Kids' Poems: Teaching Third and Fourth Graders to Love Writing Poetry

by Regie Routman

Overview

Regie Routman shares her delightful selection of free verse poems written by third-and fourth graders that will inspire your third-and fourth graders to think, I can write poems like this too! Regie provides strategies for using kids' poems as models to guide children to write poems about things they know and care about, from eating french fries to secret places and family trips. She describes the way she invites children to study the model poem, beginning by asking kids, What do you notice? She shows how she demonstrates the poetry-writng process to children: thinking aloud and drafting poems about her own life, and then inviting children to write on their own. Includes 20 reproducible poems written and illustrated by third-and fourth graders to share with kids. Perfect for classroom teachers and parents! For use with Grades 3-4.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780590227353
Publisher:	Scholastic Teaching Resources
Publication date:	02/28/2000
Series:	Kids' Poems Series
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Regie Routman has been teaching in public schools for almost three decades. She has taught most of the elementary grades and has been a reading specialist, a learning disabilities tutor, a Reading Recovery teacher, a language arts resource and mentor teacher, and a staff developer. Currently, she teaches and consults in schools and districts around the country doing demonstration teaching and conducting workshops. She continues to speak to educators nationally and internationally.

Regie Routman's books are acclaimed by educators as providing a solid, theory-based understanding of language learning along with a wealth of useable ideas and resources. She writes in an upbeat, conversational, practical, and sincere voice from her daily experiences in the classroom. Regie's first book,Transitions: From Literature to Literacy (Heinemann, 1988) has helped countless elementary teachers make the journey to literature-based teaching and more meaning-centered approaches. Her follow-up book, Invitation: Changing as Teachers and Learners K-12 (Heineman, 1991 and 1994) has proven to be an inspiring, invaluable, comprehensive resource for teachers of all grades. Her most recent book is Literacy at the Crossroads: Crucial Talk About Reading, Writing, and Other Teaching Dilemmas (Heinemann, 1996). As cries for "back to basic" teaching have grown louder, this book was written to clarify issues, offer specific suggestions, and provide impetus for taking action to make a meaningful difference in our schools. Her newest book,Conversations: Strategies for Teaching, Learning and Evaluating will be available from Heinemann in autumn 1999.

Table of Contents

	Instructional Sequence	4
	Why Free-Verse Poetry Writing?	5
	Getting Ready to Teach Poetry Writing	8
	Beginning to Teach Poetry Writing	11
	Writing the First Poems	15
	Sharing and Celebrating	17
	Follow-up Sessions	18
	Demonstrating Before Each Writing Session	19
	Publishing	35
	The Kids' Poems
	Close Observations
	Fence	38
	My Pencil	40
	Thanksgiving	42
	Sound
	Instruments	44
	I Hear	46
	Lighthearted Laments
	Mix-Up	48
	"Honey Do's!"	50
	Pets
	Scruffy	52
	If You Had a Cat Named Furball	54
	Family Ups and Downs
	Divorce	56
	Finally My "Dad" Came "Home"	58
	Stepbrothers	60
	Nicknames
	Legs	60
	Braces Blues	62
	Best Friends
	My Best Friend	64
	Richard	66
	Sisters
	My Sister Kayla	68
	My Sister Nicole	70
	Paying Tribute
	Claudia	72
	Dream	74
	Bad Days!
	Bad Days	76
	My Dad	78
	Sports
	Football!	80
	Baseball Stress	82
	Settings
	Colorado River	84
	Shadows	86
	Illustration Credits	88