Types of poems and authors
1. List or enumerate
A.A. Milne was an English author who lived from 1882-1956. He is best known for his stories about Winnie the Pooh, which were inspired by his son's, Christopher Robin Milne's, stuffed animals. In this poem, a young child recounts the previous five years and how life was just beginning. But six, oh, six is the best year.
Now We Are Six
When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
When I was three,
I was hardly me.
When I was four,
I was not much more.
When I was five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six
now and forever.
A.A. Milne
Suggested Activities
1. Enumerate:
Easy activities:
- Read the poem.
- Make a list of the rhyming words.
More challenging:
- Make a list of new words to rhyme with the numbers in the poem.
- Continue the poem: When I was seven……..When I was eight…..
Advanced activities:
- Investigate and learn 5-7-10 interesting things about the author of “Winnie the Pooh”.
2. Repetition/Rhyme
Abbie Farwell Brown was an American author who lived from 1871-1927. While attending the Girls' Latin School, she created a school newspaper, The Jabberwock, which is still being published today. In the poem "Friends", Brown shares that even things in nature can be children's friends, giving them comfort whenever they fear.
Friends
How good to lie a little while
And look up through the tree!
The Sky is like a kind big smile
Bent sweetly over me.
The Sunshine flickers through the lace
Of leaves above my head,
And kisses me upon the face
Like Mother, before bed.
The Wind comes stealing o'er the grass
To whisper pretty things;
And though I cannot see him pass,
I feel his careful wings.
So many gentle Friends are near
Whom one can scarcely see,
A child should never feel a fear,
Wherever he may be.
Abbie Farwell Brown
Roald Dahl was a writer, screen writer, poet, TV presenter and lots more besides. Most famous for his children's novels such as BFG he also wrote wickedly funny poetic re-writes of Children's tales such as Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs and others.
The Rowing Song
Round the world and home again
That's the sailor's way
Faster faster, faster faster
There's no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going
There's no knowing where we're rowing
Or which way the river's flowing
Is it raining, is it snowing
Is a hurricane a–blowing
Not a speck of light is showing
So the danger must be growing
Are the fires of Hell a–glowing
Is the grisly reaper mowing
Yes, the danger must be growing
For the rowers keep on rowing
And they're certainly not showing
Any signs that they are slowing.
Road Dahl
Suggested Activities
2. Repetition:
Easy activities:
- Sound search: copy the poem and underline words with the same sound.
- Choose one of the sounds and make a list of 5-6-7 words that sound the same.
More challenging:
-In Roald Dahl’s poem “The rowing song”, find the root form of all the ……..ing words.
Advanced activities:
Analyse “Friends” by Abbie Farwell Brown. Some students will be able to do only the first two questions and more able students could attempt to do respond to more questions.
3. Nursery rhymes
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Popular (1)
(1) The earliest known version was published in Samuel Arnold's Juvenile Amusements in 1797.
One, two
One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Open the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight:
Nine, ten,
A big, fat hen;
Eleven, twelve,
Dig and delve;
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids in the kitchen;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids a-waiting
Nineteen, twenty,
My plate's empty.
Anonymous
St. Ives
As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives,
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were there going to St. Ives?
Popular (2)
(2) The earliest known published version of it comes from a manuscript dated to around 1730 (but it differs in referring to "nine" rather than "seven" wives). The modern form was first printed around 1825.
The grand old Duke of York
Oh, The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only half-way up,
They were neither up nor down.
Popular (3)
Suggested Activities
3. Nursery Rhymes
Easy activities:
- Illustrate one of the nursery rhymes.
More challenging:
- Memorize one of the nursery rhymes and sing it or say out loud.
Advanced activities:
- Find a nursery rhyme that you remember from when you were younger.
- Investigate and find out when the rhyme was created for the first time.
- Find out what is a nursery rhyme and why are they used.
4. Tongue Twisters
A tongue twister is defined as a phrase or sentence that is hard to speak fast, usually because of alliteration or a sequence of nearly similar sounds.
Three Grey Geese
Three grey geese in a green field grazing,
Grey were the geese and green was the grazing.
By Mother Goose
Tongue twister #1
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
Anonymous
Tongue twister #2
I thought a thought.
But the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought.
If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn’t have thought so much.
Anonymous
Suggested Activities
4. Tongue Twisters:
Easy activities:
- Choose one of the twisters and read it as fast as you can.
- Who is the fastest in the class?
More challenging:
- Tape yourself reading the twister.
5. Alliteration
Alliteration is the use of the same consonant sounds in words that are near each other. It is the sound, not the letter that is important: therefore ‘candy’ and ‘Cindy’ do not alliterate, but ‘cool’ and ‘kids’ do.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and illustrator best known for authoring popular children's books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.
Luke´s duck
Luke’s duck likes lakes.
Luke Luck licks lakes.
Luke’s duck licks lakes.
Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.
Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.
By Dr. Seuss
Betty Botter
Betty Botter bought some butter,
but, she said, the butter’s bitter;
if I put it in my batter
it will make my batter bitter,
but a bit of better butter
will make my batter better.
So she bought a bit of butter
better than her bitter butter,
and she put it in her batter
and the batter was not bitter.
So ’twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.
By Mother Goose
Suggested Activities
5. Alliteration:
Easy activities:
- Choose a poem from Dr. Seuss learn it and illustrate it.
More challenging:
- Create a short poem using alliteration technique.
Advanced activities:
- Prepare a questionnaire about the life of Dr. Seuss, this questionnaire must be answered by one of your peers.
Also Visit
1. Visit "Activities for new poets".
2. Visit "Resouces for potencial poets".
3. Another unusual poet: Benjamin Zhephanian.
Who´s who
Who’s Who
I used to think nurses were women,
I used to think police were men,
I used to think poets were boring,
Until I became one of them.
Benjamin Zephaniah
Talking turkeys
Suggested activities
Easy activities:
Read and memorize the poem
Underline rhyming words.
More challenging:
Underline rhyming words.
Make a list words with the same sound.
Advanced activities:
Make a questionnaire with information from J. Zephaniah’s biography.
Write a short paragraph with your opinion about the poem.