Elementary Poetry

Best elementary poetry lesson plans! Reading comprehension strategies with reading poetry aloud and teaching reading with poetry.

Ready to get kids reading? Reading poetry aloud has been shown to make significant gains in students' oral reading fluency.

Teaching poetry provides richer vocabulary experiences that students do not get from everyday oral language.

Research shows that using elementary poetry lesson plans is an excellent way to help students at risk of failure to learn how to read.

Teaching Reading with Poetry

Always introduce the poetry lesson by reading poetry aloud to the students - let them hear the text first and be drawn into it! Do not let them see the poem yet - just listen.

Do everything you can to make if a lively reading, using good read aloud techniques. Modeling prepares the students for the reading fluency activities to follow, as well as the comprehension piece later in the week.


2. Show the Poem and Scoop It

Display the poem on the SmartBoard (or you can use a transparency on an overhead). Read it again, using the same intonation and expression, along with actions if appropriate.

After the second reading, scoop the poem together (usually as an echo reading), and clarify any unknown vocabulary words that are essential to the meaning of the poem.

"Scooping" refers to how we read in phrases, not short words. 3-4 words is a scoop. Give a visual representation of a scoop by using your finger to scoop up the words as you read them out loud. Do an echo read after each scoop (the children repeat what you just read).

This is essential teaching reading with poetry because it provides modeling and a lot of support. You are showing the children what it sounds like to be fluent, they have the security of reading with others and it provides a way to re-read the text.


3. Hand out copies of the poem and break your students into small groups for reading poetry aloud

Keep the groups to no more than 4-5 students. If you go too large, the less fluent readers will be lost amongst the stronger ones, instead of being adequately supported. They will give up and not try, so keep it small and less intimidating.

Give specific instructions for how to practice in a group: students must scoop the phrases, use the expression and intonation you modeled and stay on task.

Visit Classroom Management for tips on training student in classroom procedures.



4. Perform the poem as small groups

Reading poetry aloud is my students' highlight of the lesson. They love to get up as a small group to perform elementary poetry.

Realize that they will mimic you and whatever your actions and intonations were with the poem. That is a good thing as that means you modeled well (hopefully!) and they feel that it is valid support to rely on and copy from.

Some students will get very creative and put their own expressions and intonations into the poem - that's great because they are applying the meaning of the poem in a way that is applicable to them (reading comprehension!). Support their efforts and encourage this.

This is resulting in many repeated readings. The students will feel confident enough to revisit this poem independently throughout the week and with a buddy. They will be taking charge of their own learning without even realizing it!


5. Reading Poetry Journals

Each child should have an elementary poetry journal. This is a composition book that will contain any elementary poetry you read as a class or poems that the students have found during their Independent or Buddy Reading time.

Have the students glue the poem on one page and illustrate it on the page beside it. The illustration could show the setting, problem, solution and/or characters. This is part of best reading comprehension activities.

Discuss the story elements before they illustrate so they know what you are expecting. Tell them what you want - it is not a lesson on guessing what the teacher is asking for. To guide you, use the summary of a story chart.

You should also have anassessment rubric to guide and assess their work. This is not a rubric for how well a student draws, but for the quality of work you expect.


6. Reading Comprehension and Word Work

This reading comprehension lesson most likely occurs on a following day.

First do a choral reading with the students to scaffold the lesson on the previous one(s). Hand out another copy of the poem along with comprehension and word work questions.

Elementary Poetry Lesson Plans

This is over 100 pages of poetry and accompanying fluency, accuracy, comprehension and vocabulary work. These sample poems are from "Teachable Poems for Fluency and Comprehension."

Chubby Snowman	Five Fat Turkeys
Five Little Pumpkins	The Cheese Moon
The Continent Song	Albuquerque Turkey

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