Just a Twist on the Old!

Imagine taking something old and making it your own. It is fun to challenge your students to think outside of the box, by having them take the idea of a Mother Goose Rhyme and writing a poem that challenges the "gist" of what it is saying. This is something I enjoy incorporating into my poetry unit. The kids find it sometimes hard, but fun in the end. It is delightful to see the creative ideas that abound from this task!!

Remember to model for your students what you expect from them. The following poem is my own twist on the Mother Goose Rhyme, "Little Miss Muffett." Another great example of what I am talking about is the poem, "If Walt Whitman Had Written Humpty Dumpty," by Frank Jacobs in the book Poem Stew.

An Undesirable Dinner
by JoLynn Burke

O little Miss Muffet
you claimed a fearful fright!
You say it was your dinner friend
who brought your dinner to its end.

You were sitting oh so sweetly,
munching your curds and whey,
you didn't stay and honestly,
I don't believe what you say.

"A very large spider,"
they claim, "sat beside her."
See, I believe it was your dinner
that didn't meet your taste!

It was the undesirable pallett,
that made you leave in haste!



If Walt Whitman Had Written Humpty Dumpty
by Frank Jacobs

O Humpty! O Dumpty! You've had a fearful spill,
You've tumbled from the stony height,
you're lying cold and still;

Your shell is cracked, your yolk runs out,
your breath is faint and wheezy;
You landed as a scrambled egg, instead of over easy;

The king has sent his steeds and men
To mend you if they can;
I pray that they did not forget
To bring a frying pan.