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A School Year of Poems
This collection of 180 poems can be used by teachers to help children build reading skills through the enjoyment of poetry. The poems have been selected by Dr. Walter B. Barbe, and all have been previously published in Highlights for Children. The book features an introduction and teacher footnotes by Dr. Barbe.
- GenresPoetry
116 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 27, 2018
Eh. These "favorites" didn't seem all the memorable. The ones I did like: Tipped-Up Duck (13), Leaf Time (24), Crocus (47), Spelling (69), and It's Funny (76).
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October 13, 2015Title: A School Year of Poems: 180 Favorites from Highlights
Author: Walter B. Barbe, PhD
Illustrator: Dennis Hockerman
Genre: Book of Poems
Theme(s): Animals, Seasons, Sun, Moon, and Stars, Gardens and Flowers, Weather, Humor, Holidays, Family and Friends, Wishes and Dreams,
Opening line/sentence: (Introduction) Early in my teaching career, my students eagerly prepared for each monthly visit of Miss Johnson, a county supervisor, who made sure they could all recite the poem she had assigned for memorization the month before.
Brief Book Summary: This book is a compilation of poems with varying themes. The author also gives suggestions for skill-building exercises that can be used with poems in the book. There are enough poems in the book that everyday, a new poem can be read.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: (Horn Books)
116 pp. Boyds 2005. ISBN 1-59078-313-1 PE ISBN 1-59078-395-6
(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dennis Hockerman. These cheerful, mostly rhyming poems, originally published in Highlights magazine, are organized into child-friendly categories such as Animals, Weather, Humor, Holidays, and Family and Friends. An introduction and page notes suggest ways to use the poems to teach and reinforce reading skills. Frequently saccharine black-and-white line drawings illustrate this otherwise useful collection for elementary schools.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: (CLCD)
Jean Boreen, Ph. D. (Children’s Literature)
Editor Barbe begins this compilation with very sensible suggestions to parents and teachers on how to introduce poetry, based on his own career as a teacher. Besides the encouragement to read aloud to one’s child, I liked Barbe’s assertion that memorizing a poem can also be a sound choice for young reader-poets. Then, before he moves into a themed look at poetry—Animals, Garden and Flowers, Seasons to name a few—he provides additional exercises to help young readers work on their comprehension skills. Included in each themed section, then, are suggestions for when to use various skill-builders, and I found the editors choices sensible in connection with various poems. I am not familiar with the bulk of the poems chosen, although all reminded me of the gentle learning and humor that drew me to Highlights magazine as a child. The illustrations throughout the text—in black and white—compliment individual poems and support the tone of the entire text. This is a solid addition for any school or family library.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both of these reviews comment on the helpfulness of the thematic and learning suggestions in this book. The second review comments on how not all the poems are well know, and that is okay. Both of these reviews are positive. It was very helpful that the second review named a few of the themes that the book touches upon.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I like how this book lists all of the themes that the poems touch upon. The pictures are not in color, but I think that they are still interesting and get the attention of the reader because they are so detail oriented. They go along with the poems on the page which makes them that much more meaningful. This book is good for young kids because the poems are short and easy to understand.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book could be used when you introduce poetry to students. In the beginning of the book is a list of exercises that you can do with these poems, so that could be useful as well. Kids can learn that reading poems can be fun and enjoyable like reading a book is.
Author: Walter B. Barbe, PhD
Illustrator: Dennis Hockerman
Genre: Book of Poems
Theme(s): Animals, Seasons, Sun, Moon, and Stars, Gardens and Flowers, Weather, Humor, Holidays, Family and Friends, Wishes and Dreams,
Opening line/sentence: (Introduction) Early in my teaching career, my students eagerly prepared for each monthly visit of Miss Johnson, a county supervisor, who made sure they could all recite the poem she had assigned for memorization the month before.
Brief Book Summary: This book is a compilation of poems with varying themes. The author also gives suggestions for skill-building exercises that can be used with poems in the book. There are enough poems in the book that everyday, a new poem can be read.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: (Horn Books)
116 pp. Boyds 2005. ISBN 1-59078-313-1 PE ISBN 1-59078-395-6
(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dennis Hockerman. These cheerful, mostly rhyming poems, originally published in Highlights magazine, are organized into child-friendly categories such as Animals, Weather, Humor, Holidays, and Family and Friends. An introduction and page notes suggest ways to use the poems to teach and reinforce reading skills. Frequently saccharine black-and-white line drawings illustrate this otherwise useful collection for elementary schools.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: (CLCD)
Jean Boreen, Ph. D. (Children’s Literature)
Editor Barbe begins this compilation with very sensible suggestions to parents and teachers on how to introduce poetry, based on his own career as a teacher. Besides the encouragement to read aloud to one’s child, I liked Barbe’s assertion that memorizing a poem can also be a sound choice for young reader-poets. Then, before he moves into a themed look at poetry—Animals, Garden and Flowers, Seasons to name a few—he provides additional exercises to help young readers work on their comprehension skills. Included in each themed section, then, are suggestions for when to use various skill-builders, and I found the editors choices sensible in connection with various poems. I am not familiar with the bulk of the poems chosen, although all reminded me of the gentle learning and humor that drew me to Highlights magazine as a child. The illustrations throughout the text—in black and white—compliment individual poems and support the tone of the entire text. This is a solid addition for any school or family library.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both of these reviews comment on the helpfulness of the thematic and learning suggestions in this book. The second review comments on how not all the poems are well know, and that is okay. Both of these reviews are positive. It was very helpful that the second review named a few of the themes that the book touches upon.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I like how this book lists all of the themes that the poems touch upon. The pictures are not in color, but I think that they are still interesting and get the attention of the reader because they are so detail oriented. They go along with the poems on the page which makes them that much more meaningful. This book is good for young kids because the poems are short and easy to understand.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book could be used when you introduce poetry to students. In the beginning of the book is a list of exercises that you can do with these poems, so that could be useful as well. Kids can learn that reading poems can be fun and enjoyable like reading a book is.
February 26, 2015
Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed this book of poems because there was such a wide range of topics they covered. The illustrations were extremely descriptive and defined, which really enhanced the meaning and purpose of the poems for me. I also like how this book was divided up into sections and genres of poems like humor, friends and family, holidays, weather, etc... It also had 180 poems so I had a lot to read and I didn't get bored at all!
Purposes:
-Grade level: k-2nd
Read Aloud Enrichment:
-For enjoyment: this book of poems has a lot of goofy, carefree poems that are just fun to read! Some of these can be read in the morning just for a fun start to the day
-For educational purposes: There are many sections in this poem book that relate to education and can be read before introducing a unit or section.
Curriculum:
-Many of these poems can be read during a certain unit to add a fun thing the kids love to it! Some examples are poems from the animals section, the seasons, sun, moon & stars, gardens & flowers, weather, and holidays.
-These poems are mostly lyrical because they focus a lot on nature --> explain what a lyrical poem is; the students can write their own short lyrical poem
-Repetition in some of the poems; ask why repetition is used
I really enjoyed this book of poems because there was such a wide range of topics they covered. The illustrations were extremely descriptive and defined, which really enhanced the meaning and purpose of the poems for me. I also like how this book was divided up into sections and genres of poems like humor, friends and family, holidays, weather, etc... It also had 180 poems so I had a lot to read and I didn't get bored at all!
Purposes:
-Grade level: k-2nd
Read Aloud Enrichment:
-For enjoyment: this book of poems has a lot of goofy, carefree poems that are just fun to read! Some of these can be read in the morning just for a fun start to the day
-For educational purposes: There are many sections in this poem book that relate to education and can be read before introducing a unit or section.
Curriculum:
-Many of these poems can be read during a certain unit to add a fun thing the kids love to it! Some examples are poems from the animals section, the seasons, sun, moon & stars, gardens & flowers, weather, and holidays.
-These poems are mostly lyrical because they focus a lot on nature --> explain what a lyrical poem is; the students can write their own short lyrical poem
-Repetition in some of the poems; ask why repetition is used
February 18, 2014
This is a great book for a teacher. 180 poems suitable for beginning readers that cover topics like animals, seasons, space, gardens, weather, holidays, family and friends, wishes and dreams, and humor. This book is tailored to reading and writing instruction, with tips on poem styles as well as interpretation. On page 8, the author, Walter B. Barbe, includes an index of instructional themes and "skill-building exercises" that reinforce reading and interpretation skills. Themes includes "Recognizing beginning letters," "C and G sounds," "Drawing conclusions," and "Group learning" to name a few. I believe these poems would be appropriate for students in Kindergarten to Grade 2. All words are easily recognizable, understandable, and suited for choral and independent reading. Throughout the pages, footnotes are included by the author to enhance instruction for a teacher, or even a parent. I imagine that a poem a day could easily be chosen from this book for the lower elementary school grades.
February 25, 2015
Grade level: Kindergarten-2nd grade
This book is filled with poems of all kinds. There are poems about the seasons, holidays, family and friends, wishes and dreams, etc. This would be an ideal poetry book to have in the classroom at all times because there are so many poems to choose from. In my classroom, we could read a poem or two each day so the students will get more familiar with poetry.
Also, there are suggestions how to teach poetry for teachers in the introduction of the book. For example, if you want to focus on how to grasp sound and meaning you can read the poems about the Giraffe and the Kangaroo. The other options include: word and sound repetition, reading left to right, recognizing rhyming words, sequencing ideas, alphabetical order, and many more.
This book is filled with poems of all kinds. There are poems about the seasons, holidays, family and friends, wishes and dreams, etc. This would be an ideal poetry book to have in the classroom at all times because there are so many poems to choose from. In my classroom, we could read a poem or two each day so the students will get more familiar with poetry.
Also, there are suggestions how to teach poetry for teachers in the introduction of the book. For example, if you want to focus on how to grasp sound and meaning you can read the poems about the Giraffe and the Kangaroo. The other options include: word and sound repetition, reading left to right, recognizing rhyming words, sequencing ideas, alphabetical order, and many more.
February 25, 2015
As I read this I realized how great it would be to have in the classroom. I could easily choose one poem a day and read it to my class. There are topics for everything and I really do believe the children will love it. It was very entertaining and would be great for grades 1-3.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews