Poetry Inspired by Love That Dog

My fifth graders and I celebrated Poetry Month by reading Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.

In the past, when I had shared this book with students, I read it to them, but this year, I wanted to try something different.

We started in our morning-meeting-style greeting circle. I introduced the book and read the first three entries. I then passed the book to my left and each student read an entry. It was more powerful than I expected to hear the different students giving voice to Jack. The students that had to read the part about the blue car, blue car, spattered with mud, did an incredible job. The book traveled our circle almost twice. As we approached the end, I asked for the book and read the last entry. 

The conversations after this experience showed my how powerful it had been, for all of us.

The next week, the students watched the Readers' Theatre production with Sharon, Walter Dean Myers, Avi, and Sarah Weeks. 

The following two weeks were all about writing poetry like Jack.

Here are some of my fifth graders poems inspired by the poems in Love That Dog, along with some other poems they found on their own.

Other poets that inspired my students or 

that they chose to emulate:

ReedALOUD: Moo

My lunch bunch book group and I just finished reading Moo by Sharon Creech. 

"This uplifting tale reminds us that if we’re open to new experiences, life is full of surprises. Following one family’s momentous move from the city to rural Maine, an unexpected bond develops between twelve-year-old Reena and one very ornery cow.

When Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents first move to Maine, Reena doesn’t know what to expect. She’s ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can eat. Instead, her parents “volunteer” Reena and Luke to work for an eccentric neighbor named Mrs. Falala, who has a pig named Paulie, a cat named China, a snake named Edna—and that stubborn cow, Zora."

Zora, that stubborn cow, steals your heart, as does her eccentric owner Mrs. Falala, with that long grey braid and those strong opinions. 

My students and I loved this book. Reena and Luke show us what it's like to be siblings dropped into unchartered territory -  this small Maine town is nothing like the urban environment they left. They also show us what it means to protect those that you love and how to find room in your heart for others. 

Here's why my students think YOU should read this book:

While reading, the students would often illustrate scenes, characters, or words that resonated with them. Here is some of their art:

 

"...curving lanes spreading like tree trunks from the town center"

Mrs. Falala's barn

Luke saying, "Don't touch me." because he didn't like to be touched by strangers.

Luke learning where food comes from.

The Maine seaside view

Mucking the stalls

Reena and Luke's new home in Maine

Many Maine-y scenes

Wonderful words they heard

I also copied a few pages to allow them to draw or share their thinking in the margins.

We had a special time reading MOO.