A Poet's Eye

Using mentor texts for poetry inspires students. It can provide a feeling of efficacy – they idea that they can be a poet of their own lives. The Poet’s Eye was written by one of my fourth graders who presented me with this poem after sharing poetry in class (Thanks Madeline)

The Poet’s Eye

a bell is a bell

an apple is an apple

an wheelbarrow is a wheelbarrow

but in a poet’s eye

they’re

something

they feel

they’re

human

to one they’re

ordinary

but to a poet

they’re special

Kick Off Your Poetry Unit with: Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer

Poetry is abstract and creative and a nonconformist. So how do we explain poetry to our students? We don’t. We have to let them experience it. In the book, Daniel Finds a Poem, Daniel sees a sign that says "Poetry in the Park Sunday at 6 o’clock. "And he wonders, “What is poetry?” The question leads him on a search through the park for the answer. As he asks each critter in the park his question, he learns that poetry is something different for everyone but it evokes special feelings for all. This is a terrific mentor text to start your poetry unit and help your students build their own conception of what poetry is.

For the kids who say they Don’t Like Poetry: Giant Children by Brod Bagert

This hilarious book will motivate any child to read and write poetry. It’s a collection of uninhibited poems that will totally appeal to your students. The giant children theme comes from the opening poem that is “all about a giant school where giant children go.” And, of course, the children are giant from the perspective of the classroom hamster. The poems deal with typical emotions, situations and challenges of children that range from sibling rivalry, to fear of trying new things, and even a contrary tooth fairy. Some of the poems are inspirational and would be great conversation starters. While the poetry is mostly just to be enjoyed, it does lend itself to teaching some traditional aspects of poetry such a rhyme and stanzas. It is also great for shared reading time as the rhyme leads to predictable words and phrases.

Haiku Presented by a Panda Named Koo: Hi, Koo by Jon Muth

Hi, Koo A Year of Seasons is a clever poetry book in which a panda named Poo leads us through the ever-changing seasons by way of haiku. Although Jon Muth doesn’t adhere to the strict syllable count of Haiku in his book, he does create the essense of this poetry form, “an instant captured in words.” As the seasons change, the adorable panda leads us through weather inspired activities and emotions. The pictures totally enhance the emotional impact of each poem. This would be a perfect book for not only introducing students to Haiku, but also to provide a template for creating your students' own haiku.

And the Old Becomes New: The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart

The White Cat and the Monk is a retelling of the Old Irish poem “Pangur Ban.” It was written by a monk during the 9th century and in it the monk compares his life to that of his cat, Pangur. Both are seeking for something (the monk is seeking knowledge, and the cat is searching for a mouse) and both live an uncomplicated life. This book would be a great introduction to narrative poetry and couplets. It could also inspire students to compare their lives to something in nature.

Love that Dog and Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech

There is no way I could do justice to these books from a teaching-poetry-perspective. They are the BEST! In Love That Dog, a boy named Jack is writing journal entries (in poetic form) to his teacher Ms Stretchberry. Each entry is a response to a poem she shared in class (pretty classical poems). Jack says he doesn’t get poetry, but his entries prove otherwise. One of my favorite entries starts:

What was up with

The snowy woods poem

You read today?

Why doesn’t the person just

Keep going if he’s got

So many miles to go

Before he sleeps?

Each day I read this book to my class, I gave a copy of the poem that Jack would write about to the class before reading the book. I would have my students write questions, responses, favorite words and phrases, and predictions about what Jack would say around the poems. We had great discussions about the poems before sharing Jack’s thoughts about the poems. Hate that Cat is the same format but the one thing it adds is figurative language terms. Jack has an uncle who thinks that similes and metaphors are an absolute necessity in poetry while Ms. Stretchberry is more interested in thoughts and feelings. The book is a great introduction to those terms without overfocusing on them.