A Formula for Poetry
Next, students need to find out more about this animal, so use the following formula. Save the title for last.
TITLE: ______________________
A frightened, snarling, small, scrawny, tiger cat
_________________ (a word that tells how it moved)
_________________ (a phrase that tells where it went)
_________________ (a phrase that tells what it was after)
_________________ (a phrase that tells what you hope for the cat)
_________________ (a word that sums up the cat or the situation)
Here are two examples that could be read aloud, then taken apart for students so that they understand the formula. Then they can make suggestions and come up with their own cat poem.
A Hungry Cat
A frightened, snarling, small, scrawny, tiger cat
leaped
around the corner
after a sparrow eating worms.
I hope it is healthy. Hisssss!
TITLE: ______________________
A frightened, snarling, small, scrawny, tiger cat
slinked
under a bush
to get shelter.
It needs a good family.
Homeless.
Poetry Books for the Classroom
There are many fine poetry books for children available in bookstores, at the public library, and through the school library. Here are several authors and titles for your celebration of spring through poetry: The New Oxford Treasury of Children's Poems, edited by Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark; Tasty Poems and Noisy Poems, compiled by Jill Bennett, with illustrations by Nick Sharratt; and Dinosaur Poems and Dragon Poems, compiled by John Foster, with illustrations by Korky Paul.
Some favorite poets to check for at the library include: X. J. Kennedy, J. Patrick Lewis, David McCord, Eve Merriman, Mary O'Neill, Jack Prelutsky, and Shel Silverstein.
Excerpted from Let's Read.
