Helping Children Celebrate Nature by Finding the Power of

PoetryA Guide for Teachers

By Gail Laubenthal

glaubent@yahoo.comhttp://poetrytech.pbworks.com/

What is Poetry?• A group of 5 and 6 year old students

said– Poems– Words that rhyme– Funny stories– About different things-animals, nursery

rhymes, pretend and real, feelings, bugs– Haiku

Scaffolding Their Learning• This type of poetry supports young

children and old alike (See Poetry Resources by Nancy Cecil)– I like…repeat 2-3 times, then on the last

line write -but I don’t like…– I love…– I wish…– If I were (a) …I would…– I’m so smart I can…– I used to be…. I became…, now…

Elena, age 5

Janie, age 5

Connecting With Nature

• Think about your favorite thing to do outside – seasonally– Take a walk and focus on sights,

sounds, textures, smells, and tastes (be careful not to eat anything poisonous)

– Become a keen observer of nature…even the smallest plants and creatures deserve our attention!

Creating Poetry Journals• Nature Poetry

– Picture Perfect Poetry

– Poetry that Rhymes

– Pick-A-Word Poetry– Awesome

Alliteration– Shape Poetry– Haiku– Cinquain– Diamante– Artifact Poetry

• Nature Poetry Cont.– Poetry in the

Round– Observation

Poetry– Rainbow Poetry– Color Poems– Found Poetry– Poems for 2

Voices– One-Word Poems– Two-Word Poems– Memory Poems– Thematic Poetry

Picture Perfect Poetry• Have a large group of nature

pictures cut out (National Geographic, Nature, and Texas Highways are great)

• Students will choose a picture, glue it down in their journal and write a poem about it, using descriptive words and feelings

Picture Perfect Poetry

I’m An UrchinI’m spinyI’m colorfulI protect little fishAlong comes a piranhaTickle, tickle, DISH! by Beatrice, Age 6

Poetry that Rhymes• Have a selection of rhyming

dictionaries and word family lists available

• Students make word banks of possible rhyming words first

• Write a poem using words that rhyme

Poetry That RhymesA Great Dane named Mark

TwainHas an owner named Terrain.He is from Spain.One day Terrain went down

the drain,So the Great Dane got his

airplane! By Marisol, age 6

Pick-A-Word Poetry• Make several envelopes of nouns

(nature theme, like…dog, eagle, mountain, stream, etc. and several envelopes of adjectives (red, blue, breezy, small, etc.)

• Have the students choose 2 words from the noun envelope and 2 words from the adjective envelope

• They then pick only 1 noun and 1 adjective to use in their nature poem

• The words may be part of the title and/or the poem

• Underline the two words that were drawn

Pick-A-Word Poetry

I know a very breezy rainbow

High up in the sky

Where bluebirds fly

Where you can understand

The true meaning of the world by Maisie, age 6

Awesome Alliteration• Make a nature poem with words

beginning with the same sound or letter

• Students might pick an animal or a friends name to be their focus sound or letter…Sally’s silly snake…

Awesome Alliteration

BluebirdBeautiful bluebirdBrings a big bouquetOf brilliant bluebonnets

to Beatrice. By Maisie

Shape Poem• Shape poems are concrete poems

that take on the shape of the topic• The book, Doodle Dandies: Poems

That Take Shape by J. Patrick Lewis and Lisa Desimini has great examples of shape poetry

Shape Poem

By Marisol

Haiku• This unrhymed Japanese poem, consists

of 3 lines, each containing a certain number of syllables**.

• These poems are usually about nature, evoke an emotion, and at least 2 senses– Line one – 5 syllables– Line two – 7 syllables– Line three – 5 syllables

**This rule was for the Japanese language, so when writing in English the lines could have less than 17 syllables

HaikuRobins in the skyFlying, flying, flying

highHide in the ground

worms!By Quinn, age 5

A little toucanBreaking hard nuts with her

beakColorful feathers By Emma, age 6

Haiku – One ChildGrows as a Poet

Butterfly on a flowerSipping nectar with it’s curly

strawAt a dainty tea party.

MaisieAge 9

Age 6

FABRIC WOMAN by Marisol SobekShe was tall, and her hair was cut into a long blonde bob.She brought us sushi and had us sew our own books, the covers made from slick Japanese fabric, the wide thread from the local grocery store.I would eat avocado and crab and seaweed while writing out clumsy and clunky lined paper words of five lilies, seven branches, and five stones.We would taste clay through a cheap photo lens, just the two of us enjoying how the grass looks in the sun. She looked at me each time the words spilled out from between my fingers and smiled. She wore dresses. I wore them too, made from matching blue fabric with the words and the world machine printed on them. My hair was cut into a bowl-cut blonde bob and I stretched up my arms so she could pick me up and make me tall.

From 6 to 16 years old & in Poetry Club McCallum HS

Cinquain• A 5-line poem using the following

pattern– Line one-A one-word title (noun)– Line two-Two words that describe the title

(adjectives)– Line three-Three words that show the action

of the title (verb)– Line four-Four words that express a feeling

about the title (phrase)– Line five-One word that is another word for

the title (synonym)

Cinquain

MonarchSpotted, graceful

Flying, fluttering, sippingHappy little thing

Butterfly

By Beatrice, age 6

Group cinquain by Ms. Polan’s 5 year old PK students

Diamante• This 7-line poem has an interesting

twist in the middle– Line one-A one-word title (noun)– Line two-Two words that describe the title

(adjectives)– Line three-Three participles specific to the

title (action words)– Line four-Four nouns (first 2 describe the

title and the second 2 describe the last line of the poem – the opposite of line one)

– Line five-Three participles specific to the subject of line seven (action words)

– Line six-two words that describe line seven (adjectives)

– Line seven-opposite of the one-word title (noun)

Diamante

SisterSweet, clever

Loving, caring, playingTeacher, Maisie, Kenny, toddler

Crying, wanting, yellingCurious, funny

Brother

By Maisie, age 6

Artifact Poetry• Collect a nature artifact (found

object, never hurting a living creature)

• Example: bring in a basket of seashells and let the students choose one that they would like to write a poem about

• Option: display them in a shadow box

age 6

Poetry in the Round• This circle poetry is written on

round paper and starts at the outside edge and swirls toward the center.

• Nursery rhymes work well in the round; rebus-type illustrations add to the impact of this poetry

• The poems may also be set to a familiar tune, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

Observation Poetry• Find a place to observe things

– Go outside to observe nature– Pick a corner of the classroom and

observe your friends– Observe a family member doing

something– Write a poem about what you see,

hear, think, and/or feel

Purple Petunias

Little purple petuniasGrowing by a wallIn the green grassWith other flowers by itNature’s bouquet

MaisieFrogsJumping, croaking, ribbitSwimming, hoppingLily pad to lily padFlies buzzing ‘round and ‘roundSlurp, gobble, gobbleDelicious frog snackYummy, yum!

Emma

Rainbow Poetry• Colors are everywhere and

students are naturally drawn to their favorites

• The student could pick a theme, like fruit, flowers, or frogs

• Think of descriptive words to use with each object…red, juicy apple

• Use all colors of the rainbow (for young children use purple instead of indigo and violet)

Color Poems• Student chooses his/her favorite

color• Create a poem using only this

color• Don’t forget to use descriptive

words• Read Hailstones and Halibut Bones

by Mary O’Neill when introducing this type of poem

Found Poems• The magic of poetry lets students

discover words and phrases that they can combine into poems

• Have newspapers and magazines available for students to look through

• When they find words that they want to use in a poem, have them cut them out and glue them on paper to create the poem

Found Poem-Magazine HeadlinesMagnificent makeover

It’s out there

The perfect warm welcome to fall

Play with color

Cushy ripples

CrunchaBuncha leaves

The ultimate party

Extravaganza!

A rich and luscious experience

It stirs the soul

How sweet it is.

Gail L.

Poems for Two Voices• This is a great way for two

students to co-author a poem.• Some lines are read by one

student, some are read by the other, and some are read in unison

• Read A Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischmann to introduce this type of poetry

Texas and FloridaL and M: The state bird is a Mockingbird

L: Texas is the Lone Star State

M: Florida is the Sunshine State

L: It became the 28th state in 1845

M: It became the 27th state in 1845

L: The state tree is the pecan tree

M: The state tree is the sabal palm

L and M: The Gulf of Mexico touches this state

By Laura and Mozhgon, age 7

One and Two-Word Poems• These are a favorite because they

can be created in a short amount of time

• Use one or two words per line• Each line expresses a separate

thought about the topic

One Word PoemNiagara

Thunderous

Misty

Powerful

Peaceful

Breathtaking

Rocky

Swift

Rainbow

Swirling

Eddy

Commercialized

Gail L.

Two-Word PoemSolar System

Nine planets

Hot Sun

Cold Pluto

Pretty Jupiter

Warm Venus

Many Stars

Catherine, age 7

Memory Poems• This is a simple way to have students

recall a special memory • Begin each line with “I remember”• End the poem with ”And I remember”• These poems can rhyme• They have as many lines as the

memory and imagination of the poet

I Remember…

I remember my cat sitting on my lap

I remember my cat stretching on my lap

I remember my cat purring on my lap

And I remember my cat sleeping on my lap.

Elena, age 7

Thematic Poetry

• Usually about something the students are learning about

• May also be about something they are interested in

• You need not have any “rules”

Trees

Trees are a treasure down under

A magical mystery

A terrible monster at night

A grandfather of all life and death

Bark like a rough rhino’s back

Words spoken softly to those who listen

Stands tall and brave

Strong and weak by its senses

Famous for its high reach in the sky

A gift from heaven that will never dieDillon, age 7

A Beach Story

I went to the beach today.

The sun was as hot as hot sauce.

The sky was as blue as water.

The ocean was as cold as a popsicle.

I swam in the water just like a whale.

I played in the sand and built a big castle.

While I was walking around I found a snake.

I love to run on the beach like a roadrunner.

I had fun at the beach.

LaVante, age 5

Poetry Resources• Cecil, Nancy. For the Love of Language: Poetry

for Every Learner• Cecil, Nancy. For the Love of Poetry: Literacy

Scaffolds, Extension Ideas, and More• Heard, Georgia. Awakening the Heart: Exploring

Poetry in Elementary and Middle School• Morice, Dave. The Adventures of Dr. Alphabet:

104 Unusual Ways to Write Poetry in the Classroom and the Community

• Koch, K. Wishes, Lies, and Dreams: Teaching Children to Write Poetry

• Terban, M. Time to Rhyme: A Rhyming Dictionary• Young, S. Rhyming Dictionary (Scholastic)

This workshop was created for teachers to use as a guide as they introduce poetry to their students. By giving students an opportunity to write from their “heart”, they become poets who can share their feelings, hopes, dreams, fears, and experiences. When integrating poetry and technology software, graphic images, and bookmaking, even more possibilities unfold. The sample poetry in this presentation was created by kindergarten - second students in Austin ISD. This guide can also be used to teach teachers how to unleash the poet inside them, as they reach for the poetry of the stars.

Gail Laubenthal

If we follow the children, they will surely lead us into their hearts, minds, and dreams. We are just the guide…they are our gift!

Gail Laubenthal