CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Matt Forrest Esenwine of Warner, NH. Matt has three new books (WOW!) coming out in 2020. CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about his poems and poetry.

Matt writes stories in verse and poems. Can you think of some books written to rhyme? What is the difference between a book of poems and a book written as a poem?

Things to think about:

• Does a poem need to rhyme?
• How do you describe a poem?
• Can a story be a poem?
• Why do you think poems are fun to write or hard to write?
• Can a poem be about anything?
• Are poems meant to read outloud?

Here are a few ways to get to know Matt’s work better:

• Poems, like stories, are about putting words together in different ways. Matt made a word game about poetry terms.
• Look here for word games from his book Flashlight Night and word search and crossword for Don’t Ask a Dinosaur.
• You can see here that Matt has had poems in a lot of books. About what subjects has he written poems?
• Parents and educators can watch Matt’s instructional videos Wit and Wordplay here
• Matt celebrates Poetry Friday here with interviews and recommendations for other poets
• Hear Matt read poems here

CLiF has created literacy activities for students of all ages here. Here are some that would go nicely with Matt’s poems:

For younger kids:

• Alphabet dominoes and Paint Chip Word Families – use the pictures and letter cards to help kids learn about rhyming

For older kids:

• Book Spine Poetry – see what words show up on your book shelves (use magazines, manuals, cookbooks too!); use them to make lines of poetry
• Headline Poetry – cut words from magazine or newspaper headlines and make into poems

For families:

• Poem City – put up poems in your house, windows, or neighborhood
• Poem in your Pocket – take turns sharing poems
• Musical Poems – musical chairs with reading poems at the break!