The Sound of Words: An Introduction to Poetry

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 09.04.01

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Overview
  2. Rationale
  3. Objectives
  4. Background Information
  5. Strategies
  6. Unit Activities
  7. Suggested Poems by Month
  8. Bibliography for Teachers
  9. Bibliography for Unit Activities
  10. Notes
  11. Appendix A — Virginia Standards of Learningg

Embracing the Frumious Bandersnatch: Sound, Rhyme, and Nonsense in Poetry for Young Children

Holly K. Banning

Published September 2009

Tools for this Unit:

Suggested Poems by Month

Everyone teaching this unit will probably want to make it personal by choosing the poems that are right for their class. It is not always easy to find poems by subject, so to provide ease in this, I will list suggestions by month. I will specify the book and page number or chapter where they can be found. The books will be mentioned by title only in the list. Full information can be found in the bibliographies.

September: I will use nursery rhymes from Chapter 14 of The Poetry Break by Bauer and pp. 10-13 in A Child's Introduction to Poetry by Driscoll.

October: There are many, many incarnations of "Jabberwocky." You will find it on p. 15 of A Child's Introduction to Poetry by Driscoll, on p. 53 of Talking to the Sun by Farrell and Koch, and pp. 14-15 of Poetry Speaks to Children by Paschen. You will also need the re-imagined version of Jabberwocky illustrated by Christopher Myers.

November: For Fall and Thanksgiving poems, I'll use Around the Seasons by Farjeon and the website www.apples4theteacher.com. I found the poem "For Word" on p. 29 of Hop Speaks to Children edited by Nikki Giovanni.

December: I will use these books The Story of Kwanzaa by Washington, Hanukkah Lights: Holiday Poetry by Hopkins, and The Family Read-Aloud Christmas Treasury by Low, as resources for this month's activities.

January: I found the book, Tongue Twisters by Keller to be an excellent resource for this month's lessons.

February: The most useful books I will found for these lessons are Hip-Hop Speaks to Children, edited by Nikki Giovanni, Jazz and Blues Journey by Walter Dean Myers, Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler, and Soul Looks Back in Wonder by Tom Feelings.

March: In March, it is all Dr. Seuss, all the time. Select any of his books you enjoy for these lessons. Please feel free to personalize with your favorite Dr. Seuss preferences.

April: The book I will use as a reference for these lessons is S Is for Save the Planet by Brad Herzog.

May: Poems by Sandra Cisneros and Ana Castillo can be found in Poetry Speaks to Children on pages 11 and 74, respectively. The Octavio Paz poem is located on pp.88-89 of A Child's Introduction to Poetry by Driscoll. A good source for friendship poems is the website http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/valentines-day/poems-rhymes/. The url for this site is a little misleading as it refers to valentines, but there are great friendship poems at the bottom of the page.

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