National Poetry Month

It's more than halfway over, but it is still National Poetry Month!


Quick Picks for Readings 

Elementary 

Lemonade : and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka

Both puzzles and poetry make up this fun book.  Raczka uses one word to create each poem, as the title points out.  The fun part is seeing how he gets an entrie poem out of only the letters in the word.  Sparse illustrations accompany the poems and don't distract from the poems themselves.





Middle School 

Brains for Lunch by K.A. Holt
Written entirely in haiku, this quick read will have the students simultaneously grossed out and having way too much fun.  Perfect for middle schoolers! Since the story is in haiku, the pacing is quick and make for a fast read. This is also a great pick for reluctant readers.






High School 

Street Love by Walter Dean Myers

This story of star-crossed lovers told in free verse is set against a background of street gangs and poverty in Harlem in which seventeen-year-old African American Damien takes bold steps to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated. Great to pair with a study of Romeo and Juliet  or to select passages to read aloud. 



Activity for Any Age Group

Newspaper Blackout Poems (via School Library Journal) - Give students a page or clipping from a newspaper and a black marker.  Students black out everything but their poem using the marker.  The results can be displayed in the library, the classroom, or in a hallway display to promote National Poetry Month.