"When can I possibly fit it into my already over-packed day?"
Have you ever asked these questions about poetry? The 30 Painless Classroom Poems series makes it easy for you, the elementary school teacher, media specialist, or reading specialist, to share poetry with your students. Whether you already love poetry or you fear or even actively dislike it, these books are for you. The poems, Notes from the Poet, extension activities written by experienced classroom teachers, and tips for using poetry in your classroom will have you sharing poems in no time.
In Wacky, Wild, and Wonderful: 50 State Poems, award-winning poet Laura Purdie Salas (author of BookSpeak!, Water Can Be..., and more) offers up a poem for every state, covering a wide variety of poetic forms, moods, and topics. Extension activities by teacher Catherine Flynn share ideas for spring-boarding from these poems into deeper learning across many content areas.
Sample:
Pennsylvania: Celebrity Weatherman
Phil has no thermometers
And no advanced degrees
He only knows a cold front
By its snapping, chapping breeze
He can't interpret radar
He's surprised by winter snows
But Phil foretells the birth of spring
Because his shadow knows
? Note: Every year since 1877, on February 2, a groundhog--who is always named Punxsutawney Phil--comes out of his hole in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. If he sees his shadow, tradition says, that means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, that means winter is over. Thousands of people go to Gobbler's Knob, a hill outside the town center, each year to see Phil's Prognostication, and reporters around the country spread word of the results.
A Note from the Poet: As high-tech as we are, we still love our traditions and superstitions. I love that every February 2nd, on Groundhog's Day, newspapers and news shows still report on whether Phil sees his shadow or not. Up here in Minnesota, we ignore Phil's prediction because there's no chance winter is going to end before mid-March!
See all of the 30 Painless Classroom Poems at www.30PainlessClassroomPoems.com.
Disclaimer: For those of you collecting all my 30 Painless Classroom Poems books, please note that some information, such as Why Poetry Matters and Classroom Poetry Tips, is repeated from book to book. The introduction to the book, the poems, the Notes from the Poet, and the classroom activities are unique to each book.
About the Author: As a kid, Laura Purdie Salas devoured books. Her three big sisters taught her to read when she was 4, and she read constantly, ignoring orders from her parents to "Go outside and get some fresh air!" She grew up in Florida and heard these dreaded words year round. When forced outside, she climbed up to her treehouse or lay on the trampoline, reading. Books were magic, and it never occurred to her that real people actually wrote them.
Today, Laura is thrilled to be part of creating that magic for today's kids. She has written more than 120 books for kids and teens, including Water Can Be... (Millbrook, 2014), A Leaf Can Be... (Millbrook, 2012: Bank Street Best Books, IRA Teachers' Choice, Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Riverby Award for Nature Books for Young Readers, and more), and BookSpeak! Poems About Books (Clarion/HMH, 2011: Minnesota Book Award, NCTE Notable, Bank Street Best Books, Eureka! Gold Medal, and more). She loves to visit with students and teachers to share her joy in poetry, books, and language. She is also the author of several how-to poetry books for kids, including Picture Yourself Writing Poetry (Capstone, 2011) and Write Your Own Poetry (Compass Point, 2008).
Laura and her family live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where it's just a touch cooler than Florida!
Learn more about Laura at laurasalas.com
