A Peek at My Week {Spring Break Edition}

I'm linking up with Jennifer over at Mrs. Laffin's Laughings. Head on over to see what others are doing during the week.

My Spring Break is FINALLY here. Boy do I need the break. Some of my students have been giving me a run for my money. But now that it is here I'm all rested and plan on taking some day trips. Today my husband and I are planning on going to Linville Caverns! Pictures will be posted on my instagram! :) Tomorrow we are going to the NC Zoo with some great friends! On Wednesday, I'm going to visit some family. Then on Thursday one of the girls in my grad school class and I are going to observe some teachers at Ibraham Elementary School. Finally on Friday I am going into school to level my classroom library. (We had three optional workdays this week due to the snow days. I took off two but felt bad taking off all three). 

Does anyone have any ideas on the best way to level a classroom library? I plan on using Scholastic Book Wizard to get the levels. But I'm not sure the best way to organize them. 

I'm also going to link up for Must Read Monday over at Teaching Madness.

The focus this week is on Poetry.

Below are some of the books I use to teach poetry. I like to focus on free verse poetry when it comes to writing poems because students aren't required to write poetry for the CC standards. This gives them no limits and they can get used to writing in the poetry genre. In order to prepare students to write poetry I have them read a variety of poetry forms for weeks before we start writing. In Katie Ray Woods's book Study Driven she called this the immersion stage.With that said, here are some books the students have been using to immerse themselves in the poetry genre .

Here is the Amazon description: 

The wind and I play

tug-of-war with my new kite.
The wind is winning.

When you’re a guy, nature is one big playground—no matter what the season. There are puddles to splash in the spring, pine trees to climb in the summer, maple seeds to catch in the fall, and icicles to swordfight with in the winter.
       Nature also has a way of making a guy appreciate important stuff—like how many rocks it takes to dam up a stream, or how much snow equals a day off from school.
 So what kind of poetry best captures these special moments, at a length that lets guys get right back to tree-climbing and kite-flying? Why, guyku, of course!

Here's the Amazon Description:

Homework, chemistry class, food fights, and accidental farts-this book covers all the ups and downs of school. Starring an adorable cat and a colorful cast of animal classmates, Jack Prelutsky′s poems come to life in fully illustrated spreads.

Then of course you have the trusty old Shel Silverstein. It's what kind of poetry I read when I was a kid. 

Amazon Description:

Millie McDeevit screamed a scream
So loud it made her eyebrows steam.
She screamed so loud
Her jawbone broke,
Her tongue caught fire,
Her nostrils smoked...

Poor Screamin' Millie is just one of the unforgettable characters in this wondrous new book of poems and drawings by the creator of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. Here you will also meet Allison Beals and her twenty-five eels; Danny O'Dare, the dancin' bear; the Human Balloon; and Headphone Harold.

So come, wander through the Nose Garden, ride the Little Hoarse, eat in the Strange Restaurant, and let the magic of Shel Silverstein open your eyes and tickle your mind.

That's all for now. :) Please leave me comments below about your favorite books to use with poetry! 

~Susan