About this book
1. It's the end of the school year, and Jack wants to thank Miss Strechberry for being such a great teacher. Compose a letter or write a poem from Jack that shows his appreciation for Miss Strechberry.
The class could compose a group letter. With students, write a list on the board of things Jack might say or write, then have each student write his or her own poem.
2. Choose your favorite poem at the end of Love That Dog, and tell what the narrator was trying to say in your own words.
Read the poems to your students, then have them copy a single poem in their own handwriting, for better comprehension and to become more familiar with the poem. Ask them, then, to choose words that "leap off" the page, that seem surprising or especially interesting to them. Let those words help them arrive at some kind of meaning about what the poem is about.
3. In "The Apple," by S.C. Rigg, and "My Yellow Dog," by Jack, the words form the shape of the poem's subject. Write your own "shape" poem.
Possible shapes:
Tree/Christmas tree
Fish
Car/school bus
Hands/feet
Shoes/sneakers
Bear
Horse
Snake
Head with crazy hair
Eyeglasses
Food: pizza, hot dog, bagel
3. Get a collection of poems by your favorite poet. Read the collection, then select your favorite poem. Create a collage that illustrates what the poem is about.
More poets that kids might enjoy:
William Carlos Williams
Walt Whitman
Edgar Allan Poe
Frank O'Hara
Shel Silverstein
Gwendolyn Brooks
Wallace Stevens
John Ashbery
e.e. cummings
- Subjects:Death, Grief, Loss, Main Idea and Details, Literature, Plot, Character, Setting, Reading Response, Literature Appreciation, Research Skills, Creative Writing, Letter Writing, Literary Response, Poetry Writing, Writing Prompts, Creativity and Imagination, Visual Arts, Kindness and Compassion, School Life, Understanding Self and Others
- Skills:Main Idea and Details, Plot, Character and Setting, Research Skills, Expository Writing, Narrative Writing, Poetry Writing
