The ability to hear and make rhymes is one of the best indicators of a child's future success as a reader.  Children love to play with language, and singing and chanting, rapping and clapping, are all important ways to address multiple learning modalities.  Because children learn songs and poems so easily, they're perfect for teaching Concepts About Print, including one-to-one correspondance, tracking, and return sweep.  Repeated exposure to printed songs and poems also helps children develop sight word vocabulary.

Using songs and poems in the classroom is a major part of my curriculum, in language arts and across all subject areas.  Songs and poems teach phonemic awareness -- directly and indirectly -- and help children learn about math, science, and social studies concepts.  In my K-1 classsroom, we sing and chant throughout the day!  There are songs and poems to learn the alphabet and letter sounds, the days of the week, weather, counting, colors, sharing, manners, holidays, and almost any concept you are teaching.  Music and poetry should be woven thoughout your curriculum and your teaching day, and are great as whole group, small group, individual, and transitional activities.
 
 

We read, chant, and sing during Shared Reading and Guided Reading time.

We sing songs during Calendar Time and Community Time.

We use songs and poems to learn to our names and the names of our friends.

I use songs and poems to help with classroom management ... everything from learning our class rules to how to line up for lunch.

We have special songs to celebrate birthdays and losing a tooth. I make Poetry Cubes out of half gallon milk cartons by cutting the bottoms to size, covering them with patterned shelf paper, gluing on six different poems, and then covering them with clear Contac paper.  The birthday child gets to roll the cube and I read whichever song is on top.

I also make these Poetry Cubes with Nursery Rhymes and seasonal/thematic poems, and use them as a Literacy Center.

I make Poetry Boxes by covering small boxes with Contac paper or giftwrap, then I glue a poem into the bottom or lid of the box.  Inside the box is a special pointer, and perhaps a puppet or toy that goes with the poem.  These are also used as a Literacy Center.

I use songs and poems in pocket charts -- large charts on stands and small, tabletop ones -- during group instruction and Literacy Centers.  I always make two sets of the words for the pocket chart, using different colors for alternating lines, and I cut one set up so the children can match text.

After my students have learned a new song or poem, we often make it into a class Big Book, with illustrations made by the kids.  I usually make two or three copies of each book, so there are plenty to go around during Literacy Centers and Independent Reading.

I write the words to songs and poems on half sheets of poster board, illustrate them with stickers or clip art, and laminate them.  We use them during Shared Reading and also as a Literacy Center, stored upright in a box.

I make additional copies of poems and laminate them on half sheets of construction paper, and include them in my traveling homework Discovery Packs.

I reproduce many of our songs and poems for individual Poetry Journals.  The students keep their poetry journals in their desk or cubby, for Independent Reading and sharing with upper grade Reading Buddies.  We store various pointers (popsicle sticks with the end dipped in glitter, pencils with seasonal erasers, etc.) in the inside pockets.   I've made poetry journals several different ways, and I vary from year to year.  Some of the ways include:
 

* Giving each child a 3 ring binder (my current favorite).

* Making a construction paper book -- pages bound on the Velobind machine -- that the children to glue their poems into.

* Using green bar computer paper, folded green side in and stapled lengthwise, so that poems can be glued on the pages with lots of room left over to make illustrations or borders.

I make 4 additional copies of our Poetry Journal in binders -- two stay in a classroom Literacy Center, and two rotate as homework so the children can share the poems and songs at home.

Looking for more ideas?  The free Kinder Korner Newsletter is filled with wonderful seasonal and thematic poems and songs all year long.  If you're not already a subscriber, I hope you'll join us!
 
 

I'm sure you also have many terrific ideas of your own!  Please share them with me, and I'll add them to my page.  You can send them to kinderkorner@aol.com.

A Few of My Favorite Song and Poetry Books

A Poem a Day
180 Thematic Poems and Activities That Teach and Delight All Year Long
Poetry for each and every day of the school year, with corresponding activities.
20% off Scholastic's price.
 

Month by Month Poetry - September, October, November
20% off Scholastic's price

Month by Month Poetry - December, January, February
20% off Scholastic's price

Month by Month Poetry - March, April, May
20% off Scholastic's price
 

Daily Poetry
6 Topics, including My World, Animals, Mother Nature, Seasons & Holidays, Fantasy, and Colors & Numbers.  Includes Poems of the Week, complete lesson plans, extensions into writing and phonics, blackline masters, and much more.
20% off publisher's price.
 

Phonemic Awareness, Songs and Rhymes
An excellent resource from Wiley Blevins,
with lots of fun songs and rhymes, including thematic activities and name games.
 

Poetry Place Anthology
More Than 600 Poems for All Occasions!
20% off Scholastic's price.
 

Thematic Poems, Songs and Fingerplays
45 Irresistible Phymes and Activities to Build Literacy
20% off Scholastic's price
 

1001 Rhymes & Fingerplays
An outstanding resource to add to your song & poetry library,
filled with wonderful thematic rhymes with fingerplay directions.
Well-indexed and easy to use. 307 pages.  Save $6.00 on publisher's price!
 

101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners: With Hands-On Activities
Another terrific resource for integrating your curriculum.
20% off Scholastic's price
 

Animal Poems from A to Z
An excellent resource for letter of the week,
animal units, or everyday poetry.  Another class favorite!
 

Poems Just for Us!
50 Read-Aloud Poems With Cross-Curricular
Activities for Young Learners
20% off Scholastic's price
 

Hickory Dickory Math:
Teaching Math With Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales
Scholastic says: "Your students will learn fractions while they put Humpty Dumpty back together again, develop estimation and counting skills as they figure out how many children live in the Old Woman's shoe, and a whole lot more.
Linked to NCTM standards."
20% off Scholastic's price
 

Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose:
Told in Sign Language
My classes always love learning to sign a few songs and poems!
 

Counting Caterpillars and Other Math Poems
A great new collection of 25 poems with activities to integrate your curriculum.
Scholastic says: "Young learners will love these delightful poems adn activities that teach essential skills and concepts including shapes, patterns, measurement, and more.  Includes ready-to-go activities."  I bought this one and my class loved it!
20% Scholastic's price.
 

Quick Poetry Activities You Can Really Do
Though recommended for grades 2 to 5, there are many activities here I could do with my K-1 students, especially as modeled lessons for whole group writing.  Lots of fun.
20% off Scholastic's price
 

Instant Activities for Poetry ~ That Kids Really Love!
Centers, games, group and independent work ... something for everybody!
20% off Scholastic's price.
 

Here are three collections of school-themed poetry that kids love.

 

Looking for more ideas?

My bookstore pages have lots of information on how I use various materials in my classroom, and on activities you can do with your students.  The thematic pages are complete unit resources, with lots of poems, songs, and links on each page.  Make yourself comfortable and take a look around!

Choose from the categories below.
Underlined subjects are links, the other ones are coming soon!

Top 10 Must Have Books for Teachers	Phonics & Phonemic Awareness	Integrated Curriculum & Balanced Literacy	Reproducible Mini Books for Emergent Readers	Pat Cunningham Books & 4 Blocks Books	Writing & Writer's Workshop
Reading & Guided Reading	How to Level Trade Books and others	Pocket Chart Resources	Songs and Poems		Back to School
Marvelous Math Books		Read It! Draw It! Solve It!	101 Literacy & Math Centers	What's In A Name?	Literature for Math
Friends	Family Math	I Love My ABC's	Monthly Themes	Math Their Way	Birthdays
Bears Everywhere	Down on the Farm		Rain Forest	Going Buggy!
Spring Has Sprung!		Come Into Our Garden	A Camping We Will Go!	Under the Sea	A Rainbow of Colors
Graphing  Topics	I Lost A Tooth!	Author Studies		Me & My Family	Harvest Time
	Snowmen & Mittens		Special Books for Special People reading for pleasure		Scarecrows
Coming Soon!		Nursery Rhymes		Bats & Spiders