Category Archives: Poem with teacher notes

“Coco Cough-not” by Celia Berrell

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Coco Cough-not

A wintery cough

can feel rather tough.

 

Persistent and hacking

it sends our smiles packing

then steals counted sheep

so we can’t get to sleep.

 

Now would you cheer up

to know help’s in a cup?

 

It turns out that coco

all jolly and ho-ho

can soothe our cough ills

even better than pills.

 

This chocolate goldmine

contains theobromine

and as we’d expect,

has no ill-effects.

 

With this coco-cough link, have a hot chocolate drink!
https://www.newscientist.com/article/1919209-persistent-coughs-melt-away-with-chocolate

An ingredient in chocolate may actually be a more effective cough medicine than traditional remedies, a new study suggests.

“Monster Veggies” by JR Poulter

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Veggie Monster – teacher notes –

Activity – Class debate on “Advertising and Prime Time TV, Their Role in Demonising Vegetables” 

Activity – Make up an advertising campaign to popularise vegetables. Research TV advertisements and  prime time TV shows to see what sort of food is promoted and how. I can think of one popular TV soapie, which has its cast eating pizza and drinking beer in most episodes. What does this say to young viewers. 

Note what sort of advertisements come on between 4.00pm and 8.00pm, the time many children, families and young folk would be watching TV. How might you use your campaign to change this?

Activity – Make up recipes with vegetables as the main ingredients – they must be delicious enough that YOU would want to eat them! If there are any vegetarians in the class, ask them to be a consultative panel and to judge the result of the class cooking attempts to make veggies into taste tempting foods! 

‘Europa’s Secrets’ by Celia Berrell

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Europa’s Secrets by Celia Berrell

 

There’s hope Europa has a sea

where living things could really be

because this moon of Jupiter

has lots of solid ice water.

 

The pictures of Europa show

a crusty surface white as snow

with many lines and ridges mixed

like ice sheets that have cracked and fixed.

 

As Jupiter’s great gravity

distorts Europa’s cavity

that energy and friction heats

and melts some water underneath.

 

We think this frozen water layer

could make a sea that’s hiding there.

So just below that crusty shell

it’s possible some microbes dwell.

 

Or what if it turns out to hold

some animals both weird and bold

that roam Europa’s chilly sea.

True aliens to you and me!

 

First published in Scientriffic (March 2011)
Reproduced with permission of CSIRO
www.doublehelix.csiro.au 

Discovering life exists in places beyond Earth – like Jupiter’s icy moon Europa – could be a reality in our lifetime.  Thinking about it makes my imagination run wild!  What might these creatures be like?

‘Mermaids and Monster Trucks’ by June Perkins

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Mermaids and Monster Trucks

Monster Truck Boys, Monster Truck Boys

they love to drive their Monster trucks.

 

Mermaid Girls, Mermaid Girls

swimming with the dolphins

go the Mermaid Girls.

 

Mermaid Girls and Monster Truck Boys

Now they go to school

Could there be a duel?

 

Mermaid Girls watch the Monster Truck Boys.

Monster Truck Boys watch the Mermaid Girls.

 

Mermaid Girls, Mermaid Girls

super diving Mermaid Girls.

 

Monster Truck Boys, Monster Truck Boys

super driving monster trucks.

 

Mermaid Girls and Monster Truck Boys

They’re playing at magic school

which has a friendly rule.

 

Mermaid Girls can play with Monster Truck Boys.

Monster Truck Boys can play with Mermaid Girls.

 

Mermaid Girls talk to Monster Truck Boys.

Monster Truck Boys talk to Mermaid Girls.

 

Soon Monster Truck Boys 

like swimming in the sea.

They’re jumping and bumping 

in the sea.

 

Now Mermaid Girls 

like driving monster trucks

as if they’re giant seals.

 

Mermaid Girls and Monster Truck Boys

They’re all cool 

And they all love school

Their friendships are like jewels.

 

Monster Truck Boys, Monster Truck Boys 

swimming with the dolphins 

now they’re Mermaid Boys.

 

Mermaid Girls, Mermaid girls

Super driving, super dreaming

Now they’re Monster Truck Girls.

 

By June Perkins

EDUCATORS NOTE:  This poem was originally written as a song, to be performed by Monster Truck Boys and Mermaid Girls in a prep to grade two composite classroom.  It was to gently encourage them to try different games and not stereotype themselves but also so they could just have fun.  I recommend to teachers who have the talent to write poems and songs for their pupils to do so as it enriches the classroom experience.

Mungalli by June Perkins

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Mungalli

Mungalli
We came
Sang, shared sisterhood
Brotherhood, unity, treasure hunts
Peace

Little
Things sing
To the heart
Picking a song’s tune
Guitar

Unity
In camp
Everywhere we walk
Glow worms in line
Night

By June Perkins

EDUCATORS NOTE: This poem was written to reflect on a mentoring camp held at Mungalli Falls.  I wanted a very simple structure to convey this in just a few words and was inspired by, but not restricted by the cinquain form.  A traditional cinquain, would be 

  1. A subject noun – one word
  2. Two adjectives – two words
  3. Three verbs – three words
  4. A phrase – four words
  5. Return to the subject noun – one word

Instead I went   

  1. Subject noun – one word (however, in verse 2 and 3 I put the subject noun at the end)
  2. Short phrase-two words,  
  3. Longer phrase- three words (line 3,4, and line 2 closely linked)
  4. A phrase or a list of things- four words 
  5. Overall feeling or the subject noun

I think it is important when working with set forms to be able to play with them and reinvent them to fit your purpose, whatever is best for the poem

About June: I am presently working on two sequels to my first full length collection, Magic Fish Dreaming,  https://magicfishdreaming.com/ and dearly hope to find traditional publishers for them or to crowd fund them.  

One is another collection of poetry for children filled with a sense of magical realism, fun and optimism, and the other is especially for mothers who might have fallen in love with the poetry of Magic Fish Dreaming, and will include both poetry and prose reflections on mothering and being mothered.  

I have been keeping a poetry blog for several years, http://ripplepoetry.wordpress.com and am presently blogging on the topic of how poets play with words and images to make their poems https://ripplepoetry.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/poetatplay2/

Possumbled by JR Poulter

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About JR Poulter: “I’m writing all the time – poetry is a bit like a journal for me.  It is there 24/7. I have more books coming out – one a prose poem “The Passing” and one a humorous narrative verse story “A Raw Deal!” and then there is my poetry collection [for grown-ups] “Blood and Other Essentials” which hopefully coming out this year.”

“Earthworms” by Elizabeth Cummings with Teacher Notes

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EARTHWORMS

 

 

Earthworm, you burrower extraordinaire

How can you stand to live down there

With no arms of legs in the soil so dark?

With your one cylindrical digestive tract

You move with the muscles that you contact

To make your body first short then long

And those bristles help propel you along

Through leaf litter, topsoil or deeper down

You help to mix up the stuff in the ground

This makes you the base of many a food chain

Yet your many skills are the environment’s gain

Your talent with organic matter is biological

And mixing tall the nutrients is a flair so chemical

Then there’s your physical ability of aerating

So the soil ecosystem’s restoration you’re helping

Thus let’s take some time to show a bit of gratitude

For how you improve the quality of our food!

 Elizabeth Cummings 

 

About Elizabeth: “Worms both disgust and fascinate me! I remember my brother holding a worm in his hands as a toddler and exclaiming; ‘One worm two worms!’ as he pulled it part?. After that I had nightmares about worms for years until one of my pupils brought a worm farm into the class and taught us all about he important work of the humble earthworm… a teacher can always learn from their students!”

Teacher Notes by Jeanie Axton:

Read this poem to the class a few times and then ask a student to write key words on the whiteboard. As a class research and make a timeline of life in the worm farm. Look at how worms are a sign of a healthy garden and how worm tea helps condition soil and grow healthy plants.

If your really brave have a “Bring your gumboots day” and go out and collect worms to bring back to the classroom. Watch how they move and write a worm poem.

Remember to take the worms back to where you got them after the lesson. They belong in the environment.