Please help with poetry for kids

Post Reply New Topic

Hi. I hope it is OK if I post this here. I figured I might get more expert advice here than in the parent forum.

I am homeschooling my autistic son and trying to figure out my poetry unit. He likes poetry and so I do not want to mess anything up. He is going into fourth grade, is hyperlexic and loves silly poetry and Japanese.

Poetry is not a special interest of mine, so I was hoping there would be someone here who could help advise me. Last year we did a lot of Shel Silverstein, but we are supposed to be doing more content analysis this year. He does really well figuring out rhyme schemes and the more technical mechanics, but content is another thing.

Most of the poetry I tend to like is really dark, and he gets scared and grossed out very easily. Adult themes are problematic, but at the same time I think I should probably add more complexity and poems with more adult vocabulary.

So far I have some haiku by Izumi Shikibu, and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou.

It would be nice if I could find some poems that were quirky and interesting to a child, but sufficiently serious to be able to analyze in terms of meaning and themes. Does such a hybrid exist without getting into themes that are too dark, or hard for a child to understand?

Here's a link for you where you can find some stuff: I was looking up the works of Ogden Nash - deceptively simple poetry but with deeper meaning.

I am very fond of the poem Snake by D.H. Lawrence - also a deceptively simple poem about stereotypes and how we are taught to fear.

I don't have much time right now, but can find more stuff for you later in the week if you want.

There's plenty of highly entertaining and yet meaningful poetry out there, good luck in your search!


http://www.poemhunter.com/

Example of one of Ogden Nash's works: humorous, yet containing great vocabulary and entertaining ideas. You may have to copy and paste, as I am not really sure how to load links of this type.


http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/common-cold/

These are cool. Thanks!