Hi everyone! I’m Amanda from the blog My
Shoestring Life. You may also know me from Twitter and Instagram as
MsAPlusTeacher. I’m so excited to be guest blogging today! Courtney is awesome
and I’m so glad we get to collaborate on #WeCantPutBooksDown. Thanks so much
for this opportunity Courtney!
Courtney asked me to write about some of my favorite poetry
books… I was so excited! But then it hit me… How was going to need to narrow
down my poetry collection to some of my most favorite poetry books?! This was a fun but daunting task! So, I hope you find some new books to load
into your Amazon cart or check out from the library. Here are my five favorite
types of poetry to inspire middle grade readers and writers!
Drum roll please…
If you’re teaching haiku poems then books the next three
books are where it’s at!. Haikus are wonderful because they are short and
precise and you have to really choose the best words. They’re great because I
can trick my fifth grader haters into
“writing poems” because they just have to make three short lines! My favorite
haiku models are Hi, Koo, Dogku, and Guyku!
My next favorite types of poetry books to include in the
classroom are concrete poetry books! My students just can’t get enough of
poetry books that take on shapes. They just can’t get enough concrete poems.
I’ve had to order multiple copies of each of my concrete poetry books just
because they are so popular with my students. Some of our favorites are Technically,
It’s Not My Fault and A Poke in the I. Technically, It’s Not My
Fault includes poems about Murray the Fart, skateboarding, shooting hoops
and the woes of having a cast!
The next books are my lists are some of my favorites to
share with my students! After reading William Carlos Williams’ poem “This is
Just to Say,” I have my students write apology poems. The poems they create are
always half-hearted and hilarious! To my surprise, there are two amazing books
that serve as excellent middle grade mentor texts. This is Just to Say
and Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems were just the
books I was looking for! Poems range from hamsters expressing sorrow for biting
to a dodge ball game gone too far. But perhaps my favorite is from a little
brother that just so “happens” to destroy his sister’s Barbie by rubbing off
her face with sandpaper. But he’s really sorry.
You will be laughing along with your students as you read both of these books!
I love color poems. They can be super simple are very
complex. A personal favorite, Red Sings from the Treetops. This is a picture book of color poems about
the seasons. The author crafts such beautiful phrases plus the pictures in the
book will turn any poetry hater, into a poetry lover. My students love seeing
the world through each color’s lens. The book is also great for teaching mood.
You feel the icy cold of winter and the happiness of spring! Another great color poem read is Hailstones
and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Poetry and Color.
But perhaps my favorite form of poetry to share with my
students is double voice. These poems are great for teaching voice and point of
year throughout the year and not just during a poetry unit. These short poems
are also great for practicing fluency and those speaking and listening skills!
A recent favorite is Seeds, Bees, Butterflies and More! : Poems for Two
Voices. These nature inspired poems would be great for cross curricular
connections in science.
Hope you saw a few favorites and few new to you reads! It’s been a pleasure guest blogging and
sharing some poetry love with all of Ramona Recommends’ readers!
Please leave some of your favorite poetry books in the
comments below!
Come check out who is guest blogging over at Jen's blog.
