POETRY LESSON
Flower Children

MORE POETRY BOOKS
Trick or Treat: A Holiday Rhyme
Lotsa Pasta
Bird Children
Mother Earth's Children
Flower Children
Wildflower Children
Bird Children Book 2
Mother Earth's Children Book 2
Flower Children Book 2
Wildflower Children Book 2
Summer's a Bummer
Susan
Christmas in Animal Land
I Had a Great Day
Making Spaghetti
Snow
Just the Wind
Peter Pumpkin Picker
Poetry Anthology
Trading for Lunch Money
Tread Softly
Ocean Poems
The Meaning of Numbers
How Long?
Looking for Numbers
I'm All Right
Reading Mysteries
My Places
So Much to Learn
Circle of Smiles
Winter Holidays
Making Changes: Poems about Great African-Americans
Expressing Myself
A Nation Arises
The Rabbit
Miss Susie: A Handclap Game
The Perfect Snowball
Winter Is Fun
I'm Never Alone
Planets of My Solar System
My Stars
Why Do I Care?

MORE NURSERY RHYMES
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The Lion and the Unicorn
Wee Willie Winkie
Baa Baa Black Sheep
There Was a Crooked Man
Jack and Jill
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Little Boy Blue
Little Miss Muffet
Hey, Diddle Diddle
Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat
Ladybug, Ladybug
Humpty Dumpty
Little Jack Horner
To Market
Doctor Foster
Two Blackbirds
This Little Piggy
I Had a Little Hen

Flower Children
Text Type: Poetry • Word Count: 269

Poem Summary
This book is composed of short poems about personified flowers. They are not only fun to read, but they also show the characteristics of some types of flowers. The rhythmic poetry and the elaborate illustrations make the book enchanting for children. Approximate book level: U.

Introduce the Poem
Show children the cover of the book. Quickly flip through the pages to show each illustration. Explain that you are going to read some poems. Ask children what they think the poems might be about from looking at the illustrations.

Elicit Prior Knowledge
Ask children about some of their favorite poems. Ask if they know what a rhyme is. Have a discussion about rhyme and poetry. Use nursery rhymes and Dr. Seuss books as references. Explain that even song lyrics are a kind of poetry, and that rhythm often plays a large role in poetry.

Next, have a discussion about flowers. Ask: Do you ever see flowers growing? Do you see flowers outside, inside, or both? What is your favorite flower?

Before Reading
Invite children to ask questions as you read, especially if there is something they do not understand. Tell them to listen to the rhythm of the poems. Have them try to tap to the "beat" as you read aloud.

During the Reading
Be sure to read with expression. Pause occasionally and ask questions of children. Use think-aloud strategies and react to parts of the poems by asking questions and showing an emotional response such as laughter. Exaggerate the rhyming words in the poems.

After the Reading
Reader Response
Ask children what they thought of the poems. Ask them to describe their favorite poem.

Ask a volunteer to summarize what the poems were about.

Comprehension
Ask specific questions that allow children to demonstrate their understanding of the poems. Ask: What were the poems about? According to the book, why is Larkspur blue?