Francis J. Degnan
OBJECTIVES
The students will memorize a poem.
The students will individually recite poetry.
The students will recite poetry together chorally.
The students will do an independent language arts exercise that elaborates on one of three of the poems in this lesson.
The students will be introduced to the term alliteration and be able to find examples in the readings.
MATERIALS
Each poem should be copied on a separate sheet of paper. The poems for this lesson are:
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“I Love You,” (Prelutsky,
Random
102)
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“Song of the Pop-Bottlers” by Morris Bishop (Potter,
More
Tongue 35)
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“By Myself” by Eloise Greenfield (Greenfield, 24)
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“Betty Botter bought some butter,” (Potter,
Tongue
27)
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“Listen to the Mustn’ts” By Shel Silverstein (Silverstein,
Sidewalk
27)
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“The Worm” by Ralph Bergengren (Prelutsky,
Random
127)
PROCEDURE
This is a whole class unit. The poems are to be given out one at a time. In a twenty-five student class there should be established groups of four or five student. They may be told to read quietly while the rest of the class gets their poems. Questions should be asked about the poems.
Questions for “I Love You”;
What is happening in this poem?
What are the feelings of the characters likely to be after one listens to the other?
Questions for “Song of the Pop-Bottlers”;
How many meanings can we think of for pop?
What is Pop’s problem in the first stanza?
What happens to the dropped bottles?
Then what must Pop do?
What does the last stanza try to get Pop to do?
Questions for “By Myself”;
What happens when the writer is by herself?
Can you picture yourself as the things that Eloise Greenfield say she is? How?
What are some things you ‘might care to be’?
Do things really change when you open your eyes?
Questions for “Betty Botter..”;
What is the problem that is stated in the first two lines?
What is the conclusion she comes to in the lines three and four?
What was her solution to the problem?
What happened as a result of her choice?
What are other things she could have done?
Can you make a list of the words that are examples of alliteration?
Questions for “Listen to the Mustn’ts”;
What are some things your parents tell you, you mustn’t do?
What are some of the don’ts?
What are the shouldn’ts?
What are the impossibles, the won’ts and never haves?
Why do you think they say these things to you?
Can listening to your parents result in your being able to do anything?
Or is it that you are stopped from doing the things you want?
Questions for “The Worm”;
What does it mean to turn the earth?
What do the birds come and do?
Is it fair to say that the birds like the worms that much?
Now what did the person in the poem do when young?
What does the mother think happened?
What is the rhyme in this poem?
Compare it to “Listen to the Mustn’ts”, what is the difference?
At the conclusion of this lesson the children will again have accomplished a majority of the objectives. The final objective would be to do one of the following exercises. The poem “By Myself” suggests that children may shut their eyes and be any thing. What are some of your c1ass’s choices? This may also lead to the use of the following statements: I once was . . . , I now am . . . .., and I will be . . . . The poem “Listen to the Mustn’ts” can lead to a consideration of the things parents tell their children they can not do. Lists could be made and discussions developed around the outcomes of listening to the different advice. Finally “The Worm” is fun, the question to pose is; What have you done that your parents don’t know about or don’t understand? Stories may be written or shared orally with the group. They may even be illustrated.
