Kidspiration

Excerpt from Kidspiration Activity Book. Subject: Reading and Writing Overview Learning how to read and think about poetry is often considered a difficult and even painful task. This lesson provides a simple way to help students visualize and enjoy the poems they read before analyzing poetry. Standard Students construct meaning using a variety of interpretive strategies. Students draw inferences and make connections based on text and prior knowledge.

Preparation 1. Collect a variety of books and other resources that contain poetry. It's a good idea to include poems that use vivid imagery, as well as repetition, alliteration and other sound devices. 2.	The week before the lesson, read poetry to the children each day and discuss it informally. 3.	If the students develop favorite poems among those you read, make note of them.

Lesson 1.	Gather students around the computer. Read one of their favorite poems or choose another one that ties in with your curriculum or thematic unit. 2.	Ask the students to close their eyes. Have them listen carefully and imagine what is happening in the poem while you read it again. 3.	Start a new Kidspiration project. Show students how to use words, symbols and recordings to show what happens in the poem. The examples below use the yard and room SuperGrouper® shapes:

4. Repeat this activity several times. After you have modeled this lesson for your students, use it as an independent activity at the computer station using a poem you have selected or one they choose themselves. They might also use this activity to respond to poems their classmates write. For younger children Use nursery rhymes they are very familiar with. Use symbols and the Record feature to represent students' thoughts about the poem.

Created by: Mary Chase, Ph.D. Curriculum Designer Inspiration Software, Inc. Portland, OR