Children's Poetry Ideas- Koch

"I wish" (repetition)

All students contribute to the class poem. All lines must begin with the words "I wish" and should contain the following rules or others:
- must include a color
- must include a comic-strip character
- must include a city or country
Read the poem aloud- line by line, pulling from a hat. Have the class come up with a title of the poem they created.

"Feelings at P.S. 61"
I wish I was Dick Tracy in a black suit in England
I wish that I were a Supergirl with a red cape; the city of Mexico will be where I live.
I wish that I were Veronica in South America. I wish I could see the blue sky...


This idea can also be done individually.

Sometimes I wish I had my own kitten
Sometimes I wish I owned a puppy.
Sometimes I wish we had a color TV.
Sometimes I wish for a room of my own.
And I wish all my sisters would disappear...
- Erin Harold, Grade 4

Comparison

Look for strange comparisons. Something real to something unreal. Something in school to something out of school.

"A breeze is like the sky coming to you..."
- Iris Torres, Grade 4

"The flag is as red, white and blue as the sun's reflection..."
- Marion Mackles, Grade 3

Ideas for encouragement- take the students outside and ask them what it most resembles inside the classroom. (Someones dress, the chalkboard, the globe...)

"Thunder is like bowling
Clouds are like a feather
The sun is like a yellow balloon in the sky
A tiger is like the beating of drums."
- Robert Mattei

Noise Poem

Ask the kids what kind of noise different objects make
- crumple a piece of paper
- hit chair with ruler


Then think of words that sound similar to the noise (tap, snap, hat, badge)
Write poems incorporating these words/ sounds

"I wore a bathing suit that clashed and then I dashed and splashed in the water.
The girl started to swing on the swing and started to sing.
When the rock `n' roll group began to sing, the children began to swing."
- Debbie Novitsky, Grade 5

I Used To/ But Now

Odd lines: I used to...
Even lines: But now...

I used to be a tree
But now I am a leaf
I used to float through the air
But now I fall on my face


I used to be smart
But now I'm smarter
I used to be pretty
But now I'm prettier
I used to be little
But now I'm bigger
- Agnes Mins, Grade 1

I used to be a flower but now I'm a color
I used to be a brush but now I'm a strawberry
I used to be a person but now I'm a pocket
I used to be a book but now I'm a ladybug
I used to be a design but now I'm a tree
I used to be an eraser but now I'm a pencil
......
I used to have a dress of buttons but now I have a name of bees
I used to have a dot but now I have a row of measles
......
I used to have a ladybug but now I have a picture of people
- Iloan Baburka, Grade 3

"Write as if you are"

Write a poem from the point of view of the object.

Snow
We would cover the sun with clouds so it could not melt us...
- Carmine Vinciforo, Grade 6

I Dream

Write about one or more dreams that you have dreamt. If you can't think of one, think of a dream you would/ would not like to have.

My Dream

I had a dream that I was in a forest
the trees grabbed me and tried to eat me
I kicked them all and ran away
Then I fell in a flower garden
I fell in a flower the flower closed
I was trying to get out of the flower
Then I woke up and found myself in bed instead of a flower.
- Lenora Calanni, Grade 5

Repetition
I dream...
I dream...
I dream...

Lies

I Was

I was in a cartoon on television. I was a broom standing in a corner. I swept the floors with my feet. I didn't like sweeping floors.
I was bought from a store.
I was able to talk.
I was a movable broom.
I was very mad because all I did was sweep.
I was finally so mad I turned right back into a tree.
I threw my trees of oranges at the people I swept floors for.
- Ilona Baburka, Grade 4


Combine all poem themes together!

Comics

Although I am not a big fan of comics, I better understand them from the TED talk with Scott McCloud. Bone was the first comic novel I have read and even though I don't like having to read slowly through it and viewing the pictures, I can understand why this type of novel is more fun and engaging. I also understand that Versaci used comics to help engage his students. I had never realized that comics could contain mature stories and still include all of the elements found in regular novels. I would encourage my students to try reading a graphic novel because constantly assigning them ordinary literature would be boring and may also make the students no longer want to read. I would not mind if one of my students wanted to read comics- as long as they are reading. I know that I do not enjoy being forced to read certain books and if I cannot remain engaged in the book that I am reading, I would like to put it down and begin a new book.


Scott McCloud
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html

Poetry Unit

I never thought that I would ever enjoy poetry, but after the poetry unit I think I have a better appreciation for it. When I was in school, my teachers always had strict rules about the poems we were required to write. I really like Koch's ideas. By not making poetry seem like work would really help to make is seem less like a task to the kids. I also like that he doesn't want the poems to rhyme, whcih was something that my teachers really wanted and made writing poetry that much more annoying. Another thing I really liked was that Koch did not judge their poetry and edit the things that the students wrote. Wishes, Lies, and Dreams had many different types of poems that I enjoyed reading and writing. I think students would have much more fun writing these types of poems then the ones I was forced to write as an elementary school student.

Shakespeare Unit

The Shakespeare Unit was a fun and interesting unit. I liked the Hobart Shakespearean video. I like that the teacher talks to and treats his students as adults, but his sometimes I think his choice of words is not appropriate. I also don't understand how when the students spend time learning about other subjects. I do like his money system and I like that he challenges the kids by choosing books that most high school students are required to read.

The Shakespeare skits in class were pretty funny. I am not big on acting in front of the class, but I know that is something I will have to get over eventually. I think elementary students would really enjoy watching and performing skits. I think it would also help them to better understand what it is that they are reading.

If I had a fourth grade class or higher I would like to try to incorporate higher level reading books into the curriculum. I wish I could take the kids on the field trips that the Hobart Shakespearean teacher took his students on, but I know that is not very likely to happen. I would also like my students to act out some of the books that we read in class.

Young Adult Unit

Speak
This was an amazing book about a girl, named Melinda, who began high school with no friends all because she called the cops when she was raped at her first high school party. Nobody knew why she called the police and no one cared enough to ask her why. Melinda's parents, teachers, counselors, and peers knew that she was acting strange by not talking to anyone and by avoiding people at all costs. The only person that took the time to talk to Melinda was her art teacher, who taught her that nothing is perfect and that is what makes it realistic- talking about her art project and her life. At the end of the book she tells an "ex-friend" that she was raped and Melinda was called a liar. I loved when Melinda wrote on the bathroom stall and other people wrote nasty things about Andy, the boy who had raped her. I also really enjoyed the ending when Andy tried to attack Melinda again and she stopped him by holding a shard of glass up to his neck until the lacrosse team found them and kicked Andy's butt.

Stargirl
This was another great book about a girl that had been home schooled until high school. Stargirl was very different from all of the other kids at Mica High who all tried to fit in and be normal. Stargirl was very unusual in the way that she dressed and the way that she acted- always singing to people on their birthdays with her ukulele and giving people treats on every holiday or special occasion and doing kind things for people without taking credit. Stargirl helped attract students to go to sporting events and was greatly disliked when she cheered for the other team and rushed out onto the court to see if the other team's star player was okay. Her boyfriend, Leo, really liked her but did not like being shunned by his classmates due to their hatred of Stargirl, so he attempted to change her and make her normal. When she tried to be normal, she was still hated, so she went back to her old self. Leo began to ignore her and finally she left the school forever and told no one where she was.

The Austere Academy
This book was about the three Baudelaire orphans that are being chased around by a man named Count Olaf because he wants their fortune. The kids are sent to a boarding school where they are forced to live in a shack filled with crabs and fungus and have teachers that make them remember the measurements of weird objects and remember the tiniest details of their stories. The kids are told they will be safe, but Count Olaf finds them and disguises himself so that only the children know who he really is. In the end, the children are safe, but Olaf flees and takes the Baudelaire's only friends with him.
This was a good children's book. I don't personally like how the story is told, but I can understand why children would like it and how it would be very helpful to kids. I would prefer that there were no interruptions by Lemony Snicket in the story; however, it is good because it teaches the definitions of rather large words and explains how the word is being used in the context. The input by Lemony Snicket is also good because it gets you to think about what is going to happen next and helps kids understand the idea of foreshadowing.

Links:

I used to love Captain Underpants! On this website, the author talks about how he came up with the stories. A fun idea for kids would be to write their own super hero comic book devoted to themselves. http://www.pilkey.com/

I would always read the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. This website has a map that includes all of the characters from Cleary's stories and also lists all of her books, full character descriptions, and fun book trivia quizzes. http://www.beverlycleary.com/index.html

Comments and Qutes from Stargirl

I really enjoyed this book. I did not, however, like the ending very much. I was disappointed that Stargirl and Leo did not get together in the end or at least become friends. It was sad that Leo tried to change Stargirl into someone that she was not, so I guess he deserved what he got. I have never really known anyone similar to Stargirl, but I will admit that there have been times when I have stereotyped people as loners and freaks. I wish I had read this book when I was younger and I will definitely recommend it to my students.

Chapter 19

"Why can't she be..."
He finished for me:
"...Like everybody else?"


"She seems to be in touch with something that the rest of us are missing."

Chapter 20

"Well, it's nice to get credit."
... she turned her wide eyes on me.
"Is it?" she said.

Chapter 25

"You can't just wake up in the morning and say you don't care what the rest of the world thinks."

Fairy Tale Unit

--"Fairy Tales Get Real"

• Fairy Tale Museum- kids bring in props that have to do with the fairy tales they read in class. (Cinderella- pumpkin, glass slipper, mice Rumpelstiltskin- spinning wheel, hay, gold straw)

-- Comparing Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm

• What common elements mark stories as a fairy tale? What do the stories have in common? How do you know a tale is a "version" of a familiar tale? What do the stories have in common? How do the stories differ in their depictions of the main characters? What do you see as important differences between the stories' themes?

--"Bluebeard" VISTA prompt

• You will write a riddle whose answer is _____
• Write a riddle or a poem that explains which story you were given by describing which stories this story is NOT. In other words, all of your clues must come from the stories that aren't your story. You may not use titles, but you may use characters' names.

Example:

He leaves me with the keys that involve no eggs.

He is definitely not a sorcerer that comes to beg.

No rhyming birds or riddles on the wall.

No hand, rings, or fingers involved at all.

--Rewriting Fairy Tales

• Compose your own revision of Cinderella (or another fairy tale) by writing a poem. You could imagine your version taking on the perspective of the prince, the step-sisters, step mother, mice, fairy, godmother, etc... Or chane the setting or tell us what happens after the wedding.

Example:

In Search of Cinderella-- Shel Silverstein

From dusk to dawn,

From town to town,

Without a single clue

I seek the tender, slender foot

To fit this crystal shoe.

From dusk to dawn,

I try it on

Each damsel that I meet.

And I still love her so, but oh,

I've started hating feet.

--readwritethink.org >>Lesson Plans

• Once Upon a Time Rethought: Writing Fractured Fairy Tales -- http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/once-upon-time-rethought-853.html
• Enchanting Readers with Revisionist Fairy Tales -- http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/enchanting-readers-with-revisionist-992.html
• The Big Bad Wolf: Analyzing Point of View in Texts -- http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/wolf-analyzing-point-view-23.html

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf- Roald Dahl

As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come in?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she cried.

And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!
''He ran around the kitchen yelping,
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
Comes home from walking in the wood.
''He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and hat.
He put on shoes, and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,
``What great big ears you have, Grandma.''
``All the better to hear you with,'' the Wolf replied.
``What great big eyes you have, Grandma.''
said Little Red Riding Hood.
``All the better to see you with,'' the Wolf replied.

He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviar.

Then Little Red Riding Hood said, ``But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.''

``That's wrong!'' cried Wolf. ``Have you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.
''The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, ``Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat.''

A Little About Myself

My name is Marisa Furtado. I am currently a Freshman at CSU Chico. I graduated from Alhambra High School in 2009 where I played four years of Varsity softball and soccer. I am a Liberal Studies major and I am in the Integrated Teacher CORE. After I graduate college I would like to be an elementary school teacher becuase I love little kids and I am interested in and want to be a part of their development into young adults.
I hope that ENGL 341 will help me understand what I can do to teach children how to read and understand books. I expect this will be a fun course judging by the books that we will have to read.