Poem of the Week
~ Renee Goularte

I like to do a "poem of the week" every Monday. Usually these are seasonal or else they connect to a theme or topic we are working on. I write the poem on chart paper with a marker, and have students use the poem for a variety of activities. For example, I have them circle the periods or capital letters, find and underline or highlight rhyming words or high frequency words. I also use these poems to teach about stanzas, rhyming patterns, onomatopoeia (and let me tell you it is a trip to hear first, second, and third graders talking about onomatopoeia) and other poetry elements. I also put the poem on paper, followed by several word identifiction questions (Write two rhyming words. Find a three syllable word. Find three words that are colors.) PLUS a response question (What do you think the poet means by ______ ?) PLUS instructions to draw a picture on the back of the paper that shows what the poem is saying. This goes home for homework Monday night. The charted poem goes on the wall, and two "poems of the week" are always readily visible next to each other for "reading the wall" with the earlier ones underneath them (so students can lift the current ones to see/read the ones underneath). This is a very popular activity with little ones, and addresses many areas.