Sharing my love of literacy

October 9, 2009

My Favorite Poem



Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out" by Shel Silverstein
1. Visualization: I read this poem aloud twice. I ask the kids to draw a house filled with the garbage Sarah did not take out!

2. Alliteration: This poem is filled with this poetic device. It is even in the title. I introduce the concept and give some examples. Then each student gets a copy of this poem and reads it aloud to a partner. The partners then underline all the examples of alliteration. We then write our own alliteration poems.

3. Word Choice: This is a great way to teach this writing trait. First I hold up an empty mini trash can. I ask the kids to describe it which isn't easy because it is empty. I then add different objects to the trash bucket and use descriptive words and then discuss word choice. Next, I read the poem to my students asking the students to write the descriptive word and phrases that stick out. After my second reading of the poem, we discuss the word choice the author used and why. The students attempt to write their own poem with descriptive word choices. 

Happy Writing!