More Morning!

Please indulge me just a bit longer as I share a spontaneous video we made at the recent convention of the International Literacy Association in Austin, TX. Janet and I read aloud one excerpt from GREAT Morning: Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud and it was so fun! Here, I am reading the scripted intro and follow up for the poem and Janet reads the featured poem, "What Does a Reading Specialist Do?" by Linda Kulp Trout--perfect for our audience of reading teachers! In just one minute, the principal (or anyone) can start the day with an uplifting poem for the whole school community!

Here is the complete text for this excerpt to show you how simple (yet powerful) it can be to start the school day with a poem.

TOPIC 21: READING
DID YOU KNOW?

What is the most frequently used letter in the English language? E. What is the most frequently used word? If you guessed “the,” you’re right! We learn to read, spell, and decode about 40,000 words as we grow up. And who can help us build vocabulary and fine-tune our reading skills at school? The reading specialist—the focus of our next poem. 

FOLLOW UP

As you read in class today, think about how you are also learning to “untangle new words, discover connections, and make meaning, too.” Keep reading in school and after school every day! 

CONNECT (Teachers/librarians can extend the featured poem with this linked poem)

For a poem about how reading can be a passageway to take us far away, link with “Secret Worlds” by Margarita Engle (page 104).

POETRY PLUS

Also share this poem on Read Across America Day on March 2.

HIDDEN LANGUAGE SKILLS (pp. 139-143)

This poem also provides examples of similes.

Now, join Catherine at Reading to the Core for more Poetry Friday fun!