3rd Grade Poetry
Over two weeks this spring my 3rd graders explored the poetry of color. My goal was to share poetry of primarily diverse authors and illustrators (see my previous post ). We began class by reading author Malathi Michelle Iyengar's note in Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown about how she vividly remembers scrubbing her brownness off in the bathtub as a child. She shares with the reader her shame turned to pride in the color of her skin. As I read, you could hear a pin drop. I then read several poems from Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown . We listened for descriptions that appealed to our senses. We then read the poem Brown from Hailstones to Halibut Bones. We shared all kinds of luscious smells, sights, and sounds of brown. Students then went to tables to read poetry or try their hand at writing color poetry on paint chips. Day 2 Day 2 began by reading All the Colors of the Earth. We ...