FOUND POETRY

Found poetry is fun to read and write. More importantly, found poetry encourages adult developing readers and writers to pay closer attention to the print that surrounds them in their daily lives. It fos­ters students' appreciation of the most common or simple texts, both their own and those written by others. It celebrates the poetry that we all speak and write naturally, if only we take the time to recognize it. Last, found poetry is something that adult students can share and play around with at home. Writing and reading this poetry is an ideal parent-child activity that will help promote intergenerational literacy.

Getting Ready

• Read through the complete lesson.
• At least a few weeks before the lesson collect newspapers with ad­vertisements, grocery flyers, and coupons.
• Gather enough pairs of scissors, tape, markers of different colors, and blank paper for your students' use.
• Read aloud several times "This Is Just to Say." Try reading it as a simple note. Then read it as a poem, emphasizing the rhythm of the lines.
• Write a note poem, a grocery list poem, and a sports metaphor poem, which are all described later in this chapter, as models for your students.

Starting the Lesson

• Write the poem "This Is Just to Say" on the chalkboard or on newsprint without line breaks and with punctuation. Read it aloud to your students while they follow along. Read it a second time.
• Then ask your students if they write notes to other people in their households, notes that they perhaps tape to the refrigerator ("Don't eat all the ice cream!") or leave on the kitchen table or dresser ("Take out the garbage. Then do your homework. I'll be home late. Love, Mom.").
• Encourage a whole-class discussion of the kinds of notes people write, why they're written, and where they're placed.
• Show the class the correct form of "This Is Just to Say." Read it aloud a couple of times, emphasizing the rhythm of the lines. Have the class read it with you as a poem. Then read it together once again as a note. Explore with students what makes one a poem and the other a note. They will probably comment on the arrangement of the words on the page and the attention to particular words through placement; perhaps they'll also note rhythm and repetition.