Teachable Texts

64. What a Day it Was at School! by Jack Prelutsky

August 29, 2009 at 9:00 am Leave a comment

Retell: A collection of silly school poems on topics such as:  homework, field trips and farting.

Topics: school, homework, field trips, libraries, food chain, history, poetry, partnerships

Units of Study: Fantasy, Authoring an Independent Reading Life

Tribes: mutual respect

Habits of Mind: responding with wonderment and awe

Writing Skills: incorporating rhythm and rhyme

My Thoughts: The poems in this collection are very, very silly–perfect for those ‘just for fun’ read alouds I mentioned yesterday.  I think I’ll read, “I Made a Noise This Morning” (a poem about a student farting in class) when my students need a quick laugh.  Though this collection is probably more suitable for younger grades, a few of the poems could be good hooks for mini-lessons or project launches.  I’m planning on sending home more independent project ideas in Science and Writing.  When I launch this project I may read Prelutsky’s “Homework” which describes a gooey experiment that didn’t go as planned.  There is a cute poem entitled, “A Classmate Named Tim,” that I think I’ll use when introducing partnerships.

Entry filed under: anthologies, Male authors, poetry. Tags: fantasy, field trips, food chain, history, homework, independent reading, libraries, mutual respect, partnerships, poetry, responding with wonderment and awe, rhyme, school.