POEMS
FOR
Perfect Poems With Strategies for Building Fluency: Grades 1-2
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
R E P E AT E D R E A D I N G S
Tiny Tim
—TRADITIONAL
I had a little turtle,
His name was Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub,
To see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap.
Tiny Tim was choking
On the bubbles in his throat!
In came the doctor,
In came the nurse,
In came the lady
With the alligator purse.
Continued
64
Perfect Poems With Strategies for Building Fluency: Grades 1-2
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
POEMS
FOR
R E P E AT E D R E A D I N G S
They pumped out all the water,
They pumped out all the soap,
They popped the airy bubbles
As they f loated from his throat.
Out went the doctor,
Out went the nurse,
Out went the lady
With the alligator purse!
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Instructional Routine
POEMS
—TRAD
Scholastic Teach
ing Resources
for Building Fluenc
y: Grades 1–2
With Strategies
POEMS
ITION
AL
TO
GNITI
BUILD RECO
ON OF
PHONICS P
AND
AT T E R N S
DS
SIGHT WOR
Te r r ific
To e s
With
Perfect Poems
y: Grades
Building Fluenc
Strategies for
1–2
ing
Scholastic Teach
Resources
—TRADI
STEP 5: Provide time throughout the week for students to
practice reading aloud their poems. Circulate and listen in.
Provide feedback on key aspects of fluent reading. Then, allow
students to share their readings at the end of the week.
L
TIONA
s,
terrif ic toe
I have such
es.
erever I go
with me wh
I take them
t,
fantastic fee
I have such
t.
ll smell swee
at, they sti
No matter wh
s,
toe
d
an
t
t and fee
Toes and fee
se.
f ine as tho
ng else as
There’s nothi
53
POEM
S FO
R
REPEA
TED
Te n i n
the B
ed
—AN
READI
NGS
ONY
MOU
S
There
were
ten in
and th
the b
e little
ed
one sa
“Roll o
id,
ver, ro
ll over.
”
So the
y all ro
lled o
Four h
ver and
it the
four fe
f loor
and g
ll out.
ave a
They k
shout!
ept on
rolling
Three
a
nd
hit the
three
f loor
fell out
and g
.
They
ave a
kept
shout!
on ro
lling a
Two h
nd tw
it the
o fell
f loor
out.
and g
ave a
There
shout!
was o
ne in
and th
th
e bed
e little
one sa
“Good
id,
night!
”
Schola
stic Tea
ching
Resour
ces
Perfect
Poems
With Stra
tegies for
Buildin
g Fluenc
y: Gra
des 1–2
Poems are like language amusement parks; they represent the
works of those playing with language in rhythmic and creative
ways. Sharing the joys of written language with students is a
wonderful and valuable gift.
PHRASING
37
STEP 3: Do an echo reading of the poem. Read aloud each
stanza and have students repeat using the same pace,
accuracy, and expression.
STEP 4: Assign the poem to partners, small groups, or
individuals based on the goal of each poem. For example,
poems designed for repeated readings should be assigned to
individuals, whereas poems for choral readings should
be assigned to small groups.
AND
If all the sea
s were one
sea,
What a great
sea that wo
uld be!
If all the tre
es were one
tree,
What a great
tree that wo
uld be!
If all the ax
es were one
ax,
What a great
ax that would
be!
And if all the
men were one
man,
What a great
man he would
be!
And if the gre
at man took
the great ax
,
And cut down
the great tre
e,
And let it fal
l into the gre
at sea,
What a great
SPLASH that
would be!
Perfect Poems
STEP 2: Read aloud the poem. Highlight one or two aspects
of fluency, such as intonation or phrasing. Discuss these
aspects of fluency and model them using selected
sentences or phrases from the poem.
B U I L D I N TO
N AT I O N
If A ll
th e S e a s
Use the following routine for introducing
each poem.
STEP 1: Distribute copies of the poem or write the poem on
chart paper. As an alternative, make a transparency of the
poem and show it on the overhead projector.
TO
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Perfect Poems With Strategies for Building Fluency: Grades 1-2 © Scholastic Teaching Resources
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