Reading and Writing Poetry Across the Year

• offer tips for outfitting and organizing classrooms where poetry can flourish,
• highlight a variety of reading strategies that immerse children in the words and music of poetry,
• present a complete unit of study for writing poetry.

Introduction to Reading and Writing Poetry Across the Year

PART ONE: Creating a Poetry-Rich Environment
Introduction

1. Noticing Poetry in What We Say
2. Noticing Poetry in What We Read
3. Collecting Amazing Words
4. Playing with Rhyming Words
5. Playing with Alliterative Words
6. Sharing Favorite Poems
7. Finding Inspiration Through a Window
8. Finding Inspiration from Natural Objects
9. Finding Inspiration on a Walk
10. Finding Inspiration in Poetry Itself
11. Finding Inspiration in Our Hearts
12. Finding Inspiration Around the Classroom

PART TWO: Reading Poetry

Introduction to Reading Poetry

1. Beginning the Day
2. Pledging for the World
3. Easing Transitions
4. Setting Out for Lunch
5. Celebrating Occasions
6. Welcoming People
7. Setting a Tone
8. Closing the Day

9. Reading Line Breaks
10. Interpreting the Poem's Sound
11. Finding Reading Signals from the Page

PART THREE: Writing Poetry

Introduction: Essentials for Launching a Poetry Writing Unit

1. What Do We Know About Poetry?
2. Advice from Our Favorite Poets
3. Listening for Songs from Our Hearts
4. Seeing with Poet's Eyes
5. Finding Poems in Small, Ordinary Things
6. Finding Poems in Feelings
7. Finding Poems in Natural Beauty
8. Modeling Writing

1. Metaphor and Simile: "The sky is an angel's pool."
2. Wonderful Words: "Let the rain kiss you."
3. Imagery: "Do you feel the golden glow?"
4. Rhythm, Repetition, and Rhyme: Musical Tools
5. Lines and Stanzas: "Poems are shaped like tall buildings."

1. Poems for Two Voices
2. List Poems
3. Personification Poems
4. Letter Poems

1. Adding Stanzas
2. Listening Carefully
3. Ending Lines: "Don't leave the door wide open!"
4. Titles: Labels and Beyond