What's Inside?

"What does this poem mean?"

"How should I read it?"

"How do we talk about it?"

"What do I DO with it?"

"What's the best way to assess it?"

"How do I meet standards?"

"When can I possibly fit it into my already over-packed day?"

Have you ever asked these questions about poetry? The 30 Painless Classroom Poems series makes it easy for you, the elementary school teacher, media specialist, or reading specialist, to share poetry with your students. Whether you already love poetry or you fear or even actively dislike it, these books are for you. The poems, Notes from the Poet, extension activities written by experienced classroom teachers, and tips for using poetry in your classroom will have you sharing poems in no time.

In What's Inside? Poems to Explore the Park, award-winning poet Laura Purdie Salas (author of BookSpeak , Water Can Be..., and more) offers up fifteen couplets asking students "what's inside" some common objects at the park. Fifteen answering quatrains reveal the details of each item's interior or potential. Vivid language and rich nonfiction content-along with a sense of wonder and a dash of humor-make these poems engaging and accessible. Extension activities by teacher Ed Spicer share ideas for spring-boarding from these poems into deeper learning across many content areas.

Sample:

Ninth-Inning Win (answering poem to the what's inside a baseball couplet)

A bull's-eye of cork helps you punish fast pitches-

and rubber and yarn add some bounce from within

all tucked below zippers of tight ruby stitches

This ball holds a breathtaking ninth-inning win



A Note from the Poet: Did you know that every Major League Baseball has 108 stitches? I love those little lines of red. They remind me of zippers, so I called them that, even though you can't unzip them. And I used ruby instead of red for two reasons: 1) the line sounded better with two syllables there instead of one; and 2) since a ruby is a jewel, it makes me think of something valuable and important, not just everyday stuff like red.

See all of the 30 Painless Classroom Poems at www.30PainlessClassroomPoems.com.

Disclaimer: For those of you collecting all my 30 Painless Classroom Poems books, please note that some information, such as Why Poetry Matters and Classroom Poetry Tips, is repeated from book to book. The introduction to the book, the poems, the Notes from the Poet, and the classroom activities are unique to each book.