Creating a poetry environment

"The Village Blacksmith"

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Under a spreading chestnut tree

The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms

Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,

His face is like the tan:

His brow is wet with honest sweat,

He earns whate'er he can,

And looks the whole world in the face,

For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,

You can hear his bellows blow;

You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,

With measured beat and slow,

Like a sexton ringing the village bell,

When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school

Look in at the open door;

They love to see the flaming forge,

And hear the bellows roar,

And catch the burning sparks that fly

Like chaff from a threshing floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,

And sits among his boys;

He hear the parson pray and preach,

He hears his daughter's voice,

Singing in the village choir,

And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,

Singing in Paradise!

He needs must think of her once more,

How in the grave she lies;

And with his hard, rough hand he wipes

A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling,--rejoicing,--sorrowing,

Onwards through life he goes;

Each morning sees some task begin,

Each evening sees it close;

Something attempted, something done,

Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,

For the lesson thou hast taught!

Thus at the flaming forge of life

Our fortunes must be wrought;

Thus on its sounding anvil shaped

Each burning deed and thought!

Found at: http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/Blacksmith.htm

"Good Night Moon"

by Margaret Wise Brown

In the great green room

There was a telephone

And a red balloon

And a picture of

The cow jumping over the moon

And there were three little bears sitting on chairs

And two little kittens

And a pair of mittens

And a little toyhouse

And a young mouse

And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush

And a quiet old lady who was whispering "hush."

Goodnight room

Goodnight moon

Goodnight cow jumping over the moon

Goodnight light

And the red balloon

Goodnight bears

Goodnight chairs

Goodnight kittens

And goodnight mittens

Goodnight clocks

And goodnight socks

Goodnight little house

And goodnight mouse

Goodnight comb

And goodnight brush

Goodnight nobody

Goodnight mush

And goodnight to the old lady whispering "hush."

Goodnight stars

Goodnight air

Goodnight noises everywhere.

(Harper and Row, 1947)

Extension

Share these lines as a poem read aloud without the book. Then invite children to create their own illustrations, perhaps in small groups for each stanza. Gather and bind the pages, add the text, and make a new book version. AFTER THAT, share the original with the art of Clement Hurd.

"Thirty Days Hath September"

Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November;

February has twenty-eight alone,

All the rest have thirty-one,

Excepting leap-year, that's the time

When February's days are twenty-nine.

The Real Mother Goose, 1944

(Scholastic, 1994)

Extension

Bring in a variety of collections, have children browse through them, and then challenge children to find multiple verses to rhymes they only learned the first verse of. For example, did you know that there are more stanzas to "Jack and Jill" AFTER they came "tumbling after?"

"I'm a little teapot"

I'm a little teapot

Short and stout.

Here is my handle,

Here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up

Here me shout,

Just tip me over

And pour me out.

Extension

Incorporate music into my sharing and discussing of the poem. Also, since young adults often know so many popular songs, invite them to suggest other (more contemporary) songs to consider as possible poetry.