Kids' Poems

by Regie Routman

Regie Routman shares her delightful selection of free verse poems written by second graders that will inspire your second graders to think, I can write poems like this too! Regie provides strategies for using kids' poems as models to guide children to write poems about things they know and care about, including the trauma of eating peas, the pleasure of reading, the thrill of playing hockey. She describes the way she invites children to study the model poem, beginning by asking kids, What do you notice? She shows how she demonstrates the poetry-writing process to children: thinking aloud and drafting poems about her own life, and then inviting children to write on their own. Includes 20 reproducible poems written and illustrated by second graders to share with kids. Perfect for classroom teachers and parents! For use with Grade 2.

Genres: Poetry, Professional Development

80 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Carrie Slade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and to the point! I have already been able to use it in my classroom. Free verse poetry is a huge hit in our writing workshop! I love all the student examples in the back.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book changed my outlook on poetry. I used to think that rhymes and alliteration were the only clear and easy path to teaching a child to write poetry. Now I can say that I'm not so afraid of having no rules, of having no set order or formula to follow. Regie has a way of reminding us how simple teaching really is and that we just need to think about clearly setting goals for our students. It's not just about rhymes, using exactly 4 words per line, and ending with a strong punch. I also love that I don't feel obligated to use conventions, including capitals.

i love
writing
in lowercase letters
only.