Blue on Blue by Diane
White and Beth Krommes
By: Angie Mitchell
Grade Levels: K-5 ELA Classroom or Media Center
Subjects: Reading and Writing
Read the story Blue on Blue with the students without
showing the pictures. Discuss the use of rhyming and figurative language inside
the poem. Have them share what they envisioned happening during the page. Then
reread the poem and show the pictures. Have a class discussion on if the
pictures added to the understanding of the poem.
This next part you will have to modify to go with the grade
level that you are working with:
Have the students get into groups of two or three depending
on class size and then give them a letter of the alphabet. They are to come up
with a letter that goes along with the theme of the book – stormy and sunny
days. Once they come up with their word
come back into groups and share the words on the board. With K-2 do a shared
writing activity where you collaboratively work on creating a poem with the
words. With 3-5 have them go back into their groups and create a poem using
their words.
Extensions:
Have a Poetry Reading Event where students share their poems
with parents and classmates.
Create their own picture book centered around their poem.
Here is the poem that one of the Kindergarten classes came up with during this lesson.
Stormy Day
Thunder, Lightening,
Wind Howling,
Rain Pounds Down,
Umbrellas Pop Up!
Rain Stops!
Sun Sneaks Out,
Time for mud jumping fun!
The only letters I gave them were T, L, W, H, D, U, S, M, J, and R.
They worked in partners to come up with the words and then we created the poem together.
