In this book, you will explore the qualities of strong writing through the craft of particular poems. Depending on your needs and interests, there are many ways you might choose to use this resource, but whichever you choose, please enjoy the poems first. Read aloud together. Read quietly. Sketch or paint a line from a poem. Act out a poem. Play with words and reread. Share a poem each morning or week, collecting favorite lines. Make time to read and fall in love with texts—before you study craft. See, when we as readers care about the words of a poem, we will be interested in learning how the writer moved us. We must fall in love first.
If you’re looking for mentor texts or language to help explain a particular writing technique, use this book to add a lesson to an existing writing unit, showing students how they might end articles with a brief word or phrase or find essay ideas by studying artwork. Similarly, as students draft and revise, use this book during writing conferences, sharing model poems by contemporary poets and children as you teach students new techniques. Make sure it’s clear that the strong writing students admire in poems translates directly to the strong writing they admire in other genres.
You might use this book to plan a unit of poetry. Choose a few lessons from each chapter to tailor a monthlong or mini poetry unit, and use the mentor texts provided. If you do this, be sure to check out the books and visit the websites of the poets highlighted. The world of poetry for children is vast and beautiful, including yet extending far beyond humor and acrostics.
— From the Introduction
