I want that for my students.
I had the pleasure of hearing Canadian poet, author, editor, teacher & co-founder of Anansi Press, Dennis Lee, speak at the Reading For the Love of It conference in Toronto last year (#RFTLOI). He spoke of "Poemicide" and how, we, as teachers, kill the love of poetry. This was his recommendation to overcome this phenomena and my response to it from a blog post:
An unlikely pair meet in a library. Poems of friendship, books & life abound. Gail Carson Levine bases this collection on William Carlos Williams' "This is Just to Say" poem. Great look at perspective, writing off of a line or idea & a great deal of fun. Plus, what child doesn't get what a false apology is? Anything by Corey Rosen Schwartz is sure to be a hit. Her characters & rhythms are spot on, pack a punch & always surprise you! Plus, they are great books for character traits. This one screams determination & perseverance. Okay, this might not truly be a picture book, but Naomi Shihab Nye writes magical poems & there are inspiring illustrations in this book too. Immerse yourself in Naomi's word play and observations on life itself. Stunning! Kate & Jim McMullan's books are perfect for your early year boys & girls too! With I Stink, I'm Fast & I'm Dirty you can engage the engine-minded. The rollicking rhythms make these books a read aloud hit! | Dirty Dog Boogie is the perfect title. The rhythms are so strong you can dance to the book! I think of Loris every year, when I hear the buzz of the first mozzy keeto! Why just use poetry in English, when you can introduce many science topics with these hilarious rhymes set to the rhythm of familiar poems...Mary had a little worm, she thought it was a chigger... All aspects of books are covered in these poems. A must-have for lovers of book and poetry! I can't even imagine how smart you have to be to write reverso poems. Read Marilyn Singers poems from top to bottom & get one perspective of a popular fairy tale, but read it from bottom to top and get the perspective of a different character. Mind-blowing! You can hear rhythm in the titles of some of Judith Viorst's other books like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day & Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest, so it's no surprise that she writes poetry. I often use her First Day of School poem found in this collection with my students on the first day of school, of course. |