Laura Purdie Salas

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You are here: Home / Poems for Teachers / Tip #11: Focus on Transitions [Poetry Tips for Teachers]

Tip #11: Focus on Transitions [Poetry Tips for Teachers]

April 15, 2015 By Laura

Welcome to today’s tip in my month-long Poetry Tips for Teachers series.

Tip #11: Focus on transition words.

In narrative poems that tell a story, emphasize transition words, like “then,” or “first,” or “next” to help kids follow the chronology and make sense of the series of events. Or if the poem doesn’t use obvious transition words, say words louder that you think will help ground kids in the story and make sense of what’s going on. Listeners really depend on your voice modulation and inflection to help them know immediately what are the most important words they need to hear and comprehend.

Here’s a poem that summarizes the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk from my Fairy Tale Garage Sale collection. It introduces the set of poems based in the world of Jack.

Jack and the Beanstalk

 

 

And here I am reading the poem with a little bit of emphasis.

 

 

Tagged With: 30 Painless Classroom Poems, Fairy Tale Garage Sale, Laura's books, Laura's poems, National Poetry Month 2015, poems, poetry books, Poetry Tips for Teachers, rhyming poems

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Related

« Tip #10: Emphasize Important Words [Poetry Tips for Teachers]
Tip #12: Use a Prop [and 15 Words or Less Poems] »

MARCH NEWS

ZAP! CLAP! BOOM! is out, and FINDING FAMILY and PUDDLE SONG are hot on its heels. I'm celebrating all 3 with a storytime book launch party at Red Balloon on April 1st. No fooling! Hope you can come (with or without kids).

Join me on April 1st? Click image for details!

I'm also presenting at a Young Authors Conference, marketing all 3 new books, and doing several virtual field trips for students. Happy almost-spring!

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