Product Swap

     I'm so excited to be a part of "The Magical Product Swap!" I was paired up with Jodi from Fun in First, which is a treat because I've been stalking visiting her a-ma-zing blog for a while and she has the best ideas! I got to pick a product from her TPT store and take it for a spin. Let me tell you - it was really hard to choose because she has so many fantastic things. Because I'm planning on totally revamping the way I manage my Poetry Station this year, I finally decided on Jodi's Alphabet Poetry Pack.

     After looking through this packet, I have a gazillion of great ideas for my Poetry Station!  One of my biggest quandaries was how to best introduce the Poetry Station in the beginning of the year, when so many kindergartners still don't even know their letters yet. Jodi's packet offers the perfect solution to ensuring success for even the most emergent literacy learners.  There is a short poem for each letter of the alphabet, and various versions of each poem are included.

     I love that I can use these to focus on alphabet recognition, letter-sound connections, handwriting and poetry all at the same time. The poems are the perfect length for kindergartners, and they're very cute and catchy, so even beginners can "read" them. There is also a matching alphabet chart in the packet, which is great for the kids to refer to. (To keep things consistent, I'm going to use it during Writers' Workshop also.)

     The first thing I did was to use my handy-dandy binding machine to make a class set of poetry journals.  These will stay in our book boxes for reading during Readers' Workshop or while at the Poetry Station. Then, I printed in booklet format and made a set of small books for the kids to bring home and read with their families.

    Then, on to planning for my new Poetry Station.  My wheels started turning and I have a bunch of tasks ready to go using these poems. I'm going to make some task cards, and then let the kids chose what they work on when they visit the station. Some independent tasks that I think Jodi's poems will be perfect for are:

     If you add "reading from your journal" as a choice, that's six tasks that kindergartners can do independently, even in the beginning of the year. If I introduce one or two poems a week, this packet should get me through Winter Break. Woo-hoo! A big thanks to Jodi for making my Poetry Station revamp so easy!

     Do you have any other ideas for independent work with these poems? I'd love a comment if you can help me add some choices to my Poetry Station.  If you'd like a fun, developmentally appropriate way to kick off your Poetry Station this fall, I'd head to Jodi's store (here) and grab a copy. For more great ideas, be sure to visit her blog!  

If you haven't entered my quick Giveaway, be sure to check it out here.
Have a great night!