​Using Poetry to Build Fluency

… whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you…
    - W. S. Merwin  
 
I’m a regular reader of poetry. Sometimes I’ll read online at the Poetry Foundation site or my friend Gloria will email me a poem. But most often I read from one of my collections. I enjoy holding a book in my hand, reading and re-reading a poem while curled in a comfy chair next to the pellet stove (winter) or in the shade of a big oak (spring, summer, and fall). Some of my favorites are found in collections written by Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, Gary Snyder, and Maya Angelou or collected in anthologies, where I contemplate the words of Rilke and Rumi. The poet I’m loving right now is W.S. Merwin, whose unpunctuated, uncapitalized lines can be read in any number of ways. Amazingly, each version is a surprise and revelation. If you’re interested, I’d suggest Thanks, a beautiful entry point to his poetry.
 
Poems can play an important part of early reading instruction because they lend themselves to practicing a wide variety of literacy elements, including vocabulary, speaking and listening, genre and author study, phonic-spelling patterns, and comprehension through close reading. Additionally, they can be used for shared reading, small group reading, and independent reading. Finally, most children find poems engaging and enjoy reading them. I attribute this to their brevity, rhythm and rhyme, and ability to evoke a wide variety of feelings and wonderment.  

​One of the great things about poems is that you can easily use them to help students build fluency, especially the components of accuracy and expression. It’s all done through repeated reading. Here’s on possibility for instruction that combines language comprehension and word recognition. First, find three poems of varying levels. Then consider this three-day routine, which you can unfold over two weeks. It contains a good deal of repeated reading, as well as teaches vocabulary, comprehension, and speaking and listening.
 
Three-day Routine
 First Day  (15 -20 minutes)

• Using the upper level poem, engage students in discussion around the title and pre-teach vocabulary words using direct and explicit instruction. All of this builds language comprehension (topic, background, vocabulary) before reading.
• Next, read the poem three times using the I Read, We Read, You Read method (direct and explicit instruction with gradual release). After the first read, point out any rhyming words and discuss any patterns.
• After I Read, We Read, You Read, discuss the poem using shared reading or interactive read aloud techniques. Focus points for modeling and discussion might be text-to-text connections, thin and thick questions, visualizing, and so on. Read a section of the poem, do a think out loud (such as “I think the author is trying to..” or “I see that this sentence connects back to the beginning where…”), and ask questions, such as, “Why did the author use this word,” “What do you think this sentence means,” and “What is the author trying to say here?”

Second Day (10-15 minutes)

• Using the mid-level and lower level poems, talk about the titles and pre-teach vocabulary words. For some poems, you may want to show a picture or two. Also point out rhyming words and discuss their patterns.
• If a poem lends itself to movement, fold it into your instruction. Giving students opportunities to move is always a good idea!
• Next, read each poem three times using the I Read, We Read, You Read method.
• After the You Read, ask a comprehension question that centers on your comprehension skills for the week. For example, if I was focusing on text-to-text connections, I might ask, “What do these two poems have in common?” or “How do these two poems relate to the poem we read yesterday?”

Third Day (10 -15 minutes)

• Have an appropriate number of 3-hole punched copies of each poem ready. For example, in a class of 20 students you might have eight students reading the upper level poem, six reading the mid-level, and six reading the lower. Also, have additional copies on hand in case students want to pick a second or third poem and put it in their individual poetry anthology.
• In a whole group setting, keeping the pace brisk and using a poster or SmartBoard slide, read each poem using I Read and We Read. No need to do You Read because students will have plenty of chances to do this in just a minute.
• Next, pass out individual poems for fluency practice. Students receive the poem that is most appropriate for their current achievement level.
• Using a quiet “1-inch” voice, students practice reading their poem at their desks for one minute. If a student says, “I’m done,” or if he stops reading, “Say, practice it again. Time is not up yet.” Prompt students fine tune expression, phrasing, and accuracy.
• Students pair up. Using a quiet “1-inch” voice, they take turns presenting their poem to each other. This lasts for two minutes. If students say, “We’re done,” or if they stop reading, prompt them as you did for solo reading.
• Students go back to their seats and read their poem one last time.
• Randomly call on two to three students. When called upon, they can either “pass” or present to the class. 
• After each presentation, directly and explicitly describe any reading behavior  you want to highlight and praise, such as effort, accuracy, phrasing, expression that demonstrated meaning, a strong voice, etc.
• After each presentation, have the class provide a round of applause or other cheer. 

​Personal Poetry Anthologies
Personal poetry anthologies grow and expand as the months goes by, reflecting a child’s reading preferences. Each poem in the anthology provides an opportunity for students to engage in re-reading, build their fluency, and share their reading with others.

Regardless of whether or not you use the 3-day routine, put a previously read poem into a binder or folder with the students name on it. I give students the option to take a second or even third poem, each typically at a different level of difficulty. Thus, after two months, some children will have a dozen poems in their anthology while others may have only four or five. If your budget and/or storage space is limited, store poems in a two-pocket folder with or without fasteners. If you don’t use fasteners, I suggest gradually stapling the poems into packets of six to eight (so papers don’t go flying if the poems fall out).

Photos: Two examples of poetry anthologies

​Here’s a list for students giving options for poetry anthologies:
During independent reading time, you can read…

• At your desk or in the cozy chair (sign up)
• With a partner on the carpet- read the entire poem
• With a partner – take turns and read every other sentence
• In a trio – take turns reading the sentences
• With a whisper phone or paintbrush 
• During share time…
• Dramatically read a poem
• Present a poem with buddies, using two or more voices (duo or trio) 

Teaching Tip
Fluent reading unfolds smoothly, with expression and in broad brushstrokes of phrasing. To drive the point home, put out a container filled with small paintbrushes. Then allow your students to take a paintbrush and re-read a poem or passage by pulling the brush smoothly below the sentences It’s a kinesthetic trick that keeps kids engaged as they re-read. Encourage the reading of phrases, smoothly, in broad strokes. Read like a painter, not…like…a…pointer!