Poetry Introduction Notes
The following notes, dated 1/6 and 1/7 respectively, document the elaborate process for introducing the poem Snowball, by Shel Silverstein, to the students in our Kindergarten classroom. It is included to demonstrate how a lesson such as this can engage many intelligences and connect with students in a wide variety of ways.
1/6, students gathered together on the back carpet:
1/6, students gathered together on the back carpet:
1) What is title?
2) Read silently to self (1st line) - who found a tricky word?
3) Read aloud together, talk about specific words
4) Teacher reads it all aloud
5) What do you think it means, it wet the bed [a reference to the last line of the poem]? Let me read it again.
6) [Teacher reads] again
7) Talk to partners - what do you think happened?
8) Share what your partner said
9) Time for you to be teacher: come up, show one word you know, and how you know it
->After some open-ended, Ms. Trusty starts giving sounds and asking students to find them
10) Reread
1/7, students working at their tables:
New poem for folders [where students keep poetry in their book boxes] (Snowball, read yesterday)
-Circle all words you know from Word Wall
-Point to the title
-Track w/ finger and read along w/ teacher
-Ms Trusty reads w/ hand gestures
-> Repeat, kids do [hand gestures] along [with the teacher]
-Illustrate what you visualize in the poem
-Put name on it, then put in the folder
Gottschalk, J. (2014, January 6-7). Observation Notes, Kindergarten.