by Jack Prelutsky
Open this book to any page to begin your exploration. Here are poems about things that you may never have thought about before. You’ll be introduced to jellyfish stew, a bouncing mouse, a ridiculous dog, and a boneless chicken. You’ll learn why you shouldn’t argue with a shark, eat a dinosaur, or have an alligator for a pet. You’ll meet the world’s worst singer and the greatest video game player in history. You’ll even find an invitation to a dragon’s birthday party….Your friends are invited too.
Strategies/Skills Used
Reading Strategy 1: Access background knowledge.
Reading Strategy 2: Predict what will be learned or what will happen.
Writing Skill Skill 8: I re-read, reflect, revise and edit.
Lesson 1: “I’ve Got an Incredible Headache” (Poem)
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: PRE-READING
(1) Explain to students that good readers predict what will be learned or what will happen in a reading. Find several objects that would lead students to think about who could be in the poem, where and when it might take place and what it might be about. See Building From Clues.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: DURING READING
(2) While reading “I’ve Got an Incredible Headache,” stop at intervals and have students say something to their neighbour/partner. See Say Something.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: POST-READING
(3) Start by modeling the chunking of this poem. Chunking is a method of fluency instruction that helps students move beyond word-by-word reading. Chunking entails reading phrases, clauses, and sentences by dividing text into chunks. Write or project the poem so all the students can see it. Using a think-aloud strategy, model how to divide the text into three- to four-word chunks or phrases, placing slash marks where the reader should pause. Then show the students how to “read” (or pause at) the slash marks.
(4) Students can then practice reading the same selection of text in chunks.
Lesson 2: “Homework! Oh, Homework!” (Poem)
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: PRE-READING
(1) Post the topic “homework” for students to see.
(2) Encourage students to create lists of words about the topic using a semantic map, e.g. Topic: Olympics – people – events.
(3) Lead a discussion with students about what the poem could be about.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: DURING READING
(4) While reading “Homework! Oh, Homework!”, stop at intervals and have students say something to their neighbour/partner. See Say Something.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: POST-READING
(5) Show students how punctuation and other typographical signals (punctuation marks, large or bold print, underlining, and italics) affect expression and meaning. “Look for Signals” is a method of fluency instruction that helps students to focus on pacing and expression. In “Homework! Oh, Homework!” model the need to read with emotion when you see an exclamation mark, the need to pause at a comma, and the need for an extended pause at a period.
(6) Students can then practice reading the poem while they “Look for Signals”.
Lesson 3: “Oh, Teddy Bear” (Poem)
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: PRE-READING
(1) Post the topic “My Teddy Bear”.
(2) Encourage students to create lists of words about the topic using a semantic map, e.g. Topic: Olympics – people – events.
(3) Lead a discussion with students about what the poem could be about. Encourage them to use their semantic maps.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: DURING READING
(4) Tell students that good readers make connections between their experiences and the text, comparing and contrasting how the characters feel.
(5) Create a list of approximately five different moods and have students copy the list. For example: shocked, tired, confident, excited, upset, happy, surprised. While reading, have students check off the moods that they notice in the poem. See Mood Swing.
(6) Explain to students that authors often show emotion rather than telling you directly. For example, Prelutsky says, “Oh Teddy Bear, dear Teddy, though you’re gone these many year, I recall with deep affection how I nibbled on your ears.”
(7) Have students practice showing emotion in Evoking Emotion.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: POST-READING
(8) Have students practice rereading the poem the way they think the character might actually speak. “Say it Like the Character,” is a method of fluency instruction that helps students focus on expression. This process allows students to practice learning how to infer feelings, so that they can better understand the author’s intended meaning and communicate this interpretation to others when reading aloud.
(9) Ask students “What emotion were you trying to convey when you were reading?” and “What made you think that you should have read it that way?” cause students to reflect upon their reading and the meaning of the passage as well as the expressiveness of their reading.
(10) Prepare ahead of time some authentic lists for students to look at. Lead a discussion about what lists are used for.
(11) Wonder with students how lists could assist in remembering how to do a new skill. Add your ideas to students’ thinking to build an understanding of a list as a way to represent learning.
(12) Have students make a list of things to remember when reading poems out loud, so that the reader is interested.