Presenting
Poetry
Growing
Rationale: The
fluency formula
states that it is important for kids to read and reread decodable words
in a
connected text. Students must become
effortless decoders in order to read fluently, and fluency in reading
allows
the students to focus on the meaning of the text. One
such way to improve fluency is to reread
familiar texts. After repeated readings,
students will read faster and with more expression.
They will do this by rereading, practicing,
memorizing, and reciting a poem.
Materials:
Several
copies of
It’s
Raining Pigs and Noodles by Jack Prelutsky
A
Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
The
Random House Book of Poetry for Children
List of
students
and the poems they choose
Sentence
strip: “I
threw the ball to first base.”
Bookmarks with self help
strategies for each
student (Stuck on a Word? teaches 1. take a shot, 2. read the rest, 3.
change a
guess, 4. read again)
Checklist
for
performing poem:
memorize
poem
change
the tone of voice
the
voice is audible and clear
the
poem is spoken with expression
Post-it
notes
pencils
Procedures:
1.
Explain to
students that today we will be choosing poems and start memorizing. Explain, “poetry is meant to be read with
expression and emotion, and so we will each choose a poem and practice
saying
it so that we can read it with expression!”
2. Say,
“Before we
choose a poem to read, we are going to review a helpful strategy that
we can
use while we are reading. Let’s all look
at our orange bookmarks now.” The
bookmarks can be made; they simply teach that if a student is stuck on
a word,
he should first take a shot, then read the rest, change a guess, and
finally
read again. Allow the students to get
out bookmark, and then refer to sentence strip for this example. “If I am reading this sentence, ‘I threw the
ball to …. I’ve come to a word that I
don’t know. So what I am going to do is
make a guess about what I think the word is and then finish reading the
sentence. Then I change my guess if I
need to and then reread the sentence. ‘I
threw the ball to frist base. Hmmm. Frist base.
Does that make sense? No, oh it
must be first base. I
threw the ball to first base.’ So what is
the first thing we do? (make a guess) Then what is next? (finish
reading the sentence) Great, and what’s
third? (change the guess)
And the last step is? (reread the
sentence). Great job!
I want you to use this strategy if you come across a word that
you don’t
know while you are reading your poems!”
3. “You
are going to
each pick out a different poem so that you can memorize it and then
perform it
for the class. Your poem needs to have
at least fifteen lines and at least three words on each line. You will memorize your poem so that means you
are going to have to practice reading it a lot.
By reading it again and again, you will learn the words and then
you can
read with expression. I am going to show
you what your presented poem should sound like and look like.”
4. “I
have chosen
‘Homework! Oh Homework!’ by Jack Prelutsky to recite today.” Place poem on overhead and read: “Homework.
Oh. Homework.
5. “I
have picked
out three books that you can use to choose your poem.
They are It’s
Raining Pigs and Noodles, A Light in
the Attic, and Book of Poetry for
Chilren. Many of the poems are funny
and silly, like the one that I recited to you!
You will now choose the poem you would like to recite. It cannot be the one that I read, and it
cannot be one that someone else is reading, so once you find a poem,
come tell
me what poem you have chosen.”
6. Once
everyone has
chosen their poems, allow the students about ten minutes to read over
their
poems to learn any unfamiliar words and become acquainted with the text. After ten minutes, pair off the students. Explain, “Now you are going to practice
reading your poem to your partner. Each
person is going to have a checklist to help his or her partner. As your partner reads, look to see if they
are practicing the different things on the checklist: memorize poem,
change the
tone of voice, the voice is audible and clear, the poem is spoken with
expression. Once they have finished
think of one thing they did well and one thing they need to work on
before the
performance. Write these things down on
a sticky note and give to the student.
Then let the other partner practice his poem.”
7. Tell
the students
that they need to be practicing their poems at home.
Allow them to recite their poems to their
partners again two days later and have them write one positive and one
negative
again.
Assessment:
The
students will
perform their poem for the class one week after they have chosen their
poem. Each student will be evaluated to
see if he or she has memorized his or her poem, changed the tone of
voice, the
voice is audible and clear, the poem is spoken with expression.
Reference:
Barton,
Sarah. “Help! Hilary! Help!” http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/constr/bartongf.html
Prelustky, Jack.
“Homework! Oh, Homework!” The New Kid on the Block. Greenwillow.
1984. Illus. by James Stevenson
Prelutsky, Jack.
It’s
Raining Pigs and Noodles. HarperTrophy. 2005.
Illus. by James Stevenson
Prelutsky, Jack.
The Random
House Book of Poetry for Children.
Random House. 2000.
Illus. by
Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic. Harpercollins Childrens Books. 2002.
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