It’s about time, teachers, to describe more ways I use poetry in the classroom.
Poetry
lends itself to guided reading lessons so seamlessly. Virtually any
reading skill can be taught through a poem. The following is one I use for
compound word study.
Depending on the students, this
poem can launch the study or allow them
to review the concept. For
primary students, I begin by demonstrating that compound words can be broken into 2
separate words. One of the most dramatic ways to explain compound words is to
write some on sentence strips and then cut them apart in front of the
group. Using a pocket chart, you can “rejoin” and “separate” the words until the concept is
clear. This is also effective in showing them why some words may sound
like compound words, but actually are not. Then
we hunt for compound words on an enlarged copy of the poem.
For older students, I would
challenge them to highlight all the compound words they can find on their
copies of the poem. Using a pencil, rather than a marker, is a good idea
should they mistake a multisyllabic word for a compound.
Using an example from the poem
above, “believe” may seem like a compound word to some readers.
However, when you cut it apart, it becomes clear that it is not, in fact, 2
smaller words. Spelling counts! (lieve vs leave)
In my next post, I’ll describe
skill lessons that poetry readily proffers.
Resources you may like:
Resources you may like:
