Poetry
Burritos are my favorite food! This delicious Mexican food has beef, beans, cheese, and more, wrapped in a flour tortilla...yum!! Some people love burritos so much that they've written some poems about them. For example:
Oh burrito, you are supreme
with chicken, beans, and sour cream.
Taco Bell has the best deals,
but FreeBirds lasts me for two meals.
Breakfast, dinner, or even for lunch,
I love burritos a whole, whole bunch.
Your Turn:
After you read these burrito poems, think about your favorite food. Think about how it tastes and how it makes you feel. Now write your own poem about it. It can be a haiku, a limerick, or any other kind of poem!
Casey at the Bat
Do you like baseball? This is the story of the Mighty Casey, a great baseball player for the Mudville baseball team. This famous poem was written in 1888. It was first published in the San Francisco Examiner newspaper.
Your Turn:
You are a sports reporter for the Mudville News. Read the story of Casey at the Bat. Were you surprised by the ending of the story? Why? Take some notes about what happens in the story. Then write a headline and a short story about what happened. Remember that a good newspaper story answers the "WH" questions: Who, what, when, where, and why!
The Complete Works of Pooh Bear
Here's a chance to read some poems, songs, and "hums" by one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century, Winnie-the-Pooh. Pooh Bear has put pen to paw to create these whimsical writings. Just click on the one you want to read, or scroll down. When you find one that you really like, practice reading it out loud. Then, with some of your classmates, read a few of them in front of the class. These writings come from the original Winnie-the-Pooh books, by A.A. Milne, written in the 1920's.
Poetry can be a fun way to play with words and improve your English! At this site, you can read lots of fun poems and learn how to write your own poems. Click on "Favorite Poems" to read the poems. Click on "Poetry Class" to learn how to write different kinds of poems. (Teachers: Click on "Poetry Teachers" for some great classroom activities!)
Your Turn:
After reading some of these poems, try to write your own poem. You can try a limerick, haiku, or just free verse! Read your poem to your classmates. Collect all the students' poems and make your own book of poetry!
Writing poetry can be fun because you can write something interesting without worrying about all the "rules" of English. At this site, you'll find a lot of words. You can drag them around with your mouse. You'll find some words hidden underneath other words. Click on ENTER THE FRIDGE to start.
Your Turn:
Drag a few words around until they give you some kind of idea. Then use that idea to add more words. Put all the words together, and you've got a poem! Poems can be about anything. They can rhyme, but they don't have to. They can be serious, or they can be funny. They can be short, or they can be long. But the most important thing to remember when you're writing a poem is to relax and have fun!
Here is a very interesting collection of poems from people around the world. You can even send your own poem to them, and if it's good enough, they'll put it on the web site. Poetry is a very different kind of English. It's about using English to create a mood or a feeling in people. Poetry doesn't have to always follow the rules. It can rhyme or not rhyme. It can use words, phrases, or sentences. You can use any style you want, and you can choose any subject.
Your Turn:
Read a few of these poems. Find one that you really like. Why do you like it? What feeling do you get when you read it? Now try to write your own poem. Don't think about it too much. Just write whatever you are thinking. Then look at what you wrote, and change some parts to make it better. When you're happy with your poem, show it to a friend. Can they understand what you were trying to communicate?
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