Friday, April 10, 2015

Spring is Here! Poetry Hop!



April brings us many things: April showers bring May flowers, April brings us Easter egg hunts, April brings us State Testings (Yuck), April brings us allergies, but did you know that April also brings us National Poetry Month?



I love poems. I think I really feel in love with them when I was about 7 years old and I received my first copy of Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends. I must have read this book a million times during my childhood and adulthood.

When introducing poetry to my 3rd graders I always start by reading a Shel Silverstein poem aloud and having the students just listen to it. Most of my students have never heard of Shel Silverstein and find his poems very funny and interesting, after being introduced to him. 

After reading one, or more, of his poems I go into a mini lesson on the different types poetry. One misconception that most of my students have about poetry is that it must rhyme at the end of every line. I like to introduce them to Acrostic Poems first. These are very simple poems that students can create using any word. We usually start by having the students write their name, vertically, on a sheet of paper and then creating a word or short sentence for each letter. By the time they are complete they have created an acrostic poem! We then move on to different types of poetry and the elements of poetry after making our acrostic name poems.

To help you get started with introducing acrostics to your students I am giving you 11 acrostic poem starters to use all school year long! They will be free from April 10 - April 12.




Head over to my TPT store to get your copy while they are free! But don't stop there, be sure to come back here and hop on over to the next stop, Read With Me ABC, to pick up another great poetry freebie! 







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4 comments:

  1. Hedgehog ReaderApril 10, 2015 at 11:31 AM

    My third graders have always loved writing acrostic poems - and you're right, it is often their first experience with realizing that poetry does not have to rhyme. Thank you so much for sharing your year's worth of acrostic poem templates! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mrs. ArentzApril 10, 2015 at 7:14 PM

    What an awesome pack of acrostic poem templates! Thanks for sharing a your poetry ideas with us!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carla April 11, 2015 at 11:02 PM

    Thanks for jumping in for this hop, Shannon. I wish you the best as your delivery day closes in. Can't wait to meet your sweet little girl (virtually).
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  4. Literacy SparkApril 13, 2015 at 10:15 AM

    Thanks for the freebie! Kids always love the acrostic poems because they are simple enough to do on their own.

    Jessica
    Literacy Spark

    ReplyDelete

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