Thought I would share in case you haven't heard of it. Each Monday you give a student a poem, read it with them a few times, and put it away. Students take the poem home and read it to as many people as they can. Each person they read it to signs the back. At the end of the week, you see who got the most signatures, you can have each student set a goal and see if they can meet that goal, or you can set a class goal. The kids love it and it helps build their fluency and vocabulary. You can use any poem you like and on the back I copy the signature sheet. Here is a copy in case you decide you want to use it!
I think this is a great idea...do you grade this..if yes then how? Do they have to recite from memory at the end of the week for extra credit? Thanks for sharing
I am a reading coach and am doing this whole school. It is fine if they want to memorize it as part of independent work but the idea is to build fluency and phrasing so you would want them actually reading it most of the time.
This is such a wonderful idea! For one of my graduate classes, I did an activity to show how repeated readings of poetry improves fluency. What an excellent way to do it!
What grade levels do you all teach? I teach 5th graders. Would you use this strategy with 5th graders?
What poems have you used in the past. Can you give me an example of titles/poets you've used? Shel Silverstein? Jack Prelutsky? Funny poems? Serious balads? I really like the idea of using poetry for to build fluency. Any advice you offer would be appreciated.
I tried The Great Poetry Race this past year and was disappointed with my class participation. I gathered poems for each week and had them ready. It was always the same kids that were participating. Then there were several times when they were having friends sign their paper and they did not read their poems. I would like to try this again, but it will be within the classroom and not an at home project.
I found this online (of course, not sure where) and adapted it to my needs. I am going to do this for only one week of every month. The st with the most signatures gets to "perform" the poem at the month end assembly if they want to.
Attached are my Great Poetry Race Sheets if you would like...they are in Word so that you can manipulate them. I love doing this. I have been doing it for two years now and I see so much improvement in the area of fluency.
> 
08-29-2009, 06:47 AM
