Isn’t that such a cute poem to use for National Poetry Month? I found it and thought it would be great to use for linking comprehension to fluency. It is long enough for students to practice their fluency on and has lots of great images for them to use to help them understand it. Timothy Rasinski suggests using poetry to improve students’ fluency. Poems have rhythm, rhyme and repetition which he says will help build their fluency. And they are short enough to use for multiple readings. He even suggests setting your classroom up for poetry slams! That would be so fun! Students practice their poems during the week for fluency and interpretation of them. Then come Friday, you darken the room, turn on some lamps and students take turns sharing their poems. The teacher could participate in this too. I think these tall barstools in my room would be perfect for this.
April is the perfect time to put into practice of poetry slams since this is National Poetry Month. This lends itself perfectly for students examining and reading all types of poetry and then on to writing different types of poetry. Kids love to write poetry and are good at it! I love seeing what their minds come up with. So the next step after practicing and reading published poetry, students can then begin to share during poetry slams their own poetry! How powerful would that be for them to share and celebrate their own poems after practicing them all week? We know they love author’s chair, so poetry slams are bound to be a favorite too!
This is a fluency rubric that I adapted from Dr. Rasinski to fit my students and their needs. Maybe it would work for your students too. Feel free to grab it if it does!
I love, love, love poetry month! We actually hosted a poetry slam for elementary students when I was a high school cadet, but I sort of forget about it until you mentioned it. The kids wore dark glasses and snapped instead of clapping too, it was so cute. I see one in our classroom's future… thanks for the reminder!
Christi ツ
Ms. Fultz’s Corner
I've never incorporated the idea of a poetry slam into my poetry writing unit. I can see how easy it would be now that you explain it. Thank you for the idea!
❀ Tammy
Forever in First
Christi, I love poetry month too! That is a cute idea about the sunglasses and snapping! Love it!
Thank you Tammy for thinking this was a good idea. I want to hear about it if you do it!
Love this. Tag- you're it! Hop on over to my blog to play.
We will be doing a poetry month unit in my second grade so this will go perfectly. Thanks! I love Timothy Rasinski's stuff. I was lucky to see him live here in Kansas, and it was awesome. I use a lot of his word ladders with my enrichment students.
Colleen
http://theteachingchameleon.blogspot.com
Great blog! I am your newest follower!
Adrienne
Unless Teaching
Tag…You're It! Stop by to see what I mean 🙂
Twirlybird Teaching
Thanks Miss Nelson! I will come over to your blog to see about it!
Colleen, I used to teach 2nd grade and loved to teach writing poety with them! Great grade! I left you a comment on your blog.
Thank you Adrienne! I so appreciate you coming by to follow. I left you a comment on your blog!
Thank you Danielle! I will come by your blog to see it!
Love it, thanks so much! I have also tagged you without realizing you'd already been tagged. 😉 Stop by to read more!
Jessica
Confessions of a Primary Teacher
Thank you Mrs. K! I will come by your blog to read it. 🙂
I just tagged you in a fun, bloggy game. Come check it out! 🙂
I see you've been tagged multiple times…oh well, your blog is soo cute! I've tagged you anyway!…Stop by Educator Designs to join the fun!
Thank you Mrs. K and Caroline! I will go by both of your blogs to read about it. 🙂