Poetry Break with a Poem with a Refrain

Poetry Break with “Rat for Lunch!”

Prelutsky, Jack. 1996. a Pizza the size of the Sun. Ill. by James Stevenson. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Introduction: Give an overview of Jack Prelutsky, especially since this poem is fairly silly, and explain that he writes all kinds of poems. Print out a picture of Mr. Prelutsky, show it to the students, and begin a poet biography board. Write out some facts about Mr. Prelutsky (i.e. he loves baseball, he loves frogs, he likes to eat out, he attends the opera and symphony, he was once a cab driver, he likes to create games); have several students choose a fact to read out loud and then attach to the board. Explain that some poems have a refrain, or repeated section, and that you would like the class to read the refrain of this poem when indicated. Display the refrain on the whiteboard or overhead projector (or the entire poem if you wish). Read through the refrain with the class. When they are comfortable, indicate to the class when to read as you read the verses. Read “Rat for Lunch!”

Rat for Lunch!

Refrain:
Rat for lunch! Rat for lunch!
Yum! Delicious! Munch munch munch!
One by one or by the bunch –
Rat, oh rat, oh rat for lunch!

Scrambled slug in salty slime
is our choice at breakfast time,
but for lunch, we say to you,
nothing but a rat will do.

Refrain:
Rat for lunch! Rat for lunch!
Yum! Delicious! Munch munch munch!
One by one or by the bunch –
Rat, oh rat, oh rat for lunch!

For our snack each afternoon,
we chew bits of baked baboon,
curried squirrel, buttered bat,
but for lunch it must be rat.

Refrain:
Rat for lunch! Rat for lunch!
Yum! Delicious! Munch munch munch!
One by one or by the bunch –
Rat, oh rat, oh rat for lunch!

In the evening we may dine
on fillet of porcupine,
buzzard gizzard, lizard chops,
but for lunch a rat is tops.

Refrain:
Rat for lunch! Rat for lunch!
Yum! Delicious! Munch munch munch!
One by one or by the bunch –
Rat, oh rat, oh rat for lunch!

Rat, we love you steamed or stewed,
blackened, broiled, or barbecued.
Pickled, poached, or fried in fat,
there is nothing like a rat.

Refrain:
Rat for lunch! Rat for lunch!
Yum! Delicious! Munch munch munch!
One by one or by the bunch –
Rat, oh rat, oh rat for lunch!

Extension: Read the poem several times. Ask the children to respond to it – there are no right or wrong answers, just find out what the students think about the poem. Pass out other books by Jack Prelutsky (that are already in the classroom or checked out from the library) and ask the students to look through them and find a poem that they like. Ask each student to copy the poem onto a piece of paper and attach it to the poet biography board to complete the display.