The Great Poetry Race

How many of you use The Great Poetry Race in your classroom? I started using it this year, and I love it! Basically, students practice a poem all week. They read the poem to family, neighbors, other adults and each time they read it, the person they read to signs their paper. The purpose is to increase fluency. I give my poems out on Monday and they are due on Friday. The following Monday I give out a plastic trophy to the student who had the most signatures. At the end of the year, I plan on giving a real trophy to the student who had the most signatures all year. I’ve been collecting resources and ideas for The Great Poetry Race all year. I decided to assemble some of my ideas into a packet which is not available at TeachersPayTeachers. Here’s a sneak peak:

Here’s what’s included:

• The Great Poetry Race sample letter to parents
• Blank letter for you to copy with your customized letter: Simply type your customized letter, attach it to the template and copy it on a copy machine
• Great Poetry Race signature sheet
• Car templates for student to color in to use with a bulletin board. (Idea: create a race track out of bulletin board paper. Have students color in a car template and add their initials or class number. Move cars around the track for meeting a specific goal.)
• Winner’s Circle poster for students to sign when they are the winner for the week or for meeting a specific goal (Laminate and use Dry Erase or Vis-à-vis markers). Alternatively, move a student’s car to the Winner’s Circle for having the most signatures in the week or for meeting a specific goal (ex. Reading to 20 people). (Two versions included.)
• Great Poetry Race Tracking Sheet: Use to keep track of how many signatures student’s collect.
• Student Incentive Charts: Students can use these charts to track their participation and progress. (Two versions included.)
• Recommended Poetry Resources and Tips

One more day for me, and then a week of spring break! 🙂