Help Students Analyze Poetry and Enjoy It! {Grades 4-5}

Hi teacher friends!  April's poetry month is a short hop and a skip away.

You have to teach poetry to fourth and fifth graders but you may not have the time to prepare for dissecting poems.  There are 9 exemplar poems on the CCSS Poetry Exemplar List.  Yikes, that's a LOT and your prep time is limited.  Maybe you don't even LIKE poetry, let alone have to TEACH it.  Here's some hints that I hope help.

First you will want to learn about the POET:

• Research everything about the poet.
• What background can you learn about the poet?
• Who is he or she?
• Where is s/he from?
• What was s/he known for?
• What other poems has s/he written?
• What is the audience for the poems?
• What was his/her style?
• During what time period was this poem written?
• What elements of poetry does the poet emphasize?  Why?
• What may have caused the poet to write this particular poem?
• Has s/he written other similar poems?
• Dig deep! Take notes.

Now you need to learn about the poem:

• Start by first quickly reading the poem.
• Now re-read the poem, this time  read it for understanding.
• Then read the poem again, thinking about what the poet was (really) trying to say. 
• What is the meaning of the poem?
• What is the poem about?
• Where does it take place?
• Think through your teacher lens and make sense of the poem and consider what you would tell students.
• What is the message and theme?
• What is the poem's stanza structure? 
• Does the poet choose to use rhyming structure or not?  
• Why did the poet choose that structure?
• What about the rhyme scheme?
• How about the poet's use of alliteration, metaphors and similes?
• What other types of figurative language are used?  
• What other types of literary devices are used?
• What words are used and what do they mean?
• How does the poet use words to help convey mood and emotion?
• Look for vivid verbs and colorful adjectives to point out to your students.
• What emotion does the poem cause you to feel? 
• Do you enjoy the poem?  
• What makes you like or dislike it?
• How will you teach this to students?
• How will you assess student understanding?

There's SO much to teaching poetry but you have to do it right or your students won't enjoy it and that's just not okay!  {Quick Story!}  Here's a quick story about the importance of a teacher's love of their subject matter.  Did you have a teacher or professor in college that you loved?  If you did, it's likely because the teacher or prof had a passion and genuine interest in their subject matter.  I enjoyed  my high school French class, not so much because I loved French, but our teacher made it come to life.  He told us stories.  He made us laugh.  He made the subject matter come to life.  He didn't read slides or notes.  He talked to us.  He knew his stuff and he just talked to us and told stories connected to what we were learning.  Learning was fun in his class.  I actually went on to take French for a whole year in college and got a Bachelor of Arts (instead of a Bachelor of Science) because my teacher helped me love the subject matter.  I never dreamed I would do that but the inspiration from his class spurred me on.  YOU can be the storyteller that helps students understand why poets write and help them understand the deeper meaning of poems.  It's like a puzzle that needs solving!

Trust me on this; the more you know about the poet and the poem, the more you will be able to help students learn to read poetry and understand the (literal) words and the (figurative) word play.  I know it's not easy!  Some poems are hard to understand for adults.  Some of the poems on the 4th and 5th grade CCSS list are tough to interpret and I wondered how someone decided which poems were appropriate and understandable by 10 and 11 year olds?  Holy cow!  Think what those deep poems sound like to a student!  If they're tough for you to understand, you can empathize with your students as they struggle to grasp meaning.  You have to understand so you can help your students.  Don't short cut the steps of building your own background knowledge and understanding.  Read as many poems by the same author as you can so you get the poet's style and themes.

If you're STILL stressing about teaching poetry, and maybe don't have the time to devote to it, I suggest starting with one poet and poem. Then teach your socks off!

If you don't have time with the hectic year, don't worry.  I've got you covered!  I love teaching poetry and did all of the hard work for you!  If you're interested, I created 9 Poetry Analysis Task Card Sets for 4th & 5th Graders.  I bundled the task cards to save you money.  If you have teaching partners, additional licenses are a reduced price.  You can use one poem task card set each week and have a 9-week unit.  Or you can set up the task cards as a literature station.  Or you can use the tasks cards as direction instruction lesson starters then let students work in discussion groups or with partners to fill out the response booklet.   The choice is yours!  BUT whatever you do . . .  make learning poetry FUN!

Teaching poetry is one of my favorite ELA units of the year and it can be your students' favorite, too.

Here's a 30 second video that gives you a quick peek a the set. 

The bundled poetry analysis set includes everything you will need to teach all 9 poems.  The task card sets include a short poet biography summary.  I wrote task card questions and included sample response answers for each task card.  There's even a cool recording booklet that I designed to save paper for students to use.  It prints back to back and simply folds in half.  Website links are included so you can show students the videos, biographies, online versions of the poems and more.

Take the stress out of teaching poetry and start LOVING teaching poetry! 

Use Back to School Activities That Help Teach Character Traits

It's time for back to school and that means planning fun back to school get to know you activities that students haven't done before.  Plus, the first week activities you plan set the tone for your year.  I want students to know that they will be working together, doing projects and activities with other students and collaborating.  It's important to establish rapport and teach students how they are expected to treat each other, with dignity and respect.  We also value and teach character traits.

On day one I want students to be see what their year will be like.  I want them working together, talking, and getting to know each other.  Yes, I teach routines and rules, too, but I want students interacting. I want to hear laughter. I want to see smiles on faces.  I want new friendships to blossom.  I want students to accept each other.  Through play, this process begins.

I recently designed a great set of activities that can be used for the first four days of school.  They best part is they are Cootie Catchers.  Who doesn't love making and playing with the?  Best of all, they let the teacher talk about four character traits each day so by the end of the fourth day, 16 traits have been discussed as a class.  Teachers can reinforce why the traits are important to creating a positive class culture.  The first Cootie Catcher gets students paired up and allows for the game playing to be non-threatening because the questions students ask each other are non-personal.  Each of the next Cootie Catchers gradually ask more questions that are more and more designed for students to share more about themselves.  Hopefully by the end of the week students will have new friends with things in common.

Here's some examples of the questions designed to gradually allow students to become comfortable sharing.

Cootie Catcher #1 - These are a few of my favorite things : 

• What is your favorite food? 

Cootie Catcher #2 - Get to Know Me! 

• Do you celebrate holidays? If so, what’s your favorite?

Cootie Catcher #3 - More About Me! 

• What do you like to do for fun on weekends?

Cootie Catcher #4 - Wishes, Hopes and Dream

• What is one thing you wish people knew about you?

This activity is designed so students can play the game with one to four partners so that over the course of the first week, students know at least four students really well.

What are your favorite back to school ice breakers and get to know you activities?  Have a great school year!

Helping Students LOVE Poetry

I love teaching poetry!  It's my favorite time of the year and one that all students experience success... even the boys who tend to have a less than positive attitude before the unit begins.

Poetry should be fun for students and it's our job as teachers to help students love the sound of written language.  We model our passion through our lessons, memories from our childhood, and our enthusiasm.  I remember my dad reciting Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" word for word...the whole thing!  I was amazed and it soon became a poem I could recite and fall in love with as well.  My students were amazed that I, too, could recite much of the poem from memory.

Here are some tips to get you started teaching poetry in your classroom!

Tip #1: Start by reading your own favorite poem to students.  It helps them see that you enjoy poetry, and that they, too, can enjoy poetry.  If you don't have a favorite, Shel Silverstein is great poet to begin with, because 4th graders love the humor and can relate to the poems.  Make sure to read the poem with great intonation and emotion.  It will really hook them.  When you've finished reading the poem,  talk about the mood, the speaker in the poem, the setting and the problem in the poem.  Then you can challenge students to find the figurative language.  Once you've done all of this, re-read the poem so your students can see the poem from a whole new perspective.

Tip #2: Introduce a new poem each day for the first week of poetry unit to get the kids hooked!  Make sure to choose poems that are different in style and by a variety of poets so that kids can find one the speaks to them the most.
Not sure which poems to read? Here is a list of some of my favorite poems:
   "Sick" by Shel Silverstein
   "Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout" by Shel Silverstein
   "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein
   "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
   "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll
   "Sneezles" by A.A. Milne

and don't forget to use nursery rhyme classics to listen to the rhyme scheme and rhythm!
   "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear
   "Wynken, Blyken, and Nod" by Eugene Field
   "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" by Jane Taylor

Tip #3: Introduce different forms of poems.  This allows you to teach about the rules of poetry.  For example: Haikus have a very specific 5, 7, 5 syllable rule that must be followed, while other poems simply use rhyming words, while others have no form at all.  Challenge students to find the rule that is followed within each poem.

Tip #4: Introduce the vocabulary of poetry.  This will really help students understand what they are reading and learning about.  Try using an interactive notebook to engage kids even more.  If you are searching for something to get you started, check out this interactive notebook of figurative language. Students also love reference posters that are posted on a word wall for easy reference.  Last but not least, let students play a game to learn the vocabulary of poetry.  Students don''t even realize how much they are learning when they see how fun Cootie Catcher Vocab is!!

Tip #5: Let students try their hand at writing poetry!  I know it sounds crazy, but you will be surprised.  Give students the reins, and let them write about whatever interests them.  I think you will be surprised at how much students take ownership of writing poems, and find their own style, even the boys!  Not sure where to start?  This 6 week poetry unit gives you all that you need to introduce poetry writing, guidelines, templates, poetry outlines, templates, and so much more!

Tip #6: Let students make their very own book of poems!  Take all of the poems they have written, and compile them into their very own poetry book.  Let students design their own book cover, or give them a template to color in.  Challenge students to write an about the author page (who knew you could sneak in a little teaching about autobiographies too).  At the end of the unit, have students share their poetry book with family and friends, and have them write comments in the students poetry book!  The feedback will encourage them that their written thoughts have power and value.  My daughter was in my 4/5 blend class and still has the poetry book she wrote. It's a real keepsake that shows her interests at the time.

Tip #7: Once students have listened to you read poetry aloud, read poetry, and tried their hand at writing poetry, they are armed with the skills necessary to dig even deeper and begin analyzing poetry.  Poetry centers work great for poetry analysis.  At each center, give students task cards to complete to guide and challenge their learning. With structure and teaching the elements of poetry, students will soon enjoy the detective work needed to understand the deeper meanings of some poems.  There are nine poems on the CCSS-ELA Exempla list for 4th and 5th graders, which is a great place to start your poetry analysis.  Remember, part of analyzing poetry is learning about the poet and his/her life and learning about the time period.  If you're not sure where to start, here is a great Task Card Bundle.

Love poetry!

Teach Financial Literacy!

Students won't have to ask you when they're ever going to use this if you teach real world math skills.  One of the best ways to connect learning with real life is to have students be immersed in using the skills in your class. Integrate the real world into your curriculum.

If you don't already, consider using a classroom economy.  It will all year with your grades 3, 4, and 5 students and you can teach all kinds of math and real life skills.  Students can earn checking and savings account privileges, and earn classroom cash for doing their job as a student.  Students earn money then pay this classroom bills. They can rent their cubby, locker, desk, chair, pay a classroom library fee, and they also pay their income taxes on April 15th!  Doing this, your students will really understand the pain of paying their taxes because they've lived in your classroom.

Students can also learn about supply and demand as they participate in auctions you hold throughout the year.  These are important to teach lessons in spending vs. saving.  These life lessons can be learned without you even saying a word. Student will get it because they've LIVED it!

In the beginning of school year, have your students learn about balancing a check ledger.  Yes, 4th graders can do this!  They will think it's pretty cool and if they can prove they can successfully add and subtract decimals to balance the check ledger, allow them to earn their own check book.  Boy, talk about motivation!  Just pass out the first real looking check book and you have your class hooked!  By teaching about decimals, you're secretly checking student understanding of subtracting and place value concepts.  You can accomplish two things:  You check student understanding of decimal adding and subtracting and see how students persevere (or not). This lets you know who to cheer on and which students you can encourage to soar.

*Teacher Tip:  Ask your local bank to see if they will donate real looking checkbooks!  Many banks are committed to community service and will gladly help you put student checks into your students' hands.  Our local Bank of America donated these sample checks and plastic checkbook covers to our 4th grade classroom.

Students pay fines and buy items with their checking accounts (or they can use cash) - it's their choice.

Classroom bankers must show competency with decimals because they handle all classroom transactions once they are "hired."  Let any willing and eager student take the banker test at the beginning of the year, and have your top two highest scoring students earn the job of bank president and vice president.  If a student doesn't pass the banker test on the first go-round, allow them to have another chance to take the test.  Students will be so motivated to get a job as a classroom banker, that they will work extra to make sure they pass the test.  You'll be surprised by the motivation that you get out of students of ALL abilities.  Some of my students even studied on their own at home to get their job!!   

I think it's motivating for students to be paid weekly.  The more they interact with and handle money transactions, the better because they're doing more math!  Your banker workers should earn a salary and be paid by the bank president and bank vice-president (they share the job or ask bank managers to help out).  My student bankers sat at the classroom bank and used it as their desk on the day(s) they were on duty.  I found this old desk that was being discarded, took it home, and painted it during the summer.  Students LOVED it.  They told me the slot should be made into an ATM so I stenciled the words ATM on later.  

And now for the secret recipe:  Release the control and you will be in more control!  Let your students run everything about your classroom economy.  They can do it!  You will love not having to manage this program and students will be more than willing to do the work so why not let them?  

When students need to know words related to financial literacy, be sure to help them learn by posting definitions and visuals on your math word wall.  The language of math needs to be taught methodically, just as reading vocabulary needs to be taught.   You will find that students refer to your word wall all throughout the day.

Use the words in everyday conversation where you can.  Connect with the words when you see them in movies, videos, magazines, newspaper, and through current events.

Students easily can reference these posters that are also included as PowerPoint slides so you can rearrange the PPT slides and teach the words when you need them.  Students need to see a visual and example to help the concepts "stick."

Classroom Economy Materials: Click HERE.  

Students love typing and printing these editable checks.  Your bankers can easily type student names and the amount earned, then print and cut the check apart.  See them on my TpT site: Editable PDF checks, click HERE.

Teach math through everyday life and you won't have to hear, "When are we ever going to use this?"

6th Grade Memory Book: Keep them writing right up until the last day of school!

Here's a 6th grade memory book in full page size format!  It's a great way to keep sixth grade students engaged and writing right up until the last day.  There are lots of pages for students to reflect upon their year sixth grade year and once it's finished, this book promises to be a treasured keepsake!

HOT TIP:  To make the books more special, use the book binder and laminate the book covers, or if we're out of laminating film, run them off on construction or other stiff paper.

The autographing time and phone and email exchanging time is so fun for students and teacher alike!  Who needs a yearbook when you can use a more personal book of memories?

See more on TPT

Figurative Language Cootie Catchers are FUN, FUN, FUN!

Who doesn't love an excuse to play with a Cootie Catcher?  This set is full of figurative language terms, examples and gives an excuse to play while learning about figurative language!

There's four templates that give students practice using and identifying figurative language plus there's an interactive pocket foldable to store the Cootie Catchers in your interactive notebook.  Also included are 8 posters with figurative language definitions and a PPT slideshow.

Play, learn and have fun!