Project-Based Unit of Study - PS20 THE ANNA SILVER SCHOOL
|Poetry Reading |
|2nd Grade |
|Desired Results for the Unit |
|GOALS (What are our relevant goals for this unit?) To have students practice active comprehension (be present in their poems) through comprehension strategies that include previewing, envisioning, locating |
|oneself in the text, inferring and synthesizing. |
|OUTCOMES OF UNDERSTANDING (To achieve our goals, what understandings will be needed?) |ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: (What essential questions will focus our goals, stimulate conversation, and guide our|
|Students will understand that… |actions?) |
| | |
|Readers of poetry preview the text and have expectations to develop a sense of what’s next |How does (previewing, envisioning, locating oneself, inferring, synthesizing) help us readers? |
|Readers of poetry locate themselves in the text to pause and ponder about what they are reading to |What makes this poem distinct or unique? How is this poem similar and different from other poems? (Voice, |
|consider new facets and twists, and to discuss and share new ideas |Craft, Structure, Meaning/Significance, Elaboration) |
|Readers of poetry envision to fill in the picture and experience it fully |What literary techniques does the poet use to express or convey meaning? |
|Readers of poetry infer to dig deeper |Which parts make you want to stop and linger? Why might those parts be important? |
|Readers of poetry synthesize to get the big picture | |
|Assessment Evidence |
|CULMINATING PROJECTS AND PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF LEARNING: |INFORMAL ASSESSMENTS: (What are the key observable indicators of short and long term progress? What data |
| |should be collected?) |
|Written responses to poetry & | |
| |Turn and Talk |
|Reflection of how strategies help you as readers in reading response logs | |
| |Conferencing with readers |
|Resources |
|UNIT RESOURCES: (What materials and resources are needed to support this unit?) |STUDENT RESOURCES: |
| |The Brave Ones by Eloise Greenfield At the Petshop |
|Daunis, S. & Iams, MC (2007). Text Savvy. Using a Shared Reading Framework to Build Comprehension. |Sidewalk Racer by Lillian Morrison Skyscraper |
|Portsmouth: Heinemann. |The Pencil Sharpener by Zoe Ryder White |
| |The Ceiling by Zoe Ryder White |
| |Inside My Heart |
| |74th Street Myra Livingston |
| |Fambly Time by Eloise Greenfield |
| |Whatifs by Shel Silverstein |
| | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY |
|WEEK 1: |TP: Readers preview the text and|TP: Readers of poetry locate |TP: Readers of poetry envision to fill|TP: Readers of poetry infer to dig |TP: Readers of poetry synthesize to |
| |have expectations |themselves in the text to ponder what |in the picture |deeper. They think about the big |get the big picture |
| | |they are reading | |ideas, moral or lesson | |
| |Previewing text | |Creating a movie in your mind | |Stating what the text is mostly about |
| |Scanning poem and pointing out |Thinking, “what do I know about this |Thinking about what you see in your |Think about the big ideas in the text |Having ideas about the text as a whole|
| |features |topic already?” |mind’s eye |Think about the moral or lesson | |
| |Defining genre |Explaining, “these connections help me| | | |
| |Setting expectations for the |understand the text because….” | | | |
| |text | | | | |
|WEEK 2: |TP: Readers of poetry preview |TP: Readers think about what they know|TP: Readers of poetry envision to fill|TP: Readers of poetry infer to dig |TP: Readers of poetry synthesize to |
| |the text and have expectations |about a part of the poem while |in the picture |deeper. They think about the big |get the big picture |
| | |reading. They stop and ponder at what| |ideas, moral or lesson | |
| |Previewing text |they are reading |Creating graphic organizer you can see| |Reading and thinking, “how has my |
| |Scanning page and pointing out |Explaining, “these connections help me|in your head |Pay close attention while reading to |thinking changed? How have I revised |
| |features |understand the text because….” |Reading and “filing” information |detect the author’s tone or slant |my thinking?’ |
| |Defining genre |Explaining, “these questions help me | |Identifying the author’s perspective |Stating what the text is mostly about |
| |Setting expectations for the |understand the text because…” | | | |
| |text | | | | |
| |Setting purpose for reading | | | | |
|WEEK 3: | | | |TP: Readers reflect on how reading |TP: Readers reflect on how reading |
| |TP: Readers reflect on how |TP: Readers reflect on how reading |TP: Readers reflect on how reading |strategies help them as readers |strategies help them as readers |
| |reading strategies help them as |strategies help them as readers |strategies help them as readers |(DIGGING DEEPER) |(SYNTHESIZING) |
| |readers |(Locating Oneself in the text) |(Envisioning) | | |
| |(Previewing) | | | | |
Poetry—Grade 2
Reading Lessons
Readers of poetry preview the text and have expectations
• Previewing text
• Scanning page and pointing out features
• Defining genre
• Setting expectations for the text
• Setting purpose for reading
Readers of poetry locate themselves in the text to ponder about what they are reading
• Thinking, “what do I know about this topic already?”
• “What might be new information?”
• Explaining, “these connections help me understand the text because….”
• Explaining, “these questions help me understand the text because…”
• Reading and thinking, “what is the text mostly about?”
• Reading and thinking, “what information is important and what information is interesting?”
Readers of poetry envision to fill in the picture
• Creating a movies in your mind
• Thinking about what you see in your minds eye
• Creating graphic organizer you can see in your head
• Reading and “filing” information
• Sketching a picture or diagram
Readers of poetry infer to dig deeper
• Think about the big ideas in the text
• Think about the moral or lesson
• Pay close attention while reading to detect the author’s tone or slant
• Identifying the author’s perspective
Readers of poetry synthesize to get the big picture
• Reading and thinking, “what do I know now about this topic? Where is the evidence to support my thinking?”
• Reading and thinking, “how has my thinking changed? How have I revised my thinking?’
• Stating what the text is mostly about
• Having ideas about the text as a whole
• Preparing for accountable conversation
*Adapted from Daunis, S. & Iams, MC (2007). Text Savvy. Using a Shared Reading Framework to Build Comprehension. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 1)
Teaching Point: Readers preview the text and have expectations.
Materials Needed: Poems: At the Pet Shop and Skyscraper
Connection: Review vocab: poem, poet, poetry. Last week we explored different poems. Some have rhymes, beats, no beats, like a song, story. They come in different types of forms. They are written about different things and in different ways. For the next few weeks, we are going to begin studying the different ways we can get to know our poems very well. We will use different reading strategies to help us figure out how each poem is special or unique. Today, are going to preview a poem and have an expectation for what the poem will be about BEFORE we read it.
Teach: When we preview a poem, we get our minds ready to read before we even start. We have an expectation for what the poem will probably be about. You can preview by looking at the title, picture if there is one, and scan to see which words jump out at you. Watch me as I preview this text to get my mind ready to read.
Hmm, as a scan the title of this poem, “Skyscrapers,” it makes me think of…..
(think aloud of what you know about skyscrapers)
When I look at the picture, it makes me think….
As a glance at the words on the page that really stick out to me I see….. and it makes me think of ……..
You see, I already have some knowledge about what the poem will be about before I even read it! Before reading, I reviewed the text and got my mind ready to read.
Active Involvement: Now it’s your turn to try previewing a poem to get your mind ready. Remember, you can look at the title, picture and words that stick out to think about what the poem might be about or what you might know about the subject….
Choose a poem and have the kids preview the text to set the expectation for reading.
Turn and talk about what you notice.
use the poem: “At the Pet Shop”
look at title and picture and words that jump out before reading the poem
Link: During independent reading time, take a poetry book and before you read, try previewing the poem to get your mind ready. Remember, you can look at the title, picture and words that stick out to think about what the poem might be about or what you might know about the subject….When we get our minds ready, we will better understand what the reading is about.
Teaching Share: Let 2-3 children share how they previewed to get their minds ready to read.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE ( DAY 2)
Teaching Point: Readers of poetry locate themselves in the text to ponder what they are reading.
Materials Needed: Electric pencil sharpener, two pencils, chart paper, poem” Pencil Sharpener” and “Ceiling” by Zoe Ryder White
Connection: Yesterday we learned about previewing the text in order to help us get ready to read poetry…Today we are going to use our prior knowledge to ask ourselves what we already know about the topic.
Teach: *Write on chart paper.
Pencil Sharpener
I think there are a hundred bees
Inside the pencil sharpener
And they buzz
And buzz
and buzz
until my point
is sharp
Model Verbal Think Aloud-
1. Display title only. Ask, hmm, what do I know about this title, “Pencil Sharpener”. Get electric pencil sharpener- oh let me sharpen my pencil. I hear noises. Ph let me look at my pencil before and after…this modeling zooms their thinking process to activate their prior knowledge.
2. 2. Read poem 1-2 times. Connect it to prior knowledge. Sharpen another pencil to hear buzzing of bees.
Did you notice how I thought aloud what I knew about my prior knowledge of the pencil sharpener?
Active Involvement:
Display:
Ceiling
The Ceiling
is the sky
for the classroom
Now it’s your turn to try. Read as class. Turn and talk. Using your prior knowledge, discuss poem with your partner.
Link: Students work in partnerships. Read poem together, “The Brave Ones”, by Eloise Greenfield, using prior knowledge.
Teaching Share: Call on a few students who correctly practiced the strategy.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 4)
Teaching Point: Readers of poetry infer to dig deeper. They think about the big ideas, moral or lesson.
Material Needed: Fambly Time by Eloise Greenfield (from Night on Neighborhood Street)
Connection: Yesterday, we learned that readers of poetry envision to fill in the picture. They think about what they see as they read—like making a movie in their mind. Today We are going to learn that readers of poetry infer to dig deeper. That means that we read and think about the big idea, moral or lessons that are learned from reading the poem.
Teach: Watch me as I read Fambly time and read to dig deeper to think about the bigger idea, the moral or lesson of the poem.
Read once straight through.
Second reading, think aloud, modeling how readers of poetry read to dig deeper to think about the bigger idea, the moral or lesson of the poem.
Examples:
When the Robinsons gather
Just before Bed
Then kids in Pajamas
The homework’s been read
This makes me think that the family named the Robinsons are all sitting in their pajamas, gathered together at bedtime. All the children have finished doing their homework and I can picture that dinner has been eaten and baths have been taken. This makes me think that bedtime is an important family time in the Robinson family.
It’s time for the family to have some fun
“It’s fambly time!”
Says the littlest one.
I picture a little child, maybe 2 or 3 years old who is very excited to play with her fambly. The word fambly makes me laugh because that’s how a really little kid speaks. The author, Eloise Greenfield, wrote this in a way that makes this time feel really playful. Look it even says it’s time to have some fun! This makes me think even more that the poem is really about how family bedtime can be fun and important.
Active Involvement:
Now it’s your turn to try. I’m going to read the next few lines and you can turn and talk to your partner and think about what this part is about and what the bigger idea, lesson or moral the author is trying to teach us.
They come from work
they come from play
they get together
at the end of the day
Turn and talk
Share
For singing and guessing
And games of rhyme
For jokes and jacks
and pantomime
and the little one calls it
“Fambly time!”
Turn and talk
Share
Link: Today, when you’re reading. You can stop and think about what happening in poem. Then you can read to dig deeper to think about the bigger idea, the moral or lesson of the poem.
Share: 2-3 kids who inferred by digging deeper to think about the big idea, moral or lesson.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 5)
Teaching Point: Readers of poetry synthesize to get the big picture.
Material Needed: Whatif by Shel Silverstein
Connection: Yesterday, we learned that readers of poetry infer to dig deeper. We learned to read and think about the big idea, moral or lessons that are learned from reading the poem.
Today we are going to learn that another way to dig deeper is to synthesize to get the big picture—to figure out what the poem is really all about. Readers, we read and think about what we are reading, what we know about the topic and notice what it’s mostly about.
Teach: Watch me as I read Whatif by Shel Silverstein and think about what I know about the topic and what it’s mostly about.
Read once straight through.
Second reading, think aloud modeling how readers of poetry read thinking about what they know about the topic and what it’s mostly about.
Examples:
What if I’m dumb in school
This reminds me of the time I had forgotten there was a test in school one day. I was not prepared and failed. I felt so dumb in front of my friends in school that day. This part is mostly about being worried about how people think of you if you don’t do a good job.
What if I start to cry
This reminds me of the time when I raised my hands to answer a question in class and instead of saying the answer I started to cry. From then on I got worried I would start to cry instead of just saying what I wanted to say. This is mostly about being so nervous about not doing a good job.
Active Involvement: Now it’s your turn to try. You can pick one line from the poem where you will dig deeper to think about what you know about the topic. What does it make you think of? What is that part really or mostly about?
Turn and talk.
Share 1-2 examples.
Now that we’ve read and talked about the different parts of the poem, what can we say the poem is mostly or all about? Turn to your partner and talk, “this is about …”
(A kid who is having nighttime anxiety thinking about the things that worries him/her—the whatifs!)
Link: Today, when you’re reading, you can stop to synthesize or dig deeper to think about what you know about the topic. What does it make you think of? What is that part really or mostly about? Remember, when we synthesize to get the big picture, we learn what the poem is really or mostly about.
Share: 2-3 kids who synthesized to get the big picture.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 6)
Teaching Point: Readers of poetry preview the text and have expectations
Materials Needed: The Sidewalk Racer by Lillian Morrison & The Brave Ones by Eloise Greenfield
Connection: A few days ago we launched our poetry unit during reading workshop. For the past several days we have been exploring poetry and talking about what poems are and the different kinds of poems we notice. Today we are going to learn that really good readers preview a poem before they even begin to get their minds ready to read.
Teach:
Watch me as I preview the poem Sidewalk Racer by Lillian Morrison. Watch how I
• scan the page
• point out any features I notice
• define the genre
• get myself ready by expecting what the poem is going to be about
Model previewing the text and having expectations….
• Sidewalk racer—hmm what are things that race on a sidewalk? Roller skates or blades, bikes, tricycles, etc..
• Looking at the structure, I notice there are no sentences. It’s a poem.
• Interesting words…asphalt sea, driver and wheel… may be a lot of motion
Read the poem and model how you constantly check in whether expectations were accurate or not.
Active Involvement:
It’s your turn to try. You are going to preview The Brave Ones by Eloise Greenfield to set some expectation for what you are going to read. More specifically, you will
• scan the page
• point out any features you notice
• define the genre
• get yourself ready by asking yourself, “What is this going to be about?”
(Turn and talk)
Link:
Today and everyday when you are reading, you can preview the text to get yourself ready to read. If you have an idea of what to expect before you read, you will read and understand your reading better.
Teaching Share:
Select 2-3 students to share how they previewed the text and how it helped them as readers.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 7)
Teaching Point: Readers think about what they know about a part of the poem while reading. They stop and ponder at what they are reading.
Materials Needed: TC book page 82. Poem Inside My Heart by Zoe Ryder White
Connection: Yesterday we learned readers of poetry set the purpose of their reading before they even start. Today we are going to learn that readers think about a part of the poem while reading. They stop and ponder at what they are reading.
Teach:Today you are going to watch me as I think about what I know about this poem “Inside My Heart. (Model first half of the poem) Say what you’re visualizing or making a connection. How do the connections help us better understand the poem.
Active Involvement: Now it is your turn to try it. (Use 2nd half of the poem) read rest of the poem and have them turn and talk.
Link: When you go off and read poems don’t forget to stop and think about a part of the poem and ponder about what you are reading.
Teaching Share: Select 2-3 readers who demonstrated stop and ponder.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 8)
Teaching Point: Readers of poetry envision to fill in the picture by thinking about what the poet is NOT telling you.
Materials Needed:
Connection:
Teach:Watch ne as I read the first part of this poem. What is {Shel Silverstein} saying and NOT saying? Let me show you the picture is in my mind. I’m picturing, the…..
read two more lines. Fill in other parts of what you’re imagining- what he is NOT telling you in order to make sense of what IS being said.
*Pick a strong poem that gives kids access…ie
Messy Room, p. 35 of A light in the Attic
Sick, p. 55-56, Where the sidewalks Ends
My Mother says I’m sickening, Jack Prelutsky
Active Involvement:Turn and talk to your partner. Tell them what you are picturing in your mind.
Link: Children work in partnerships using one or two poems. Have the children find three places the EVOKE strong images. Be prepared to talk about those places.
Teaching Share: Share different images. Discuss the differences between the SAME lines. Good readers envision what the author is saying but they also think about some things the author is NOT saying by thinking what they know about the topic.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 9)
Teaching Point: Readers of poetry infer to dig deeper. They think about the big ideas, morals or lessons.
Materials Needed: Repeat poem from Day 8.
Connection: Yesterday we learned how readers of poetry envision to fill in the picture. Today I’m going to show you how good readers f poetry infer to dig deeper. They think about the big ideas, morals or lessons.
Teach:Today we are going to learn how readers of poetry infer or figure out what the poem is really about by digging deeper. Readers think about big ideas, morals or lessons- the more they read or the more information they get as they are reading.
Today I’m going to re-read __________, the poem we read yesterday. Today I’m going to dig deeper and figure out what the poem is MOSTLY about. What’s the big idea, moral or lesson the author wants me to walk away with? (Read aloud and model think aloud of inferring what the poem is mostly about.
Read half the poem and share with students what the poem is mostly about.
Active Involvement:
Listen to the rest of the poem. Turn and tell your partner what you think the poem is mostly about! What might the author want you to learn? (Is there a moral or a lesson?)
Link: Children work in partnerships using one or two poems. Read poem. Infer what poem is MOSTLY about or what the author wants to teach you.
Teaching Share: Share inferences.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 10)
Teaching Point: Readers of poetry synthesize to get the big picture.
Materials Needed: “The New Kid on the Block” by Jack Prelutsky.
Connection: Yesterday we learned how to dig deeper. WE thought about the big idea, moral or lesson. Today we are going to learn how good readers of poetry synthesize or monitor how their thinking is changing throughout the poem.
Teach: Watch me as I read the poem The New Kid on the Block. As I read, notice how I keep track of my thinking. Read the first half of poem, stopping to do ‘think aloud’.
I’m picturing this kid…and he is so big…and ….
Active Involvement: Read the 2nd half. Turn and talk to your partner and share your thinking w. your partner. How did my thinking change? What did I learn from reading this poem? My thinking changed because _______... How have I revised my thinking?
Link: When you go off and read poems, discuss in partners how your thinking changed from the beginning to the end of the poem. {First I thought this, but then I realized, or it changed….}
Teaching Share: Select 2-3 kids that synthesized to get the big picture.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 11)
Teaching Point: Readers reflect on how strategies help them as readers (PREVIEWING)
Materials Needed: Sky scrape Cityscape Poetry Book 74th Street by Myra Livingston, student notebooks
Connection: We’ve spent the last 2 weeks talking about these 5 strategies that readers of poetry use all the time: previewing, envisioning, locating oneself in the text (text-self), questioning, inferring, and synthesizing.
Today I want to teach you how readers reflect on what they did as readers that day and how the strategy they used helped them as readers.
Teach: (Previewing) 74th street poem
Watch me as I preview the text 74th street. I see a picture of kids playing; maybe this is taking place on 74th str. Etc. (Use pictures, title, key words)
Preview/Pretend I’m writing in a notebook (use chart paper)
I think the poem 74th Str. By Myra Livingston is going to be about kids playing in the street on 74th Str. on a sunny day and the activities that they do.
Students preview text: (write in notebook what they think)
What do you think the poem is going to be about?
Read poem Aloud to class.
Discuss poem
Reflection:
Now in my notebook I am going to think about HOW did previewing the text help me as a reader?
(Write down in front them)
Previewing the text helped me to get ready for the reading. When I pictured 74th Str., I’ve never been to 74th Str., but I envisioned a street, sidewalk, brownstones, and kids playing outside. It got my mind ready to read b/c when I read the poem about a girl playing in the street I saw how previewing helped me to get ready to read the text.
STUDENTS REFLECT IN THEIR NOTEBOOKS.
(Students write in their notebooks their reflection)
Active Involvement:
Kids do during mini lesson
Link:
Pick a poem book w/their partner and pick their own poem
Teaching Share:
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 12)
Teaching Point: Readers reflect on how strategies help them as readers (LOCATING ONESELF IN THE TEXT)
Materials Needed:Skyscrape City Scrape Poetry Book: 74th street, by Myra C. Livingston
Connection: Yesterday we worked on how previewing a poem helped us to understand the poems we read. Not only are we going to work on the strategy “connecting myself to the text”, we are going to think deeply about how using this strategy helps us as readers.
Teach: Watch me as a read the poem and connect the text to myself. Fill out chart below:
|Excerpt from text |Connect myself to the text |Use the strategy |How does this help me? |
|“Flops over backwards” |This reminds me of when I tried |I picture the character in my |By connecting myself to the text by|
| |skiing for the first time. |mind- I see her falling over just |remembering about the first time I |
| | |like I did. |tried skiing, I understood what the|
| | | |character must have been thinking. |
|“Falls and smacks her hands”|This reminds me of when I fell |I understood how the character |I can understand what the author is|
| |off my bike and landed in a |feels because I had a similar |saying about the character because |
| |pricker bush. |experience! |of my own experience. |
| | | | |
| | | | |
Active Involvement: Turn and talk. Students try it with “falls and skins your knees-
1. Tell partner a similar experience you had
2. How did thinking of this example help you understand?
Link: Whenever you read a poem, think about a similar experience you may have had in your own life. We do this to help us understand what the author is trying to say. When you go back to your seats, you are going to do the same thing. You are going to:
1) Think about a similar experience that you’ve had. Write it down!
2) Then, I want you to reflect about how this helps you understand the poem.
Share: Select 2-3 students who discussed how reading strategies helped them as readers.
[pic]POETRY READING 2nd GRADE (DAY 13)
Teaching Point: Readers reflect on how strategies help them as readers (LOCATING ONESELF IN THE TEXT)
Materials Needed: Sky scrape Cityscape Poetry Book 74th Street by Myra Cohn Livingston, student notebooks
Connection: Yesterday we learned how readers reflect on what we did as readers (previewing) and how that strategy helped us as a reader. Today we are going to focus on envisioning, making pictures inside our minds.
Teach: Today we’re going to continue learning about how these strategies help us as readers. Today we are going to focus on envisioning, making pictures in our mind.
(Read whole poem to the class to remind the students.)
Model first part of the poem where the girl puts the skates on. What is she thinking/feeling? Read part aloud and sketch/write about it. (stop reading when it says falls down and smacks hand) How did envisioning help me as a reader?
Active Involvement: Students will practice the second section of the poem. Read next part of poem to students twice before the turn and talk.
(stop at “skins her knee”)
Turn/talk. Picture what you see, think, feel.
Link:Students go off to independent reading to practice envisioning. “It’s your turn to practice envisioning.”
At the end of the link take 5 minutes to write down how envisioning helped you understand the lines of the poem. (Students will need their notebook.)
Share: Select 2-3 students to share how they envisioned and how it helped them as readers.
Second Grade
Poetry Unit
Anthology of Poems
At the Pet Shop
I stopped at the pet shop,
Pressed my nose up to the glass—
Saw a bunch of wiggles
Behind that dirty glass—
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
Wiggle yourselves free!
Wiggle through that dirty glass,
Come on home with me!
Skyscrapers
By Dennis Lee
Skyscraper, skyscraper,
Scrape me some sky:
Tickle the sun
While the stars go by.
Tickle the stars
While the sun’s climbing high,
Then skyscraper, skyscraper
Scrape me some sky.
Ceiling
By Zoe Ryder White
The Ceiling
is the sky
for the classroom
Pencil Sharpener
by Zoe Ryder White
Pencil Sharpener
I think there are a hundred bees
inside the pencil sharpener
and they buzz
and buzz
and buzz
until my point
is sharp
Fambly Time
By Eloise Greenfield
When the Robinsons gather
Just before bed
Then kids in pajamas
The homework’s been read
It’s time for the family to have some fun
“It’s fambly time!”
Says the littlest one
They come from work
They come from play
They get together
At the end of the day
For singing and guessing
And games of rhyme
For jokes and jacks
And pantomime
And the little one calls it
“Fambly time!”
What if
By Shel Silverstein
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all nightlong
And sang their same old What if song:
Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there’s poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightening strikes me?
Whatif I don’t grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won’t bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don’t grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems swell, and then
The nighttime Whatifs strike again!
The Sidewalk Racer
By Lillian Morrison
Skimming
an asphalt sea
I swerve, I curve, I
sway; I speed to whirring
sound and inch above the
ground; I’m the sailor
and the sail, I’m the
driver and the wheel
I’m the one and only
single engine
human auto
mobile.
The Brave Ones
By Eloise Greenfield
We hear the bell clanging
we come in a hurry
we come with your ladders and hoses
our hoses
we come in a hurry
to fight the fire
the smother the smoke
the smoke
we don’t have much time
we climb, we spray
we are the brave ones who save
who save
we are the brave ones who save
Inside My Heart
By Zoe Ryder White
Inside my heart lives
one birthday party
two jazz bands
three wrestling puppies
four dancing birds
five laughing babies
six blasting spaceships
seven lucky fireflies and
a sky full of stars.
The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky
There’s a new kid on the block,
And boy, that kid is tough,
That new kid punches hard,
That new kid plays real rough,
That new kid is big and strong,
With muscles everywhere,
That new kids tweaked my arm,
That new kid pulled my hair.
That new kid likes to fight
And picks on all the guys,
That new kid scares me some,
(that new kid’s twice my size).
That new kid stomped my toes,
That new kid swiped my ball,
That new kid’s really bad,
I don’t care for HER at all.
74th Street
By Myra Cohn Livingston
Hey, this little kid gets roller skates.
She puts them on.
She stands up and almost
flops over backwards.
She sticks out a foot like
she’s going somewhere and
falls down and
smacks her hand. She
grabs hold of a step to get up and
sticks out the other foot and
slides about six inches and
falls and
skins her knee.
And then, you know what?
She brushes off the dirt and the
blood and puts some
spit on it and then
sticks out the other foot
again.
THE CREATURE IN THE CLASSROOM
By Jack Prelutsky
From THE BABY UGGS ARE HATCHING
It appeared inside our classroom
at a quarter after ten,
it gobbled up the blackboard,
three erasers and a pen.
It gobbled teachers apple
and it bopped her with the core.
“How dare you!” she responded.
“You must leave us...there’s the door.”
The creature didn’t listen
but described an arabesque
as it gobbled all her pencils,
seven notebooks and her desk.
Teacher stated very calmly,
“Sir! you simply cannot stay.
I’ll report you to the principal
unless you go away!”
But the thing continued eating,
it ate paper, swallowed ink.
As it gobbled up our homework,
I believe I saw it wink.
Teacher finally lost her temper.
“OUT!” she shouted at the creature.
The creature hopped beside her
and GLOPP...it gobbled teacher.
WHEN DADDY CARVES THE TURKEY
By Jack Prelutsky
From IT’S THANKSGIVING
When Daddy carves the turkey,
it is really quite a site.
I know he tries his hardest,
but he never does it right.
He makes a fancy show of it
before he starts to carve,
and stabs in all directions
while we’re certain that we’ll starve.
He seems to take forever
as we sit and shake our heads
by the time he’s finished slicing
he’s reduced the bird to shreds.
He yells as loud as thunder
just before he’s finally through
for when Daddy carves the turkey,
Daddy carves his finger too.
WHEN DADDY SAT ON THE TOMATOES
By Jack Prelutsky
From A PIZZA THE SIZE OF THE SUN
When Daddy sat on the tomatoes
that somebody put on his chair,
he shot from that seat like a rocket
and practically flew through the air.
I thought he would go through the ceiling
“Who did that! Who did that!” he roared.
If there were awards for conniptions,
then he would have won an award.
He ranted all over the kitchen
and did a ridiculous dance.
He really was something to look at.
tomato all over his pants.
He raved like a ruffled old rooster,
he growled like a furious bear,
the time he sat on the tomatoes
that somebody put on his chair.
I WISH MY FATHER WOULDN’T TRY TO FIX THINGS ANYMORE
By Jack Prelutsky
From SOMETHING BIG HAS BEEN HERE
My father’s listed everything
he’s planning to repair,
I hope he won’t attempt it,
for the talent isn’t there,
he tinkered with the toaster
when the toaster wouldn’t pop,
now we keep it disconnected,
but we cannot make it stop.
He fiddled with the blender,
and he took the top apart,
the clock isn’t running backward,
and the blender would not start,
every windowpane he’s puttied
now admits the slightest breeze,
and he’s half destroyed the furnace,
if we’re lucky, we won’t freeze.
The TV set was working,
yet he thought he’d poke around,
now the picture’s out of focus,
and there isn’t any sound,
there’s a faucet in the basement
that had dripped one drop all year,
since he fixed it, we can’t find it
without wearing scuba gear.
I wish my father wouldn’t try
to fix things anymore,
for everything he’s mended
is more broken than before,
if my father finally fixes
every item on his list,
we’ll be living in the garden
for our house will not exist.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER DEAREST
By Jack Prelutsky
from SOMETHING BIG HAS BEEN HERE
Happy birthday, Mother dearest,
we made breakfast just for you,
a watermelon omelette,
and a dish of popcorn too,
a cup of milk and sugar,
and a slice of blackened toast,
happy birthday, Mother dearest,
you’re the one we love the most.
LOUDER THAN A CLAP OF THUNDER
By Jack Prelutsky
from THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Louder than a clap of thunder,
louder than an eagle screams,
louder than a dragon blunders,
or a dozen football teams,
louder than a four-alarmer,
or a rushing waterfall,
louder than a knight in armor
jumping from a ten-foot wall.
Louder than an earthquake rumbles,
louder than a tidal wave,
louder than an ogre grumbles
as he stumbles through his cave,
louder than stampeding cattle,
louder than a cannon roars
louder than a giant’s rattle,
that’s how loud my father SNORES!
MA, DON’T THROW THAT SHIRT OUT
By Jack Prelutsky
From THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Ma! Don’t throw that shirt out,
it’s my all-time favorite shirt!
I admit it smells peculiar,
and is stained with grease and dirt,
that it’s missing half its buttons,
and has got so many holes
that it might have been infested
by a regiment of moles.
Yes! I know that I’ve outgrown it,
that it’s faded and it’s torn,
I can see the sleeves are frazzled,
I’m aware the collar’s worn,
but I’ve had that shirt forever,
and I swear that I’ll be hurt
if you dare to throw that shirt out–
IT’S MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE SHIRT!
MY MOTHER MAKES ME CHICKEN
By Jack Prelutsky
From A PIZZA THE SIZE OF THE SUN
My mother makes me chicken,
her chicken makes me cough.
I wish that when she made it,
she took the feathers off.
THE MISTLETOE
By Jack Prelutsky
From IT’S CHRISTMAS
Mommy,
Daddy,
quick!
Let’s go
and stand
beneath
the mistletoe.
You kiss me
and I’ll kiss you,
here comes Sister,
kiss her too.
Mommy,
Daddy,
quick!
Let’s go
and stand
beneath
the mistletoe.
A VALENTINE FOR MY TEACHER
By Jack Prelutsky,
from IT’S VALENTINES DAY
My teacher’s very special
so I’m making her a heart,
a valentine that’s sure to be
a proper work of art.
I’ve worked on it all morning
so it should be ready soon,
I’d like to slip it on her desk
before this afternoon.
It’s colored in with crayons
and it’s trimmed with paper lace,
it has flowers, hearts, and cupids–
I can’t wait to see her face.
I WONDER WHY DAD IS SO THOROUGHLY MAD
By Jack Prelutsky
From THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
I wonder why Dad is so thoroughly mad,
I can’t understand it at all,
unless it’s the bee still afloat in his tea,
or his underwear pinned to the wall.
Perhaps it’s the dye on his favorite tie,
or the mousetrap that snapped in his shoe,
or the pipeful of gum that he found with his thumb,
or the toilet sealed tightly with glue.
It can’t be the bread crumbled up in his bed,
or the slugs someone left in the hall,
I wonder why Dad is so thoroughly mad,
I can’t understand it at all.
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