Words and Images: Poetry

Today we continued looking at the relationship between poetry and imagers. We read a lighter poem by Jack Prelutsky, called "Philbert Phlurk"

Philbert Phlurk

By Jack Prelutsky

The major quirk of Philbert Phlurk

was tinkering al day, 

inventing things that didn't work, 

a scale that wouldn't weigh,

a pointless pen that couldn't write,

a score of silent whistles,

a bulbless lamp that wouldn't light,

a toothbrush with no bristles.

He built a chair without a seat,

a door that wouldn't shut,

a cooking stove that didn't heat,

a knife that couldn't cut.

He proudly crafted in his shop

a wheel that wouldn't spin,

a sweepless broom, a mop less mop,

a stringless violin.

He made a millin useless things

like clocks with missing hands,

like toothless combs and springless springs

and stretchless rubber bands.

When Phlurk was through with something new

he'd grin and say with glee,

"I know this doesn't work for you,

but ah, it works for me."

Following the same pattern as last class, we read through the poem a few times and then identified and defined words we didn't know.

Next, each student selected a stanza or part of a stanza that they would like to draw - because this particular poem is so full of imagery, students were encouraged to focus on a particular portion.

Lastly, the 3rd and 4th graders wrote the line or lines from the poem that inspired their drawings.