Meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the English Language Arts (ELA) with Easy “Take 5” Poetry Lessons:
The Poetry Friday Anthology is a series for K-5 and Middle School (6-8) designed to help teachers meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the English Language Arts (ELA). “Take 5” teaching tips for each poem provide step-by-step poetry lessons that address curriculum requirements.
The poems in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School (PFAMS) include examples of many techniques, forms, and elements—rhyme, repetition, and rhythm; metaphor and simile; personification; onomatopoeia; hyperbole; dramatic irony; and different forms (haiku, ghazal, sonnet, reverso, analogies, Intravista, and one-worders by Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis).
“Find a place for this book on your desk since you’ll be turning to it time and time again. You may even want two copies, one for your students and one for your own use.” (review of The Poetry Friday Anthology K-5 Edition in IRA’s Reading Today)
What Is Poetry Friday?
Much like “casual Friday” in the corporate world, there is a perception in the world of literature that on Fridays we should relax a bit and take a moment for something special. The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School (PFAMS) brings the successful and popular Poetry Friday concept into your classroom and makes it easy for you to take five minutes every Friday to share a poem.
Explore a poem, connecting it with young people’s lives and capitalizing on a teachable moment. Pausing to share a poem—and reinforce a language skill—on Poetry Friday is a simple and effective way to infuse poetry into your current teaching practice.
What Will You Find in the Poetry Friday Anthology?
The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School (PFAMS) offers a set of 36 poems (a poem-a-week for the 9 months of the typical school year) for each grade level. This is the Middle School (grades 6-8) Common Core edition; there is also a Middle School (6-8) TEKS edition for Texas (and elementary school editions for K-5).
This book provides support for educators and parents who might be unfamiliar with today’s poetry for young people and might need guidance in how to begin. For each poem you share, we suggest another poem from the book that is related in some way. Of course you can feel free to share any and all of the poems with students at any time, in any order, and in any way. The 110 poems in this book represent the work of 71 of the best poets who are writing for young people today. Those poets are:
Joy Acey, Jeannine Atkins, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Robyn Hood Black, Calef Brown, Joseph Bruchac, Jen Bryant, Leslie Bulion, Stephanie Calmenson, Deborah Chandra, Kate Coombs, Cynthia Cotten, Kristy Dempsey, Margarita Engle, Betsy Franco, Carole Gerber, Charles Ghigna, Joan Bransfield Graham, Nikki Grimes, Lorie Ann Grover, Monica Gunning, Mary Lee Hahn, Avis Harley, David L. Harrison, Terry Webb Harshman, Juanita Havill, Georgia Heard, Stephanie Hemphill, Sara Holbrook, Carol-Ann Hoyte, Patricia Hubbell, Jacqueline Jules, X.J. Kennedy, Linda Kulp, Julie Larios, Irene Latham, Renée M. LaTulippe, Gail Carson Levine, Debbie Levy, J. Patrick Lewis, George Ella Lyon, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Heidi Mordhorst, Marilyn Nelson, Lesléa Newman, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ann Whitford Paul, Jack Prelutsky, Mary Quattlebaum, Heidi Bee Roemer, Michael J. Rosen, Deborah Ruddell, Laura Purdie Salas, Michael Salinger, Ted Scheu, Joyce Sidman, Marilyn Singer, Ken Slesarik, Sonya Sones, Eileen Spinelli, Holly Thompson, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Lee Wardlaw, Charles Waters, April Halprin Wayland, Robert Weinstock, Steven Withrow, Allan Wolf, Virginia Euwer Wolff, Janet Wong, and Jane Yolen.
See PomeloBooks.com for more info, including "poem movies" and additional curriculum connections.
Sylvia Vardell is Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University and has taught courses in literature for young people at various universities since 1981. She has published extensively, including 5 books on children's literature, as well as over 20 book chapters and 100 journal articles. Her work focuses on poetry for young people, including a regular blog, PoetryforChildren, since 2006. She is the regular “Everyday Poetry” columnist for ALA’s Book Links magazine.
Dr. Vardell’s other professional books include: Poetry Aloud Here: Sharing Poetry with Children (2012) and The Poetry Teacher’s Book of Lists (2012).
Janet Wong is a graduate of Yale Law School and a former lawyer who became a poet. She has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN’s Paula Zahn Show, and Radical Sabbatical. Her 30 books touch on many subjects, including writing (You Have to Write), recycling (The Dumpster Diver), diversity (Apple Pie 4th of July), cheating (Me and Rolly Maloo), and chess (Alex and the Wednesday Chess Club).
Ms. Wong’s collections include: Declaration of Interdependence: Poems for an Election Year (2012) and Behind the Wheel: Poems about Driving (2000).
Vardell and Wong have collaborated on several books in The Poetry Friday series. Learn more at www.PomeloBooks.com.
