I am participating in #SOL18. Thanks to the twowritingteachers blog team for providing this space to write, read, and respond to others.
Today, I used Things to Do by Elaine Magliaro, a gift from Rose Cappelli, as my mentor text to write this list poem. Rose and I have often used How to Be by Lisa Brown and the list poems from Falling Down the Page edited by Georgia Heard to create poems of advice. Poems like the one below can be used as part of an informational project and are great to introduce or conclude a more formal report or essay. The list poem format for “Things to Do” and “How to Be” poems will help students write across the curriculum. Try it out to write about world leaders, animals, plants, biomes (such as Mojave Desert or rain forest), weather events (such as a Nor’easter or hurricane), and just about anything you are studying – magnets, windmills, fairytales, political systems, planets, etc..
Things to do if you are a daffodil…
Sleep in a bulb below the earth’s surface.
Be an early bloomer! Love to be first!
Push your tip above the ground in the early days of March.
Grow and grow until you are almost twenty inches high.
Show off a beautiful bloom on your leafless stem.
Smile at the warm, yellow sun.
Greet the garden crocuses – they may be your only company for awhile.
Be resistant of the cold weather of a Pennsylvania spring.
Flower for six weeks or more.
During the fall and winter, rebuild your bulb.
Bloom again and again each new spring.
Show off your trumpet-shaped corona surrounded by six floral leaves.
Symbolize rebirth and new beginnings.
Rejoice! Your beauty is unmatched by any other bloom!
Fun Facts:
If you are in England, people call daffodils Lent Lilies.
Though their botanical name is narcissus, they are sometimes called jonquils.
The first record of cultivated daffodils goes back to around 200 to 300 B.C.
In Wales, daffodils are the national flower!
A Welsh Legend tells us if you’re the first to spot a daffodil, you will come into wealth the next year.
There are at least 25 different daffodil species.
Daffodils are extremely cold resistant and make a good choice for novice gardeners almost anywhere in the United States.
Other early bloomers…
A lovely post for a lovely flower. ours are just blooming and seeing them warms my heart.
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I love this poem and the structure. I also love the tips you give at the beginning. My first graders love the book “How to Be” and they write how-to books using that mentor text. I never thought to use it for poetry. I see some poems in my future today. Maybe starting with Nor’easter #4!
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Lovely! I especially like the line about the crocuses. And how about: Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself covered in snow. It won’t last long.
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Love your suggested lines, Rosie! I always am a better writer when I collaborate with you!
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I must be Welsh. Daffodils are my favorite flower as the harbingers of spring. Love the poem and the fun facts. Lots of good ideas for writers here, Lynne.
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Daffodils and daisies are my favorite flowers. They are such happy flowers! I had fun writing this poem. Hope the snow melts quickly!
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Love your poem, Lynne! I bought this book after Jen shared it at KSRA! Can’t wait to use it with my K writers! Glad you went with something happy like Daffodils on a day like today! Fun facts at the end are a great addition!!!
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I like this format because it gives a person a unique way to pass on information that isn’t dull. I like your inclusion of the fun facts. As the snow piles up outside I will enjoy the image of a sunshine yellow daffodil.
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Never heard of this structure and I love it and the insightful and informative poem you composed. Watch for a slice using this format and thanks so much, Lynn.
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I love the book How to Be and will need to revisit Things to Do. What a great format and so much information included. I love all the varieties of daffodils. They are a happy flower. I think a lot has to do with the fact we are so sick of the winter colors, that we welcome the brightness of this flower. I will be thinking of a way I can use your format before the month is out.
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I think, Elsie, I may try it again on the last day of March. Things to do if you are a slicer….
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I love the form of this writing. It’s a great mentor format. Daffodils are one of my favorite. They say, :Wake up! Spring is here! Many of my flower friends will be coming soon. For now, I greet you with the brightest yellow. Feel the sunshine!
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Daffodils are my favorite. I have them in every room of my house during the month of March. They signal renewal for me. I love the idea of bridging structures across genres. We are doing this a lot in schools it gives kids options and shows them the commonalities across structures. Thank you for sharing!
Clare
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I fill my home with daffodils, too. Right now, I have not seen any. In my garden they were just about to bloom when the snow storm struck. We have about a foot of snow here in Dresher. I hope my daffies are okay.
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