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.

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.

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.