Poetry & Memoir

Poetry is a literary work in which a special focus is given to expression of feelings and ideas by using a distinctive style and rhythm. Poetry may be challenging for some students, which is why I plan on using the books I select for read aloud and shared readings so I can model how to identify the meaning within the poem. Poetry is structured in a special way which is why I will look for books that explain these structures to students. Poetry helps students develop speaking, listening, communicating, and higher order thinking skills. Since it is a very important genre in literacy I will have a variety of books in my classroom for students to read on their own. A memoir is a historical account or a biography written from personal knowledge or special sources. Memoir covers narrative, informative, and persuasive writing which are included in the Common Core State Standards for writing. Finding appealing poems and memoir may be challenging since usually they don’t contain many illustrations which is what catches the younger readers’ attention, but as I search for these text I will look for other text features, like the type of voice it uses, the order in which the book is written, I will analyze the appropriateness, accessibility, and accuracy of the books.

John Foster, (1979). A First poetry book. Oxford : Oxford University Press.

Complexity level:

•  Second & Third

Read aloud level:

• First & Second

This book is incorporates both traditional and contemporary forms and themes. It contains lots of exciting illustrations. Also, it contains humorous verses appropriate for young students. This book is very balanced. It contains serious poems and humorous poems, it contains very sophisticated poems, but it also contains simple poems. The poems presented in this book are rhyming poems which will seem interesting for younger students. Also, this book does contain many illustrations which make it more appealing for students. The poems refer to pirates, mermaids, monsters, mystical creatures, animals and other interesting creatures. I plan on using this book for a read aloud and model to my students how to identify the meaning of the poems.

Charley Hoce,(2005). Beyond Old MacDonald: Funny Poems From Down on the Farm. Honesdale, Pa.: Wordsong

 

Complexity level:

•  Second & Third

Read aloud level:

• First & Second

This book contains 30 short poems that are appropriate for elementary students. This book can be used in a fourth grade classroom and above since some poems contain words that a third grader or a younger student will not understand. I would use this book in my classroom because it contains a lot of good illustrations that can catch the students’ attention and develop interest on reading the book. This is a fun book, but it is also excellent for the classroom since it promotes language skills such as, identifying homophones, personifications, and idioms.