Poems for Fluency Fun!

Hi everyone!  In honor of National Poetry Month (April) I wanted to share with you the beauty of using poems to teach fluency!!!  

I love my weekly reading fluency passages and have used them faithfully but nothing has helped my 2nd graders this year as much as "Performance Poetry Readings" with our Scholastic poetry.   I just started a few weeks ago and so far the difference has been amazing!  I pull a poem for the week to teach spelling patterns and rhyme and to model expression with new vocabulary.  Click on the book above to get your own copy from Amazon.

I usually begin on Mondays by modeling or introducing the poem for the week to the whole class.  My students practice the poem each night for homework and "perform" for the class on Fridays.  It is so much fun because they are expected to read with expression through acting out the poems or using props.  It has been fun watching my kiddos emerge from "robot readers" to "expressive poets". I suggest you give it a try with your class if fluency is an issue.  The repetition and rhyme has done wonders for some of my second grade babes who lack confidence as readers of regular repeated reading passages or just need to try something else.

Here are some links to give you ideas.  I love the article...Looking for a Great Way to Practice Reading Fluency? Think Poetry! by Julie Niles Peterson.  I read this a month ago and decided to give "Performance Poetry" a whirl with my kids.  Again, I use the poems to get spelling words and patterns for the week as well.   Poems can be incorporated into all subject areas and are so much fun for teaching informational topics!  Here you go...

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/poetry-printables

http://www.scholasticdealer.com/prodimages/sample/943826.pdf

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/18-books-poetry-month

I hope you had a Happy Poetry Month this April!-Yvonne