Informational Poetry

What is informational poetry?
 Informational poetry is poems that are written in a way that is fun, but the students still learn from the content of the poem.  The words and materials discussed in the poem are written in such a way that after reading the poem, the audience has learned something new.  Poets usually write poems that contain different facts and information.  Informational poetry is a fun way for kids to be exposed to more information on a given concept.  Students get very engaged with poetry, so informational poetry is generally very effective for them.  Of course, when teaching a concept, more information is needed than just what is in the poem, but the poem provides a nice alternative.  Most children's books are seen as a poetic type of writing style.  Below you will find some wonderful examples of good informational poetry books.

In the classroom, poetry is often overlooked as an academic way to express what you know.  However, poetry is fun for a lot of students and it comes very easy for students at a young age.   Poetry can be used in any content area, especially when we talk about informational poetry.  There are many different types of mentor texts that can be used to model informational poetry for students. A lot of the younger students, make informational poetry books without even knowing it.  

Suggested Texts:

Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow by Joyce Sidman

Picture and Information found at Scholastic.com

ISBN#: 061856313X
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Year: 2006
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.3
Lexile Measure: NA
Interest Level: Grades 3-5

Themes:

• Birds
• Science
• Animals
• Plants and Flowers

 Main Ideas:

• This book contains poetry riddles and science knowledge.
• Through this book, children will be exposed to the hidden areas of the meadow
• Each page has a poem
• Pictures offer clues as to what the poem is about
• The explanation of each poem and what animal or plant they are referring to is written in paragraph form, not in poetic form

Classroom Application:

•  This book would work very well in a science unit, especially one focusing on animals around us.  In regards to a science lesson, this book might be used in chunks instead of all the way through, depending on what the focus is.
• This book would also be a good reference book if the students were to find facts about a certain plant or animal.

*Another good informational poetry book by Joyce Sidman is: Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night (2011 Newbery Honor Book)

For more information visit: Amazon and Scholastic

 

A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms by Paul B. Janeczko

Picture and Information from Scholastic.com

ISBN#: 0763641324
Publisher: Candlewick
Year: 2009
Grade Level Equivalent: 5.2
Lexile Measure: NA
Interest Level: Grades 3-5

Themes:

• Poetry
• Writing Styles
• English

Main Ideas:

• Through this collection of poems, children are introduced to a variety of poetic forms by experiencing these fun and exciting completed works.
• Each poem has a fun and exciting illustration that helps interpret the poem and bring it to life
•  Essential, they are poems about poems
• Every page has a couplet and persona
• At the end of the book, there is a complete list of the poems and what type of poetry they are and how that poetic form works

Application to the Classroom:

• This book would be great for an ELA classroom.
• It would be especially useful for a poetry unit because it not only shows the different types of poetic forms, but also gives students a lot of models.
• This book really exemplifies how fun poetry can be for students