Sports. That's Jeremy Bloom's topic. He's not psyched about spending another year writing poetry, but maybe it won't be as bad as he thinks. He and his friends Chad and Michael join every team the school has - football, soccer, hockey, basketball, and baseball! At first, the guys are unstoppable, undefeated! But when Mrs. Stegowitz decides to become a fan, suddenly the guys are headed for a never-ending losing streak. Jeremy's glory poems ache with the agony of defeat. But surprisingly... he keeps writing. Could poetry be actually as cool as sports?

With dozens of engaging and practical writing activities for students in grades 3-8, The Power of Poems makes it easy and fun to integrate poetry into your curriculum-and teach to the standards, too. Margriet Ruurs guides you and your students through the writing process, from cultivating an inspiring learning environment and generating poem ideas to publishing poetry on paper and digitally. Hundreds of age appropriate poem recommendations, student examples, and writing tips make this a resource you'll return to again and again. Jump-start your students' passion for reading and writing poetry and realize the power of poetry in your classroom today!

While storytelling is a great favorite of preschoolers, many elementary age children are more drawn to crafts and other activities. StoryCraft is an award-winning library program that combines storytelling with crafts in an exciting and engaging activity for children in first through third grades. Each one-hour program includes storytelling, a craft, movement, activities, music, and discussion. This collection of StoryCraft programs presents 50 fun and educational theme-based sessions. Each includes suggestions for promotion, music, crafts, activities, and stories. The sessions also include bibliographies to help direct young readers toward additional reading, as well as diagrams, detailed instructions, and supply lists for the crafts. The themes range from a Jungle Safari to Math Mayhem to a Western Roundup, all encouraging children to enjoy reading in a variety of ways. Each session has plenty of suggestions, so that the program can be customized. Helpful Hints for implementing the program can help any librarian, volunteer, or parent turn a ho-hum storytime into a dazzling StoryCraft time.

Discusses children's poetry, the techniques and forms of poetry, and related topics, and provides advice for teachers on such aspects of using poetry in the classroom as reading aloud, dramatization, and student poetry writing.

Explains how teachers and librarians can steer students to the literature they love by focusing on three key areas: knowing the readers, knowing the books, and knowing the strategies to motivate students to read.

Enduring a second year with the poetry teacher who gave him a D minus, reluctant Jeremy Bloom hopes to earn a better grade by writing sports poetry.

"Exciting ideas for teaching writing, editing, illustration and design. This practical resource also features author studies, a guide to author visits, fun ways to celebrate books and more" Cf. Our choice, 2000.