Poetry Folder

An Angel for My Friend
By: Eloise Greenfield
Greenfield, Eloise. Angels. Illus. Jan Spivey Gilchrist. New York NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 1998.
This is such a beautiful poem about friendship. I like this poem because the little boy
sounds so sincere and it is so poignant.
I want the children to write a poem about their best friend and what he or she means to them.


Castanet Clicks
By: Pat Mora
Mora, Pat. Confetti: Poems for Children. Illus. Enrique Sanchez. New York NY: Lee and Low Books, 1996.
The illustrations in this book are absolutely amazing, I think that is one of the main reasons I choose this book. I also liked the fact that it was a bilingual book.
I would use this book to teach students how to count in Spanish. I also think it would be good for ESL kids to practice counting in English.


Colors
By: Shel Silverstein
Silverstein, Shel. Where The Sidewalk Ends. New York NY: Harper & Row, 1974.
This poem reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book “My Many Colored Days”. I enjoyed it because it made me feel like the child has a lot of emotions inside but doesn’t quite know how to express them.
I would use this poem to teach feelings. I might also incorporate it with the Dr. Seuss book “My Many Colored Days” to help them explain their feelings. I think these two pieces would pair nicely together!


Giant Children
By: Brod Bagert
Bagert, Brod. Giant Children. Illus. Ted Arnold. New York NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2002.
I thought this poem was very funny and the illustrations are just as great. I think it captures what a class pet would feel like perfectly with all the children around it constantly.
I would read this poem to the children before I brought in the class pet. I don’t think I would make an assignment out of this; instead I would just hang it by our pet so the children would remember to be careful with it.


Oceans Five
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Lewis, J. Patrick. A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme. Illus. Allison Jay. New York NY: Dial Book for Young Readers, 2002.
I choose this poem because it is a good poem to learn about geography, but it also funny so it doesn’t feel like you are actually learning.
I would use this poem and incorporate it into a geography lesson. I think it would be extremely useful in helping the students learn about the oceans; which can sometimes be hard to remember!


People Are Really Good At Heart
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Lewis, J. Patrick. Vherses: A Celebration of Outstanding Women. Creative Editions. Illus Mark Summers. Mankato MN: The Creative Company, 2005.
This poem is about Anne Frank. It is amazing to read. It paints such vivid imagery of Anne Frank and her plight.
I would use this poem when we begin to talk about Anne Frank, probably in the 5th grade. I would read this before we even begin to talk about the Holocaust as a lead in to the subject.


Smart
By: Shel Silverstein
Silverstein, Shel. Where The Sidewalk Ends.. New York NY: Harper & Row, 1974.
I think most children are like this child in the poem. Every child thinks that if you get more of something it is better, never mind the fact that the child is getting less money each time! I am sure I was like this; I was the child that would rather get two quarters instead of one dollar!!
I remember learning how to count money in elementary school and I think this would be a good introduction to that lesson.


Texas Prayer
By: David Davis
Davis, David. Texas Mother Goose. Illus. Sue Marshall Ward. Gretna Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 2006.
Though this is a short poem, I really enjoyed it. Everyone loves the state we live in, and we should be proud of where we come from!
I would hang this poem in my classroom for everyone to enjoy. I think it is relatable because we all love the state we live in!


Twinkle, Twinkle, Texas Star
By: David Davis
Davis, David. Texas Mother Goose. Illus. Sue Marshall Ward. Gretna Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 2006.
I liked this poem not only because it is a Mother Goose poem, but also because it is a TEXAS Mother Goose poem. It puts a Texas twist on the regular version and could be very relatable in the classroom, especially in West Texas.
I would use this poem for the younger grades when they are just learning about Mother Goose. I would read the regular Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and then this version and see which one they like better.


What Is Science?
By: Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. Illus. Virginia Halstead. New York NY: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 1999.
I really enjoyed the illustration that accompanied this poem. I also think it encompasses what science is perfectly for someone that is just delving into the subject!
I would use this poem as an introduction to a science lesson. I think it would great for a class that is just beginning to learn more about science.


What Are You, Wind?
By: Mary O’Neill
O’Neill, Mary. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. Illus. Virginia Halstead. New York NY: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 1999.
I think my favorite part of this poem and the whole book is the pictures. They are so bright and fun. I feel if a child picked up this collection of poems they would no doubt enjoy all of them. This poem is also fitting because of the region we live in, windy west Texas!
I would use this poem to introduce a science lesson on weather and wind. I think every student could relate to this poem especially since we definitely now what wind is like!


Bad Words
By: Brod Bagert
Bagert, Brod. Giant Children. Illus. Ted Arnold. New York NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2002.
I remember being little and my mom telling me never say the words I CAN’T. This poem reminds me of my childhood and my mother. It is perfect to build up a child’s self esteem and make them understand they can do anything.
I think this is a perfect poem to read to a class at the beginning of the year. A child should never think they CAN’T do something. I would like to have the children write down at the beginning of the year a list of things they want to accomplish. As they get these things done they can mark them off on their list. I think this will build up their self esteem.


Christopher Columbus
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Lewis, J. Patrick. A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme. Illus. Allison Jay. New York NY: Dial Book for Young Readers, 2002.
I like poems like this when I was in school, especially when it had to do with my name. Though this one does not have someone’s name in it, it is helping the students learn about Christopher Columbus.
I think this would be useful in helping the students learn about Christopher Columbus. I would read it aloud and then give them copies to keep. I would also let them write a poem like this but with their name!


Fourth of July Night
By: Dorothy Aidis
Aidis, Dorothy. The Free and the Brave: A Collection of Poems about the United States. Illus. Sara Rojo Perez. Minneapolis MN: Compass Point Books, 2004.
I personally love the Fourth of July and that is one reason I selected this poem. I think every child loves July 4th for everything it includes, fireworks, good food, swimming and sun. They may not know exactly what the holiday stands for; they just know they enjoy it!
I would use this poem to teach alliteration to students. I believe it would work well because it has good examples of alliteration throughout (wheels whirling, spit sparks, flowers falling).


Hector the Collector
By: Shel Silverstein
Silverstein, Shel. Where The Sidewalk Ends.. New York NY: Harper & Row, 1974.
I liked this poem because the reader can tell all these things meant so much to this little boy. He could find anything and make it into a treasure that he adored. Someone else’s trash is another person’s treasure!
I think this is a good poem to work on rhyming skills for children. Almost each line has a pair of rhyming words for the children to identify and learn.


Pencils
By: Barbara Esbensen
Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.
I like this poem because I thought I was so creative how the author made it seem how all of a child’s ideas are bottled up in a pencil. That tiny pencil brings all the child’s ideas to life.
After I read this poem I would like to give the children one blank piece of paper and a pencil. I want to see what they can come up with from their imagination. Whether it be a poem, story or picture it will be interesting to see what their pencil brings to life!


Skyscraper
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Lewis, J. Patrick. Vherses: Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape. Illus. Lisa Desimini. New York NY: Simon & Schuster, 1998.
I always loved this type of poem. I think they are fun to read and fun to write. They test your creativity and your writing skills.
I would use this poem to teach my students how to write a poem that takes shape. I hope they will have as much enthusiasm for them as I did.


The Dirtiest Man In The World
By: Shel Silverstein
Silverstein, Shel. Where The Sidewalk Ends. New York NY: Harper & Row, 1974.
This is one of the poems I can remember very well from my childhood. I loved it when I first heard it as a child and finding it to reread made me reminisce of the great memory I had with it.
This is one of the poems that I would put on the board for the children to enjoy. I wouldn’t read it out loud; it would just be up there for them to see. At the end of the week I might ask who has read the poem on the board and ask what they thought of it! It is my hopes that if they see it and read it, they will enjoy it as much as I did.


What I’ve Learned At School
By: Robert Pottle
Pottle, Robert. I’m Allergic To School. Illus. Mike and Carl Gordon. http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poem. Meadowbrook Press.
I thought this poem was hilarious. It is all the things kids want to do at school but can’t because they should know better! The child is learning all these things but can’t figure out why he is getting in so much trouble!
I would use this poem for the early grades to teach manners. When children first come to school they may not know exactly how to act! I would use to teach them the things they should NOT do.


When Riddles Come Rumbling
By: Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai. When Riddles Come Rumbling: Poems to Ponder. Illus. Karen Dugan. Honesdale PN: Wordsong: Boyds Mills Press, Inc., 2001.
I enjoyed this poem because of its creativity. It didn’t have an individual title but if you read it carefully and you are able to look at the illustration, you can see it is about a rollercoaster.
Every child has been to an amusement park or to a fair. I would like to have them write something like this poem. They would be able to pick anything at the fair or amusement park and write a poem describing it without telling what it is!