetry Performance: Divide the class/group into two equal groups. After reading the poem aloud to the kids, invite the two groups to read the poem antiphonally (back-and-forth). There are two possibilities: each group reads one stanza or two groups alternate, reading 2 lines at a time.

Just for Fun: Create a moon poem display. Write favorite poems about the moon (like this one) on yellow or orange circle-shaped paper and tie them to helium-filled balloons as a hanging moon poetry exhibit.

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Moon

Smells
Sun
Sky
Food
Earth

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

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Joyce Sidman

Image credit: PoetryTagTime

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