Poetry Possibilities -- February

Do you love poetry but struggle with how to use it in your teaching?  Do you eschew poetry lessons because your schedule is too tightly packed to allow "frivolities?"  Did you know that reading poetry is the #1 way to improve reading fluency?  What you need is a plan that allows you to include poetry in your teaching while maximizing skill building and efficiently using your precious instructional time.  You can find such plans in my series, Poetry Possibilities.

Poetry Possibilities -- February is a collection of 17 poems covering Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, and the 100th Day of School.  Each poem is accompanied by a set of Possibilities for your teaching pleasure.  For example, the following poem about Valentine's Day is included in the unit:

The Poetry Possibilities that accompany this poem are:

As you can see, it is possible to use poetry in your teaching every day.  You can incorporate it into centers, guided reading lessons, art activities, movement activities, music, math, social studies, science, etc.  If you like this preview of the product, you can find it here.

I hope you don't think I forgot about Black History Month.  In fact, I created a product, Black History Month Poetry Possibilities with 14 poems about Black Americans of note.  

You can also find a FREE Poetry Possibilities product, Poetry Possibilities -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which can, of course, be used in your Black History Month studies.  There are 3 poems about MLK, Jr. in this product.

You may also be interested in Poetry Possibilities for Winter.  It has 20 poems about winter topics with teaching points and possibilities.

I am hoping to have Poetry Possibilities for March up soon.  Until then, please remember to make the world a better place by teaching with poetry.

Valentine's Day Hink Pinks, ... Freebie

Another holiday, another set of Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, and Hinkity Pinkities.  Ever since I attended my 1st state conference for Gifted and Talented Education, I have seen, heard and read about Hink Pinks.  These vocabulary building, problem solving, critical thinking riddles are staples  in GATE.  Perhaps my decades long connection with Hink Pinks, et al, is best explained by the fact that my students absolutely love them!  They loved them when I was in the classroom and when I became an enrichment resource teacher, my pull-out students literally begged for more of them.

If you are new to the land of Hink Pinks, here's how they work:

• Hink Pinks are riddles wherein the clues lead you to a 2 word answer.  Each answer word must have just 1 syllable and the 2 answer words must rhyme.
• Hinky Pinkies are riddles seeking answers with 2 syllables in each word.  The 2 words must rhyme.
• Hinkity Pinkities are rhyming answer words with 3 syllables each.

Some teachers like to distribute these clues on a work sheet, but I continually strive to eliminate worksheets from my teaching. About 20 years ago, I started putting the clues on 1/4 sheet cards.  By doing so, I was able to create a resource that was ready to use year after year.  

Armed with my Hink Pink, et al cards, I was able to use them as an anchor activity when students were arriving each morning. They also work well as a sponge activity or at a center.  When working as a pull-out enrichment specialist, I used these cards as a warm-up activity.  Without a doubt, G/T students are enthralled with these riddles.  But, I also found that "average" students were intrigued and set their caps to solve them.   

In my TpT store, I am offering a FREE set of Valentine's Day Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, and Hinkity Pinkities.  Here's a preview:

The answer to this Hink Pink is sweet treat.

The answer to this Hinky Pinky is sandy candy.  

The answer to the Hinkity Pinkity below is valentine turpentine.

There are 24 cards in this FREE set.  Naturally, there is an answer key.  Did I mention that it is FREE?  You can retrieve your copy here.

If you like this product, you may like these, as well:

  Find it here.

 Find it here.

 

Find it here.

100th Day of School

If February isn't the most crowded month for teaching themes (Groundhog Day, Presidents' Day, Black History Month, Valentine's Day), I don't know what is.  In my district, the 100th Day of School also falls in Feb.  I typically immerse my students in that theme for the entire day with centers, activities, and book links.  In our whole group times and in some reading groups, I like to present poetry about this special day.  For example,

My free product on TpT --

-- has 4 poems with Possibilities accompanying each of them.  The Possibilities are an eclectic group of teaching ideas that range from poetic devices to guided reading lessons.  For the above poem, the Possibilities are:

To get all 4 poems and the Poetry Possibilities I created for each one, go here.  Remember, it's FREE!!  Enjoy.

If you like this product, you may wish to look at my other Poetry Possibilities products for February:

Black History Month Poetry Possibilities or Poetry Possibilities -- February.

Groundhog Day 4.0

This is the last post about Groundhog Day, I promise.  Words and word play are really my thing.  I love enticing and intriguing my students to increase their vocabulary through fun activities.  My students and I just love Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, & Hinkity Pinkities.

If you've never encountered Hink Pinks, etc., you are in for a treat. Hink Pinks are rhyming answers to riddles. The answer is a Hink Pink if both answer words are supposed to be just one syllable. If the riddle calls for 2 syllables in each answer word, it's called a Hinky Pinky. You've probably already figured out that 3 syllable answers are Hinkity Pinkities. Several years ago, my enrichment students begged to know what a 4 syllable answer would be called. Never having encountered one, I let them name such pairs. Voila! Hitinkity Pitinkities were born. Then, of course, I had to quickly create some riddles with 4 syllable answers. Good brain exercise for me!

I have created some Hink Pinks, etc. especially for Groundhog Day.  You are invited to try them with your class. Here are a few to get you started:

I've designed my clues to be on cards that I can use at a literacy center or at a large or small group meeting.  Note that the "Hink Pink" logo appears on the cards so that students know what number of syllables to be thinking about. In the above examples, the answer to #1 is deep sleep. #2 is bright light. Pretty fun, huh?

Now try Hinky Pinkies and Hinkity Pinkities. (Sorry, no 4 syllable answers for this holiday.)

The answer to #9 is rehide inside. Muddy buddy is the solution to #10.  

#17 is prediction description, although I would also accept prediction depiction. Furrow burrow is the answer to the last one.  

Your students will love working on vocabulary, parts of speech, synonyms, rimes, making inferences, and interpreting data when they are disguised as fun. Mine clamor for more everyday.  

You are welcome to download this freebie here. If you visit my store, you will see that I'm a bit obsessed with these word riddles. There are currently 24 more Hink Pink products listed here. All of these products bear the same logos on the cards and are print ready. I recommend copying them on card stock and laminating them before cutting them apart. Then you will have ready-made fun for years to come.  Enjoy!

For economy, you may be interested in these bundles:

Groundhog Day 3.0

One of the things I love to do with my students is immerse them in poetry because it offers so many teaching possibilities. Naturally you can focus on poetic structures and poetic devices.   But have you ever used poetry to teach reading skills? Because poetry is usually short and the message concise, it's a perfect venue for studying vowel sounds, contractions, punctuation, parts of speech, syllables, rimes, inflections, ....  The  possibilities are almost endless.  It's always good practice to relate these skills to what is being read.  Practicing skills in isolation may transfer to reading skill building; then again it may not.  

Each poem has reading skills already built into it.  All you have to do is look at it with a "reading skills eye."  Thus, if the poem is replete with a particular consonant blend, use it in a guided reading lesson about that blend.  If the poem has a sprinkling of contractions, devise a review lesson about contractions using the poem.  As an example, look at the following poem, noting that it has several compound words in it.

Due to the structure of a poem, it is easier for young children to locate the compound words.  If you reproduced this poem on sentence strips for use in a pocket chart, that would facilitate  identifying the compound words as a group.  With a little magic and masking tape, you could make the compound words come apart.  Alternately, you might focus on the punctuation and how it helps the reader to read with expression.  Or, you might choose to conduct a mini-lesson on the inflections -ing and -ed.

As a reading specialist, I highly recommend using poems for guided reading lessons and review lessons.  It has always been a favorite activity of my remedial students if for no other reason than they had less text to conquer.

While wearing my other hat, enrichment specialist, I developed Poetry Possibilities for my colleagues with teaching points identified for them.  For example, the Possibilities  for the above poem include:

As item #3 indicates, poetry can also be a launchpad for differentiating instruction.  Gifted and talented students deserve and require our attention, but it can be quite taxing to provide extensions for them.  I have dedicated most of my career to creating challenges for G/T children.  Most of my products on TpT reflect that commitment.  I hope you will go here to check out my critical and creative thinking products.

If you are interested in more seasonal poems with teaching points and skill suggestions, visit my TpT store here for February poems and possibilities.  You may also be interested in Black History Month Poetry Possibilities.  Just a word of caution: reading poetry is principally about creating enthusiasm for reading.  Take care not to defeat that goal by always turning poetry reading into a skill drill.

                        

Groundhog Day 2.0

It's about time, teachers, for Groundhog Day.

I have a quick primary grades project for Groundhog Day...

Make several cardboard templates of the groundhog.  Have your students trace around the template on brown construction paper, cut it out, and add their groundhog's facial features.  If the groundhog did not see his shadow, then ask your students to write that on his body.  

If the sun was shining on our groundhog friend, ask your students to trace and cut out another groundhog on black construction paper.  Glue it behind the brown groundhog to represent his shadow.  Again, your students should write about that event. 

Happy Groundhog Day!

You can get a copy of the template on Google Docs.

You may be interested in these resources for February:

Groundhog Day

It's nearly Groundhog Day and I'm hoping it will be another overcast day. Don't want the groundhog to see his shadow! Let's hurry into spring. 

Groundhog Day is such fun in 1st grade. It provides the opportunity to study shadows, obviously. But I like to use the day to launch a study of folk wisdom weather predictions, as well. Lots of kids have heard such sayings as: red at night, sailors' delight; red at morning, sailors take warning. That saying is actually based in fact, as a red sunrise means there is a lot of moisture in the air which can, indeed, indicate rain. But what about this one: 

Snow is due when the cat washes behind both ears. 

or 

 If ant hills are high in July, winter will be snowy. 

Invite your students to collect other folk wisdom about the weather by talking with their parents, grandparents, and other elders about weather sayings. As a Reading Recovery teacher, I feel strongly that every opportunity to spur verbal communication should be maximized. (Students who struggle with early reading skills too often lack verbal communication skills.) Reporting on the folk wisdom they have collected naturally leads to a discussion about the probable validity of the sayings. That, of course, promotes critical thinking a la the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. How great is that?

Groundhog's Day is also an opportunity to work on compound words. Focus on verbal fluency by challenging your students to compose a list of animal names that are compound words (warthog, butterfly, starfish, ...). After they gets their cogs spinning in that direction, switch gears to test their flexibility. Ask them to name compound words that identify animal homes (anthill, doghouse, beehive, ...). Switch categories again with a new challenge, like foods that are compound words. Clearly you can keep this going for as long as your students are engaged. All the while you will be promoting the 4 tenets of gifted education:  

1. fluency
2. flexibility
3. originality
4. elaboration

You may like these FREE products designed for Groundhog Day: