Listen to Our Poems: Set 2

Throughout the year the students have been using the IPad app Hokusai to record themselves reading their weekly poems. We use poems in the class each week to  introduce our phonics focus but to also help with fluency. Below are QR codes to some of the poems they recorded. You can use your smart phone or IPad to scan the codes. I recommend using the app "I-nigma." I like this one because the students do not have to line up the scanner closely on the code. They can get anywhere close to the code and it will work.

It Began with a Frog

 It Must Be a Whale

 Jack and Jill

Miss Mary Mack 

 Money

 My Cat

 My Dog, Tag

 Spinning Spider

 Ted

Listen to Our Poems: Set 1

Throughout the year the students have been using the IPad app Hokusai to record themselves reading their weekly poems. We use poems in the class each week to  introduce our phonics focus but to also help with fluency. Below are QR codes to some of the poems they recorded. You can use your smart phone or IPad to scan the codes. I recommend using the app "I-nigma." I like this one because the students do not have to line up the scanner closely on the code. They can get anywhere close to the code and it will work.

A Hunting We Will Go

 Bugs on My Rug

 Crayons

 Drip Drop

 Friends

 Hills, Chills, and Ills

 Hot Dogs

 I Like Jam

I'm a Little Teapot

Name Alliterations

During our study of alliterations, the students wrote their own name alliterations. As a class they brainstormed words that start with every letter of the alphabet. We charted these on the Promethean Board. Then, in their journals, they used the chart to help them write their own silly sentence. Once  they were finished, they peer checked them and then  I checked them. After making any needed corrections, they rewrote their sentences on construction paper and illustrated it.

Rhyming and Alliteration Poems

Several weeks ago the students worked in small groups to write rhyming and alliteration poems. They wrote them together on scratch paper first or the Promethean Board and then transferred them to  chart paper. They then illustrated their work as a team.

Our Turkey Poem

Last week we studied the various attributes of poetry. We learned about alliterations, rhymes, and sensory details. To assess their understanding of poetry, the students worked together to write their own poem about turkeys.

Turkeys are tasty to eat,
They are juicy like meat.
Turkeys are soft and fat,
And have smooth wings like a bat.
They talk with a loud gobble,
And walk with a squeaky wobble.

The students first brainstormed as many words as they could think of to describe a turkey. They then chose six of those words to brainstorm rhyming words about. We charted their words on Circle Maps. They then chose which rhyming word they wanted to start with and we reviewed that rhyming words usually are at the end of poetry lines. After brainstorming the lines, we went back to decide where we wanted to add sensory details. The students chose to describe the turkey using taste, touch, and smell. They then divided into small groups to illustrate their part of the poem. They later read their poem to the school secretary and music teacher.

An Early "Happy Thanksgiving!"

With just two days left in the school week before our amazing holiday break, we want to wish you an early Happy Thanksgiving! The artwork that they are holding is the traditional handprint turkey with the poem "Handy Turkey."

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Thanksgiving Alliterations

This week we are learning about the different elements of poetry. To help them, we read a Thanksgiving alliteration and then they created their own. They first created three Circle Maps - one for the letter P (Pilgrims), one for the letter N (Native Americans), and one for the letter T (Thanksgiving). They then brainstormed words that they thought related to Thanksgiving and started with one of those letters. They then brainstormed alliteration sentences for each letter. Although the activity was pretty challenging for the students, I think they did a great job!

Miss Mary Mack Podcast

This week we are learning about the different elements of poetry. Yesterday we read "Miss Mary Mack" to identify examples of alliterations and rhymes in a poem. You can listen to a recording of their reading visiting our podcasting site. The students recorded their reading using Audacity software which can be downloaded for FREE.

Rhymes and Alliterations

Last week we worked extensively on rhyming words and alliterations. The students practiced finding rhyming words with the song "A Hunting We Will Go." They brainstormed rhyming words to insert in the song and sorted pictures that rhymed. For alliterations, the students brainstormed words that begin with the first letter of their name on a Circle Map. They then shared their words with the class. We wrote the words on a class anchor chart. We then brainstormed additional words for each letter of the alphabet. The students then used those Cirlce Maps and the anchor chart to write drafts of their own alliteration sentences in their journals. The students then met we me in small groups to edit and revise their sentences. They wrote their final drafts and illustrated it for publishing in the hallway. Their alliterations are very creative!