Bringing Poetry Back
What are Poetry Notebooks?
Poetry notebooks are a monthly collection of of poems that reinforce
curriculum topics that are being taught. Poems are either read or sung to keep children learning and engaged. The poems are kept in a 3 ring binder or stapled together for easy storage. The binders are reused.
What is the set up?
Each month the notebooks start off with a monthly calendar. On the back of the calendar is a list of monthly words. Following the calendar is the poems from “Chicken Soup with Rice” by Maurice Sendak
This format allows for some consistency. Poems are introduced once a topic has been taught. This allows for the students to have prior knowledge to base their comprehension on.
How are poetry notebooks used?
- They are used to reinforce trick words and Fundations skills.
- Learning tools to help students become more familiar with a particular topic.
- To reinforce skills introduced through Literacy Place (parts of speech).
- To bring fun and song back into first grade (theme based songs).
- Math skills are reinforced by coloring in the date by the thermometer colors from the Everyday Math program.
- Reinforce all curriculum areas.
- At the end of the month the poems are sent home for future practice at home.
