Mrs. McKeown's Poetry
Free Verse or Unrhymed Poem

Home

Why Bother With Poetry
A Concrete or Shape poem
Free Verse or Unrhymed Poem
A Student's Poem
Stump the Teacher
My Poem
Poetry References
Poet Study - Poems
Poet Study - Biography
Poet Study-Jack Prelutsky
International Poet
Native American Poet
Naoshi Koriyama (extra)
Asian American Poet
Hispanic/Latino Poet
Gary Soto extra
African American Poet
Nonfiction
Picture Book
Science
Mathematics
Social Studies
Poem /Sung
Linearound
Movement
Two Groups
Refrain
Lee Bennett Hopkins
Douglas Florian
Judith Viorst
Jack Prelutsky 2
Jack Prelutsky
Shel Silverstein
Folk Poem
Song Lyrics
Classic Poetry
Mother Goose
Picture Book Poem
Arthur Guiterman

Little Girl,
Be Careful What You Say

heart.gif

Introduction:
Let the students read the poem silently, then read the poem outloud. List all the decriptions of words used in the poem as a class.

Little girl, be careful what you say
when you make talk with words, words-
for words are made of syllables
and syllables, child, are made of air-
and is so thin - air is the breath of God-
air is finer than fire or mist,
finer than water or moonlight,
finer than spider-webs in the moon,
finer tha water-flowers in the morning:
and words are strong, too,
stronger than rocks or steel
stronger than potatoes, corn, fish, cattle,
and soft, too, soft as little pigeon-eggs,
soft as the music of hummingbird wings.
So, little girl, when you speak greetings,
when you tell jokes, makes wishes or prayers,
be careful, be careless, be careful,
be what you wish to be.

-- Carl Sandburg --

From Poetry For Young People by Carl Sandburg, published by Sterling Publishing Company, 1995.

Extention:
Have students write a poem about who or what they want to become.