Poetry Break with Non-Rhyming Poem

Poetry Break with “Sleeping Outside” by Kristine O’Connell George

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books.

Age Group: Elementary

Introduction: Before the students come in for the day, or while they are out of the room, erect a small tent in the classroom. If you do not have a tent, pull together some desks and throw a large sheet over them. Write two phrases on the board: “I like camping because. . .”, and “I don’t like camping because. . . .” As the students come into the class, encourage them to think about how it feels to go camping (some students may never have been camping, but can think of what it might be like). Sit in the tent with the students on the floor in front of you just outside the doorway. Read “Sleeping Outside”.

Sleeping Outside

Small me,
in a small tent
staked to a huge planet,
rolling slowly through open space –
alone.

Small me,
still wide awake
under a wide starred sky,
almost – almost – feeling the earth
turning.

Extension: Ask the students to close their eyes while you reread the poem. They are to imagine that they are under the starry sky, and how it would be to actually feel the earth spinning slightly. Have the students return to their desks and write a free verse poem beginning with either of the two phrases that have been written on the board. Invite each student to share his/her poem while sitting in the doorway of the tent while the other students sit around on the floor to visualize the poem being read.