How+might+you+go+about+selecting+poetry+for+children?

**How might you go about selecting poetry for children? How might you create a welcoming atmosphere for poetry in your school library? What are some important considerations when reading poetry to children?** Written by Kailin Fenn

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Poetry truly is an underused and underestimated genre of literature. Poetry can be used to introduce students to new ways of expressing themselves, to entice a reluctant reader, or just to have a little fun! The tough part is figuring out how to select the right poetry for your students and how to make poetry so ubiquitous that students never lose their connection to it.

When selecting poetry for children, the most important things to remember are that children like poems that are fun to either read aloud or to hear read aloud and to which they can relate. Younger students, in particular, respond well to poems that use a great deal of rhyme and repetition and other poetic devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, or consonance. One of the most popular children’s poets of our time, Shel Silverstein, owes much of his popularity to his mastery of both of these important elements. One of his most popular poems, “Sick,” from __A Light in the Attic,__ is about a girl who is too sick to go to school (“I cannot go to school today/Said little Peggy Ann McKay,/I have the measles and the mumps,/A gash, a rash, and purple bumps.”)…until she realizes it’s Saturday! Another, “Messy Room,” from __Where the Sidewalk Ends__, is narrated by a boy who is astonished at the messiness of someone’s room (Whosever room this is should be ashamed!/His underwear is hanging on the lamp./His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,/And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp./”), only to admit somewhat abashedly in the final couplet that the room is his. Not only are the subjects of these poems supremely familiar to children, but both poems are also quite humorous, another helpful element to consider when selecting children’s poetry. Some excellent authors who are sure to make students laugh with at least some of their verses are Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Bruce Lansky, and Judith Viorst. You will be able to tell a winning poem quite easily! Students will be laughing, smiling, clapping, leaning forward, asking you to read it again, or memorizing it themselves!
 * Selecting Poetry for Children**

A Library Media Specialist might also think about including poetry to accompany certain subject areas, such as Science or Math. Poetry can be a fantastic way for students to engage and connect with material they are learning in class. For example, Joyce Sidman’s __Red Sings From Treetops: A Year In Colors__ could be a wonderful addition to a unit on seasons or colors, or her __Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems__ could be used to introduce or end a pond or water unit. Also, keep an eye out for poems that can easily be divided into parts so that students can act it out, an activity I will elaborate upon later. Finally, choose poems that make you feel something, whatever it is, even if you don’t fully understand it. The chances are if it makes you feel something, it will make your students feel something as well.

We can create a welcoming atmosphere for poetry in the school library by making sure to display it whenever possible. An easel with chart paper and a new poem written daily that stands outside the library is an excellent way to stimulate conversation with students about poetry and to make it a form of writing students can recognize immediately. Many students truly trust their Library Media Specialist as an authority on which books he/she might enjoy. Including poetry books as options when students come asking for book suggestions, particularly for students who have difficulty reading, can give them more exposure to poetry. Placing new and classic poetry books on display at all times of the year, perhaps in relationship to a theme, is another excellent way to draw attention to poetry. Not only do students look to the Library Media Specialist as an authority on all things literate, but so does the rest of the school community. A Library Media Specialist can promote a “Poem in Your Pocket” day, a day on which all members of the school community carry around their favorite poem with them and exchange and share these poems throughout the day. As well, if there is room in the school budget, Library Media Specialists can give students the gift of hearing poems aloud by inviting a children’s poet to the school to speak and read his/her poems aloud. Of course, Library Media Specialists must give that same gift of hearing poems by reading them to their students on a regular basis.
 * Creating a Welcoming Atmosphere**

There are a few aspects of reading a poem aloud to consider when one is preparing to do so with children. First, children enjoy a truly dynamic reading: the reader must be excited, enthusiastic, and engaged by the poem. It is safe to say that if you, as the reader, do not enjoy the poem, neither will your students! Make sure you choose poems that you love to read aloud so that they will love hearing you. Next, make sure you properly prepare to read a poem. Practice before you read! Some poems have rhyme schemes that, if not rehearsed first, could trip one up and this takes away from the experience. Try to avoid a long introduction when you read a poem; if you focus on the meaning or vocabulary, for instance, you can ruin the experience.
 * Reading Poetry Aloud**

Finally, feel free to act out parts of the poem if it lends itself to dramatic interpretation, and since at least one hand will most likely be occupied, make full use of your facial expressions to help your reading. After acting out the poem yourself, you can engage the students in a similar activity. Prior to your lesson, make copies of various kinds of poetry on many different topics. Make sure to choose poems that are more concrete because you will be asking your students to dramatize them. It will be best to choose poems that can include 2-4 characters because students will be working in groups for this activity. Make sure to choose groups beforehand and always ensure there are poems for every reading level. After reading aloud a poem or two yourself and dramatizing it as best you can (after all, you are still holding the book), ask for a volunteer to come and act out the poem you just read. Next, call on a few volunteers, all of whom will likely interpret the poem in a different way. Tell students they will //all// be acting out a poem of their choice. Assign your groups and give students 5 minutes to browse the various poems and choose one for their group. They will work with the poem to come up with a brief “skit” to act out the poem as one member of their group reads it. Depending on the age group, role decisions could be easy or difficult. It might be best to have students draw “role” cards before they set to work (actor or reader) if you anticipate this being a problem.
 * Dramatizing Poetry: An Activity (can be adapted for grades 3-6) **

References Used: Calkins, Lucy McCormick. //The Art of Teaching Writing//. NH: Heinemann, 1986. Print. Fountas, Irene and Pinnell, Gay Su//. Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6//. NH: Heinemann, 2001. Print. Sidman, Joyce. //Red Sings from Treetops:// A Year in Colors. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Print. Sidman, Joyce. //Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems//. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print. Silverstein, Shel. //A Light in the Attic//. New York: Harper Collins, 1981. Print. Silverstein, Shel. //Where the Sidewalk Ends.// New York: Harper Collins, 1974. Print.